Ross Butler of Woodstock, Ont., first came to prominence as a livestock painter in the 1930s when a number of Canadian horse and cattle breed committees hired him to paint their idea of a perfect specimen.
“For several years, he was known as the world’s leading livestock artist, which was a thing,” David Ross, 68, said about his late dad. “It was a genre. He was among the elite livestock painters.”
Before the Second War, Ross painted ideal depictions of 11 different breeds, “standard types” as they were called — four dairy cow breeds, four beef breeds and two draft horse breeds. He continued painting and sculpting animals for many years.
