Perspectives of the Rancher

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I am thinking of doing two drawings that are parallel to each other in composition and theme. The first drawing will be of a lamb dying in a rancher's arms. I like the imagery of the lamb because it references different themes that are relevant to the conflict in my art. Lambs and wolves are associated through fables where the lamb represents good and the wolf represents evil. Additionally, lambs represent purity and innocence in Christianity. In my artwork, the lamb will be a reference to these themes as well as a metaphor for how ranchers feel about wolf reintroduction. Ranchers feel that their way of life and values are dying. The costs associated with raising and slaughtering livestock have grown for the average rancher to the point that they cannot compete with corporations in the meat industry and are going into more and more debt every year. Ranching has historic roots in our country and is a source of pride for many people. There is unseen hard work and long hours that go into modest pay out. Ranchers can act as environmental stewards and care for both the animals they are raising and the land that they are using. They have deep ties to nature and life it in their daily life. 

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All of this is contrasted with views that people from cities have on ranching. Meat is not a sustainable food source and many ranching practices are bad for the ecosystems they are ranching. People from cities tend to have more liberal biases and people in rural areas tend to be more conservative. Well-educated people who live in the cities are exposed to media about the benefits of wolf reintroduction and the importance of carnivores in ecosystems. These views are backed by ecologists and biologists. The people in cities do not live in places where they are likely to have any contact with wolves and they believe that wolf reintroduction is the scientifically correct course of action. Because of this perspective, they look down on the ranchers and feel that they are unintelligent and immoral. This creates more hostility between ranchers who feel that their livelihood is being threatened and people who live in cities who are looking down on them. 

 

I want to create an image that captures both perspectives and honors where they are coming from. I want the image supporting the rancher's belief to depict a limb lamb being held by a man. I chose the lamb because of its historic symbolism. The lamb's death represents ranchers fear that their way of life is being killed. I want to give the lamb a shiny gold halo to further reference the religious associations.