My father, Joe, had an occasional drinking buddy, Thomas Cleghorn, a local painter. <\/p>\n
Joe’s home contained a handful of Cleghorn’s paintings; most of them roughly the size of an A5 page (or about 8″ x 5″ for you imperialists). They show images of flocks of native birds rising from lagoons, and similar pleasant Australian landscapes.<\/p>\n
One of the paintings was quite different. It held pride of place in the lounge-room, and almost dominated the room – both because of its size and subject matter.<\/p>\n
From memory, the painting is about 6′ high and 3′ feet wide, (Oops, looks like I am an imperialist at heart!) surrounded by an ornate frame. In the words of Cleghorn, it was one of his “bugger-of-a-size” paintings.<\/p>\n
It is titled “Lambing Paddock’. It, indeed, depicts a paddock; the backdrop is an Australian farm area – a dry yellow field. Gentle rolling hills sectioned into more paddocks form a backdrop.<\/p>\n
However, these don’t draw the eye immediately – the awkward shape in the foreground is what you see first. It clearly isn’t a sheep, despite the title. It is black and white, and appears to be floating very slightly off the ground. It is an kangaroo, but it is oddly shaped. <\/p>\n
Some viewers get confused at this point, and ask. Others keep looking.<\/p>\n
Wait a minute. They aren’t kangaroo ears! They are the open jaws of an animal with a snout – like a dog. Is it a dog? A bit like a border collie? Some sort of three-legged dog? Wait, is that another leg being obscured by the body? Yes? So that’s it’s tail, not a leg on the underside? How does a dog get into that position? Mid-air, upside-down, with its body twisting under it? What’s going on?<\/p>\n
Most viewers get confused at this point, and ask. Others keep looking, and the horrible truth dawns on them.<\/p>\n
It is titled “Lambing Paddock”. Dogs aren’t allowed in lambing paddocks. Dogs scare the pregnant ewes and attack the lambs. Farmers don’t like that. If a stray dog is discovered in a lambing paddock, a very rough form of justice is dealt, generally with a .22-calibre rifle.<\/p>\n
Cleghorn had chosen to immortalise on a giant canvas the moment of a stray dog being shot, its body contorted into a weird ballet position.<\/p>\n
Apparently, Cleghorn’s wife was not a fan of the painting. She had insisted that it be turned face to the wall.<\/p>\n
Joe had a different opinion. He saved the painting from this fate. He purchased it and presented it prominently in his home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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