Painter Paula Jones - other interests

What else do you do besides your art?

I am a very spiritual person. I love studying about spirituality - very different from religious study. I love to work outside in my garden. Walking and being a part of nature is a very integral part of my life. I have recently moved to Taos, NM where I have gotten very involved in the study of Native American ways. I believe that is time for us to go back to our basics, and love Mother Earth again - after all, just like the animals, and trees - she is a sentient being....

Photo credit: Paula Jones doing a painting demonstration near her New Mexico art studio

Artist Paula Jones - Painting advice

What advice to you have for aspiring artists?

Always believe in yourself. Always. Practice - miles and miles of canvas. Believe in yourself. Have I said that? Believe ....and know.

Picture credit: "Sweet Caroline"

Click here to learn more about this Hereford cow oil painting

Monday's agriculture website - Peanut Butter Lovers

March is National Peanut Month, so what better way to celebrate than with a website just for Peanut Butter Lovers? National Peanut Month began as National Peanut Week in 1941. It was expanded to a month-long celebration in 1974. Show your Peanut knowledge by sharing some of these facts with your friends:

* Peanuts are not actually nuts at all! They are legumes, like beans, peas and lentils.
* Americans eat 3 pounds of peanut butter per person every year. That's about 700 million pounds, or enough to coat the floor of the Grand Canyon!
* Peanuts may be a favorite food, but we've found many uses for their shells too! You might find peanut shells in kitty litter, wallboard, fireplace logs, paper, animal feed and sometimes as fuel for power plants!
* Two peanut farmers have been elected President of the United States: Thomas Jefferson and Jimmy Carter.
* One acre of peanuts will make 30,000 peanut butter sandwiches.

Source: Peanut Butter Lovers National Peanut month information

Friday's art article - Displaying and Grouping wall art

So just how can you pull several images together into one cohesive wall display? Check out this article on Displaying and Grouping Wall Art, which gives readers several ideas on how to bring different pieces of art together into one beautiful display.

Artist Paula Jones - future plans

What would you like to do more of in the future?

Creating.....and selling! LOL!! Actually, I love everything that I do., I am fortunate that I also have started doing abstract work, and the variety keeps me very content.

Picture credit: "Road Warrior II"

Click here to learn more about this Hereford cattle oil painting

Learn collage making

Mixed media collage artist Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson will be teaching her "paper painting" collage techniques the following times throughout 2011:

• Johns Creek Art Center, April 30 and May 1, Johns Creek, Georgia
• Grand Bohemian Gallery, June 3 through 5, Asheville, North Carolina
• Binders, June 9 through 12, Atlanta, Georgia
• Art Gallery of Viera, September 10 and 11, Viera, Florida
• Amelia Island Artists' Workshop, October 7 through 9, Amelia Island, Florida

If you're interested in connecting with Elizabeth through one of her workshops, drop us an email to info@cowartandmore.com to get more information.

Painter Paula Jones - mistakes

Do you ever have goof ups or work you don’t like?

Of course - all artists do. If someone says that they don't, they would be lying!

Monday's agriculture website - Eat Right

Did you know March is National Nutrition month? Head on over to Eat Right, a website presented by the American Dietetic Association. The first National Nutrition Week campaign was
launched in 1973 featuring the theme “Invest in Yourself—Buy Nutrition.” From the beginning, National Nutrition Week was enthusiastically embraced by American Dietetic Association (ADA) members as an opportunity to promote the profession as well as to serve as a vehicle for delivering nutrition education messages to the public. The campaign is designed to focus attention on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. The website provides resources to fight childhood obesity, help people with weight loss, and gives food safety and handling tips.

Aritst Paula Jones - How long to finish a painting?

How long does it take you to get an average painting?

I am a very fast painter - but it takes a while to get "ready" to paint.... Generally it will take me an hour or so. But, you have to realize that in order to be able to be able to paint that fast, there were many many many hours of goof ups...

Friday's art website - Art Knowledge news

Today's art website of interest to share with readers is for Art Knowledge News. The free art news magazine is updated daily, with subscribers worldwide. The online magazine is sponsored by the Art Appreciation Foundation. The daily magazine shares art information and news about art, the art world, museums, artists, exhibitions, articles reprinted from renowned art publications, art resources, special features, photos, commentary, and a vast array of art images.

Painter Paula Jones - painting Hereford cattle

How did you get interested in creating art of farm animals?

I spent so many wonderful summers at my grandparents farm in central Kansas....it was the happiest time of my childhood. I love farms, I love farm animals..... It, was a no-brainer!

Getting ready for our first LIVE event

Getting ready to have our first art exhibit and sale at the National Holstein Convention, June 24 and 25 is no small feat. This will be an indoor exhibit, in conjunction with the convention's trade show area.

You might be asking yourself, "Isn't it a little early to be worrying about this?" An emphatic "No!" is only part of the answer. It's not just as simple as showing up with some art and putting it out on a table. The show will essentially be a temporary retail space, so we need to plan accordingly.

Here are a few things that need to go on the "to do" list:

1. A wide selection of art! We know our customers have been longing for the opportunity to "experience" our art first hand. We want to have as many pieces as reasonably possible there for people to look at and decide if it's a good fit for their home or office.
2. Packaging materials, from bags to boxes, to help people get their purchases home.
3. Display materials: shelving, tablecloths, drapes, flooring and anything else to help our art give the professional look it deserves
4. Lights! Shoppers need to be able to easily see the art and all its delicate features
5. Other materials needed to run a cash register, such as receipt pads and internet access to run credit card transactions.

Be watching in the coming weeks as we show you just how this all is going to come together!

Aritst Paula Jones - How do you decide what to paint?

How do you decide what to paint?

If I am having problems decided what to paint, I do a variety of things - visit a farm, go for a walk, look at pictures on my computer, visit galleries....wait to be inspired. There is a story about Monet...he was sitting in his garden - the gardener asked him " are you just resting?" His answer, "no, I am working". The next day - the same scenario - The gardener said "so you are working?" His answer "no, I am just resting" I never know where it comes from, it just does.

Monday's agriculture article - Being an #agnerd

If you're followed me on twitter for any amount of time (@cowartandmore), you will know that I tweet A LOT. I tweet about art, agriculture, mom stuff, cooking, food, wine, sleep deprivation, car troubles, and oh yeah, being an agnerd. The article I'm sharing with you today is a guest post I wrote for the Agchat Foundation last week on What it Means to be an Agnerd. (and the nerdy glasses are optional)

By the way, if you want to read up on the agnerds that were at the South by Southwest Conference, you can do that here.

Painter Paula Jones - Where did you learn your technique?

Where did you learn your technique?

My friend urged me to study with people whose art I respected - hmmm.... I knew so little about art, that I didn’t even know who I respected. So, I started devouring books. Turns out I loved Russian Impressionism. And that was where I started.

One artist in particular - Sergei Bongart - caught my eye. I loved his boldness, his color, his brushwork. And so I sought out his students - Louise Demore, Don Sahli and Guido Frick. I would drive from the middle of Kansas to Evergreen, Colorado to study with Don Sahli once a week in the middle of the winter. My thirst for knowledge about art and the process was unquenchable. I found Guido Frick, probably the most influential teachers I had. He had a freedom about his work that I couldn’t get enough of. Over the next two years I studied with him for a total of about 3 months, both in workshops and in private lessons.

Picture credit: "Kansas Rushmore", oil on canvas

Click here to learn more about this Hereford cattle painting

Friday's art article - The Cow Parade in Mexico City

Need a break? Stop and take 3 minutes to take a mini vacation to enjoy a video montage of the Cow Parade cows from their tour in Mexico City from 2006.

Painter Paula Jones - Where do you get your inspiration?

Where do you get your inspiration?

I get my inspiration from everything - a color, a feeling, a smell, a memory.... It comes from everything, and anything.

Picture credit: "Gorgeous", oil on canvas

Click here to learn more about this Hereford cow painting

Painter Paula Jones - What is your technique?

What is your technique?

I start with a sketch where my former, interior design sense turns the canvass into a room I’m composing. I take time to mentally choose the colors, knowing when I start it’s going to be physically intense as I cover even a large canvass in fifteen minutes, take a short break, then start scooping thick chunks paint–oil or acrylic-onto my brush, pushing, pulling, sculpting to give shape and dimension as I create something out of nothing, as I breath the life force into being.

Picture credit: "Generations", oil on canvas

Click here to learn more about this Hereford cattle painting

Monday's agriculture website - American Association for Agricultural Education

Today's agriculture website to share with blog readers is for the American Association of Agricultural Education (AAAE). The AAAE is dedicated to studying, applying, and promoting the teaching and learning processes in agriculture. Teachers serve as an advocate for learning about agriculture in addition to providing opportunities for individual student and organizational growth, development, and renewal. As a professional organization, AAAE members value effective teaching skills, while at the same time, developing and empowering students. Membership is open to all agriculture educators at any level. Those interested in agricultural education, but not involved with teaching, are encouraged to become associate members.

Paula Jones - How did you get started painting?

How did you get started?

I started painting when I turned 45 - at the urging of a very good friend who was also an artist. I was remodeling homes at the time, and a rotten plaster ceiling had fallen on my head, to which my friend said to me - “do something creative, and less physical. You are going to get hurt!!!” At the time, I couldn’t disagree with her. And so, off I went for my “first” art lesson ever - in my whole life!

Picture credit: "Autumn Moon," oil on canvas

Click here to learn more about this beef cattle painting

Friday's art video - Nebraska Art Farm - America's Heartland

Still not convinced that art and agriculture can harmoniously exist? Watch this video produced as a part of the "America's Heartland" series on PBS. This episode shows an "art farm" in Nebraska that is a working farm and artist haven.

Paula Jones - Why do you paint?

Why do you paint?

I paint, because, for some unknown reason, I feel like I have been called to paint.

Valerie D'Ortona book signing

In case you missed Valerie D'Ortona's book signing of "Big T's heart is in Me!", the latest adventure of Isabel and her friends, please read the article about the National Donor Day event at Santa Fe College. Valerie wrote the book as a tribute to her son Tony, who was killed in an automobile accident in 2008, but went on to save several lives by being an organ donor. The event educates people on the importance of organ donation.

Picture credit: Valerie D'Ortona, left, stands with State Senator Steve Oelrich at the National Donor Day event at Santa Fe College, Gainesville, Florida, on February 14.

March's featured artist, painter Paula Jones

Join us for the month of March as we introduce you to New Mexico oil painter, Paula Jones. I tried so hard not to be an artist. "I spent the first part of adulthood as that stereotypical, Midwestern mother and housewife assisting her husband’s career and raising children. Once my passion for creating works of art was ignited by a close friend, my entire life, as I knew it, completely changed." Paula's love for painting Hereford cattle reverts back her childhood and being around them on her grandparent's ranch. Enjoy a series of questions and answer sessions this month on the Cow Art and More blog as a way to get to know Paula and her work. View her portfolio of work in the Cow Art and More specials section. Purchase any of Paula's paintings this month and receive free shipping.

Photo credit: Paula Jones at the easel in her New Mexico art studio.