Cow's Hairy Nose

A cow does not feel self-conscious about its nose. 

Cow's Hairy Nose is a piece from the First Fires series, created when I was first starting out with enameling. The concept explores what happens when deeply human feelings -vanity, embarrassment, longing are projected onto animals that simply do not have them. A cow's muzzle is naturally hairless, yet here it is depicted with long, hairy nostrils: an entirely ordinary feature on a human, but an oddly loaded, surreal thing to project onto an animal.

The piece was created using traditional champlevé enameling. Back in art academy, I was taught to etch the recessed copper channels using a harsh nitric acid bath. The acid is aggressive and unpredictable, it eats sideways under the protective paint, leaving raw, graphic, and imperfect lines that I had to work with rather than against them. The recessed pockets were then packed with cream vitreous enamel and fired in the kiln. It is not a polished, sterile process; it is a raw record of early experimentation.

The artwork comes with a custom handmade solid pine display stand, finished in matte black. Integrated magnets allow the piece to snap securely to the stand, or any other magnetic surface. 

Details & Specifications:

• Title: Cow’s Hairy Nose

• Series: First Fires

• Artist: A. Fraction, Vilnius

• Medium: Vitreous enamel on copper

• Technique: Champlevé (acid-etched copper, kiln-fired)

• Year: 2024

• Edition: Unique (1 of 1)

• Display & Mounting: Dual-magnet system 

Note: Purchasing work from this shop directly helps fund ongoing studio research, safety upgrades, and future enamel experiments.

Sold with the handmade display stand. Each work is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity and ships worldwide in bespoke protective packaging.