Pigcasso is bringing home the bacon

BRANDISHING a paintbrush in her mouth, Pigcasso enthusiastically tosses her head to create bright, bold strokes across a canvas propped up in her sty.

The sow was rescued from an abattoir as a piglet and brought to an animal sanctuary in Franschhoek, Western Cape, in 2016, where her new owners noticed her love of colour and paintbrushes.

Joanne Lefson, who runs Farm Sanctuary SA, said: “Pigs are very smart animals and so when I brought Pigcasso here to the barn, I thought, how do I keep her entertained?”

“We threw in some soccer balls, rugby balls and, of course, there were some paintbrushes lying around because the barn was newly built. She basically ate or destroyed everything except these paintbrushes – she loved them so much,” Lefson added.

Soon the pig was dipping the brushes into pots of paint and making her mark. Her paintings can sell for almost $4000 (R57000), with the proceeds going to animal welfare. She has even had one of her artworks turned into a watch face for Swiss watchmaker Swatch.

Swatch announced a collaboration with the pig last month.

The limited edition “Flying Pig by Ms Pigcasso” features green, blue and pink brush strokes and sells for $120.

“Pigcasso is definitely an abstract expressionist.

“You can’t exactly define what she’s painting, but I can tell you that her style slightly changes depending on her mood, like any great artist,” said Lefson. | Reuters

Painting is hard work. Pigcasso cools down in a mud bath after having a bash at another painting.

Pigcasso, a rescued pig, looks at a canvas and studies her handiwork with a critical eye.