Art show this weekend!

For those of you who are new to my work, I also do a line of jewelry not associated with agriculture for customers and galleries across the southeast. I have a show locally this coming weekend. Much of the work for that show is posted on my other website, www.kmsdesignsonline.com. It's a bit different than Cow Art and More, but I love the differences!

New artists on the site!

Cow Art and More is excited to have glass artists Mike and Mary Ellen McIntyre of Gainesville, Florida, as a part of the gallery. The McIntyres are well known throughout north central Florida for their beautiful stained glass wall pieces and sculptures. For Cow Art and More, they have included some smaller versions of their artwork, suitable for display in smaller spaces. To read more about them, click here.

The McIntyres are friends of mine and are great stained glass artists. They did the glass for my custom made china hutch. They also do huge wall pieces, custom doors, and personalized gift pieces.

Live Chat now available on the website!

Cow Art and More is pleased to have available another option to contact customer service for questions and support. Website visitors and users can now have the option of engaging in live chat with a customer service agent, all online! A link is now on the left side of every page entitled "Live Assistance." In the corresponding box, visitors can see if a person is available or unavailable for chat. Times of chat availability will vary daily. Users will still have the option of sending an email to info@cowartandmore.com or by calling or toll-free customer service phone line at 877-490-0007 in addition to the live chat service.

A little bit of the design process

The idea for the cow charm came from modeling her after the true type Holstein cow. This is a model cow that is a sculpture of the "breed ideal." This version of cows has always been the most lifelike for me. I've included picture of the original wax carving, before she was made into metal. She may look big here, but she can fit on a dime!

How this all got started

Some people know me as Kathy Swift, large animal veterinarian. Others know me as Katherine Swift, jewelry artist, without having any idea that I actually work on cows when I'm not making jewelry. Many of my cow friends and colleagues encouraged me to make a line of cow jewelry. I have resisted for quite a while since jewelry and metalsmithing are the exact opposite of veterinary medicine. Jewelry making allows me to be creative, while veterinary medicine tends to be more "by the book." I finally realized that with my background and agriculture experiences, I could create jewelry that truly represented cattle and farming. Has anyone else noticed how cattle sometimes get represented in art? I wanted something very realistic and sought to produce charms for a bracelet or a necklace that could truly represent what we all know as "insiders." Over the next few days, I will discuss how the ideas came to fruition and include a few pictures along the way.

Cow Art and More is now live!

Cow Art and More, the first art gallery of its kind, is now open for business. The online art gallery will feature fine art and craft that represents the agriculture industry. The gallery will include original paintings, limited edition prints, sterling silver jewelry, note and greeting cards, and ceramics. Patrons will be able to shop 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by going to www.cowartandmore.com. Customers will also have the option of calling the toll free customer service phone line and speaking to a representativer. The art gallery is the creation of cattle veterinarian and artist Kathy McComb Swift.