The Sheep and the Goats represents two bodies of work, The Bovidae: Divine Animals and Out to Pasture , in visual conversation. The work calls attention to the cultural landscapes surrounding domesticated animals. The Bovidae: Divine Animals looks at animals and environments in Kern’s ancestral heritage: Ireland, Germany, Norway, and Iceland. Out to Pasture responds as a meditation on rural America from his home state of Minnesota, USA. Together, these projects offer perspective on the meaning of pastoral in contemporary time. Among Kern’s influences are the landscape painters of the nineteenth century, especially regarding the use of light and composition.