George A. Hays (1854 - 1945), was a friend of my grandfather and fellow artist working in Providence.

Quoted from AskArt.com as submitted by Roger King Fine Art:

George Arthur Hays was a 19th Century artist, active in Rhode Island. Self-taught, Hays painted in oils and watercolors and is best known for tranquil landscapes featuring cows and sheep---livestock in bucolic settings, whether singly or in flocks. Although he portrayed cows and sheep, rarely were the two combined in a single painting.

He was born in Greenville, New Hampshire, and spent his adult life in Providence, where he had a studio at the Woods Building on College Street.

He was a member of the Providence Art Club, where he exhibited from 1888 to 1940; Society for Independent Artists, Copley Society, and Providence Watercolor Club.

Records indicate that he painted scenery for Boston's Park Theatre in 1887, and for "Keith's Circuit," possibly a traveling theatrical troupe or similar entertainment.

Stylistically, Hays' works seem to derive their inspiration from the Barbizon School and French animal portraiture, an offshoot of the Barbizon tradition that dignified work animals and imbued them with a sense of patient endurance and uncomplaining service.