Hatchett Gallery

Busselton Dunsborough Times – Gabrielle Young

MOOSIC Mania, artgeo’s cow parade inhabitant, has become an international rock sensation.

The Gene Simmons look-alike was recently featured on the international Kiss Army fan club website.

Joint artgeo cultural centre manager Denise Gibbs said Mosic Mania had created a lot of interest and traffic through the gallery.

“It’s attracted a lot of attention, we we constantly go out and see visitors in a variety of poses with the cow,”  she said.  Artist Joyce Hatchett was commissioned by Radio West to create a rock star cow.

“Cliff Reeve (morning show host) suggested Gene Simmons and I immediately thought about big boots and metal everywhere,” she said

“I wanted her to look mean but attractive, with big yellow bulging eyes”.

The Ferguson Valley Artist said she painted and designed the cow before her husband Douglas, a clinical psychologist, joined in to help with the metal bits.

“It was a joint effort which was lovely, he really enjoyed it I think he was a bit chuffed at the end of it,” she said.

Mrs Hatchett said she wasn’t worried about the cow shaped canvas because she had completed some really different commission in her 12 or 13 years as a full time artists.

“I did the restoration of the 14 Stations of the Cross for a Church in Dardanup where I was up scaffolding for three months, I’ve also done a huge water tank and a big hand painted banner for the Bull and Barrel Festival,” she said.

“It was a different challenge, but the moment the cow pulled up all I saw was a big blank canvas and that excites me.”