Getting a large cow art order ready to ship

One of our most popular and best selling items has been the stained glass box with cow portrait. In early September, a company in North Carolina asked if we could get 56 of them ready for them to give as Christmas gifts. Large orders are always welcome! They can certainly be a challenge, but with some planning, they aren't nearly as difficult. Luckily, we had plenty of time to get this order done and just shipped it this past week directly to the gift recipients.

Mike and Mary Ellen McIntyre, the glass artists, are located close to the Cow Art and More office. I stop in pretty regularly to see what's going on and lend a hand when I can. As they were finishing up this order a couple of weeks ago, I grabbed a few pictures of the pieces in progress.



Mary was busy at her soldering bench getting the lids of the boxes ready. The customer ordered the boxes with an assortment of the "ideal" dairy cattle breed prints by Gary Sauder.















This is a closeup of her using the soldering iron and the metal to attach the pieces together.












The assortment of finished boxes really looked beautiful together! These boxes show the ideal type Milking Shorthorn and ideal type Guernsey.












I personally like the side beaded detailing of the boxes as I think it adds a bit of flair to them as well. They are mirrored on the inside, which helps to give them a bit of "sparkle" as they sit on a desk or coffee table.










Did I mention how Mike and Mary Ellen are fussy about packing them to ship? All the boxes are securely packaged in bubble wrap and other packing materials to make sure they are safe in transit. The stained glass boxes are shipped UPS ground.





While I was there, I also snapped a few pictures of some other Christmas orders in progress.




This beautiful Brown Swiss is going in the lid of a larger size stained glass box. She is "staged" and ready to be soldered.











This ideal Jersey is going to be a part of a stained glass hanging piece, which are customizable with a choice of colors. This person chose a mahogany red with a white accents. The missing piece in the picture is off at the engravers. (We offer engraving for an additional charge.) This one is a surprise for a Christmas gift!





In addition to cow art, the McIntyres also create other custom pieces for businesses, homes and churches.

Cow Art and More December shopping specials

Normally, we feature a different artist and their work monthly. For December, we will be reviewing some of the past question and answer sessions from our previously featured artists. In the meantime, enjoy the following specials for the month. No promotional codes necessary!

* Free polishing cloth on any jewelry purchase of $50 or more
* Free shipping on all Carolyn Molder art
* Free shipping AND 10 percent off all Robin Maria Pedrero art
* Buy one Donna Greenstein print, get the second one half off; (You will need to check out with the prints at full price. The 50 percent off difference will be refunded once your order is reviewed. If you have any concerns about purchasing the prints this way, you are encouraged to call us to place your order.)

You have 3 ways to place your order:

• Shop 24/7 at www.cowartandmore.com
• Use our fax order form and fax it to 800-779-1129.
• Call us at 888-613-6019 to place an order. We are open 8 AM to 9 PM ET through December 21.

Have questions about special orders, coupons, or shipping costs? Call us!

P.S. If you're looking for extra special holiday deals, be sure to sign up for our mailing list and check the HOLIDAY SPECIALS box.

Monday's agriculture website: North American International Livestock Exposition

Monday's agriculture themed website to share with readers is for the North American International Livestock Exposition (NAILE). The event goes on every fall in November and is currently running through November 19. Louisville, Kentucky, is the home for the NAILE, which is the world's largest all-breed, purebred livestock exposition. Ten different species of livestock compete in the exposition, and the purebred beef and sheep events are the largest in the world. It is also the site of the National Jersey dairy cattle show. Accompanying the event, the North American Quarter Horse Show is among the top five shows in the nation and the North American Championship Rodeo features the invitational finals for the Pro Rodeo Cowboys Association (PRCA).

Monday's agriculture website of interest: 2010 ALL AMERICAN DAIRY SHOW

Today's agricultural themed website to share with blog readers is for the Pennsylvania All American Dairy show, going on this week in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The show is in its 47th year. Over 2400 animals and 925 exhibitors are expected from 26 states and Canada.

The show will highlight registered cattle from the seven major dairy breeds and also has a showmanship and judging contest for youth participants. For those unable to make the show, two groups are sponsoring webcasts to allow fans to watch from their computers.

Cow art at the MIchigan state Brown Swiss show

Cow Art and More was thrilled and honored to have been asked to produce the Grand Champion trophy for the 2010 Michigan Dairy Expo Brown Swiss State Show. Pictured at left is the Intermediate and Grand Champion of the open and junior show, exhibited by Taylor Bolinger. Her mother, Laura, is holding the stained glass box trophy, made by Mary McIntyre, which contains a print of the Ideal type Brown Swiss cow drawn by Gary Sauder.

Many thanks to Sara Long, (@rosamyst) for providing this photo.

Cow Art and More loves bringing the best in agricultural art to the agriculture community. We also love working with our customers and enthusiasts as "farm folks" are some of the best people out there. When Cow Art and More was asked by a customer to create something special for the Michigan state Brown Swiss Grand Champion show award, we were happy to take on the challenge! After some thought by jewelry artist and gallery owner Kathy McComb Swift, a collaborative effort between glass artist Mary McIntyre and painter Gary Sauder was forged and came up with this beautiful result!

This stained glass box measures approximately 8 inches by 10 inches by 2 inches tall. The lid is hinged and opens all the way to reveal a mirrored inside. Customers may choose one of Gary Sauder's "ideal type breed" dairy cow prints to place into the lid. (Beef cattle images to be announced soon.) The boxes are made upon ordering and require up to two weeks for delivery. They are expertly packed in styrofoam and shipped via UPS ground.

It is our hope that this piece of art will grace a desk or coffee table of the worthy Grand Champion winner. We are happy that we can be a part of helping someone remember their special day.

While we look forward to making more of these as show awards, we also expect people will like to give them as wedding, birthday, anniversary and graduation gifts. Looking to have yours personalized a little more? Please contact Cow Art and More. We are always happy to help.

(And THANK YOU to our fans, friends, and customers for allowing us to serve all your COW ART needs.)

A conversation with Meg Birnbaum: Part 1

How did you get started?

My older sister set up a darkroom in the attic of our house when we were in our early teens and I joined in and quickly became addicted.

Picture credit: "Brown Swiss"

Click here to learn more about this cattle photograph

A conversation with Gary Sauder: Part 5

Why do you paint?

I paint because of the unbelievable sense of accomplishment and expression that it gives me. I think that it gives me a chance to express how I view the world and the beauty of it. And I think that it gives me a chance to show other people the things that I find interesting.

Picture credit: "Ideal type Brown Swiss cow", colored pencil on paper

Click here to learn more about this cow art pencil drawing

A conversation with Gary Sauder: Part 1

How did you get started?

I had always been drawing as long as I can remember and had been more or less apprehensive about painting because I didn’t quite know how. I had grown bored with drawing in graphite and hadn’t done it for a long time. Then one evening I saw a movie about a sketch artist for the police and he was using colored pencils and I decided to find out more about them. I got some books on the medium and I conquered my fear of color and shortly there after I graduated to pastel and even water color and oils. I enjoy them all but I prefer to paint in pastel.

Picture credit: "Old Mill E Snickerdoodle", pastel drawing on velvet

Click here to learn more about this drawing of Snickerdoodle, the Grand Champion Brown Swiss and Reserve Supreme Champion at the 2009 World Dairy Expo

December's featured artist, Gary Sauder

Cow Art and More is excited to announce December's featured artist is pastel drawing and painter Gary Sauder. Gary grew up on a small farm in Sonoma County, California. He grew up showing registered Jersey cows in the local 4-H club. Over his career, he exhibited many grand champions and was showmanship champion numerous times. At the same shows, he was the dairy showmanship champion as well as the Round Robin Master Showmanship Champion. He earned the Paul Jackson Scholarship that same year.

Gary attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, for two years. After college, Gary took a position caring for and exhibiting the show cattle for then, Meadow Glen Farms of Orland California. About that time he was introduced to colored pencils. Having always been an avid artist with a pencil, this produced an exciting jump into the realm of painting for Gary.

Gary's art is featured in our specials section. Purchase his art and it will ship for free during the month of December.

A conversation with Laurie Winkelman: Part 7

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

Recently, it has taken me a really long time to complete drawings. Given my commitment to graduate school and numerous other activities, it is sometimes hard for me to find the time to sit down and focus on artwork and drawing. For example, I started “Curiosity” late in 2006, and then it got set aside when I started my Ph.D. program at Cornell in January 2007.

I worked on it intently during the summer of 2007 for a couple weeks, and then it got set aside as I grew busier with school. I picked it up again with a gusto in fall of 2008 as a way to relieve my brain from the stresses of doing an experiment for my Ph.D. program. I put the finishing touches on the original in December and started the process of having prints made for the first time shortly thereafter. So, all in all, “Curiosity” took nearly 2 years to complete! I tried to start a new piece shortly after completing “Curiosity,” but my school work has kept me on the move.

Drawing brings $450 for charity

July featured artist, Laurie Winkelman, recently donated one of her signed and numbered prints, "Curiosity" to be auctioned at the National Brown Swiss Convention in Springfield, Missouri. The print, which was auctioned off to help fund youth programs, brought $450.

"Curiosity" sells with free shipping the entire month of July. Click here to go to the Cow Art and More specials page to purchase this print.

A conversation with Laurie Winkelman: Part 6

How do you decide what to draw?

My most recent drawings (including Curiosity), were intended to be gifts for my family. A few years ago, I did a drawing of my older sister and me holding two cows that were Intermediate Champion and Reserve Intermediate Champion at the 2004 Wisconsin State Fair and Show, which became a Christmas present for my parents. In 2008, I decided to have prints made of “Curiosity” as gifts for my parents and my sister. “Curiosity” is the first drawing I have ever really made available for sale, and it’s been a fun experience to share my love for drawing and cows. My favorite part of drawing an animal is capturing the eyes of the animal. Animals have so much personality in their eyes. In my opinion, if the eyes are wrong, the whole drawing is wrong.

I have stayed with pencil drawings in the recent years because I have moved around quite a bit in my years since high school. After 4 years at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I moved to Ohio in 2003 with no art supplies whatsoever. It was easy (and very affordable) for me to quench my thirst for art with a good set of pencils and some paper – which helps to explain my recent fondness for drawing (as opposed to other media).

Picture credit: Laurie Winkelman (right) showing one her Brown Swiss cows at the World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin

A conversation with Laurie Winkelman: Part 3

What is your technique?

My technique is rather simple. I generally work from photographs (which I now take myself – for the most part) and recreate the image on paper. In general, I prefer working with dry media – pencil, colored pencil, pastel, charcoal, etc. My favorite media is pencil – mostly because it pencil is relatively cheap and mobile (I’ve moved about 6-7 times in the last 6 years). I really enjoy developing the rich darks with pencils through slow and steady work, layering one layer of pencil over another.

Picture credit: An example of Laurie's graphic design work for a national cattle magazine

July featured artist: Laurie Winkelman

Cow Art and More is excited to announce Laurie Winkelman as our featured artist of the month. Laurie grew up on a dairy farm in Wisconsin and showed registered Holsteins and Brown Swiss. She is currently pursuing a PhD degree at Cornell University in dairy nutrition. Laurie's drawing talent has allowed her to capture one her favorite Brown Swiss cows on paper. Follow our blog all month to learn about Laurie and her non-traditional art background.

Purchase Laurie's drawing "Curiosity" and receive free shipping.

Accomplished Dairy Judge Laurie Winkelman Joins Cow Art And More

Former high individual at the World Dairy Expo collegiate dairy cattle judging contest, Laurie Winkelman, now has art on Cow Art and More. Laurie's interest in drawing started when she was young. Her passion for drawing cattle comes from growing up on her family's Holstein and Brown Swiss farm in Wisconsin. Laurie continues to draw while working toward a PhD in dairy nutrition at Cornell University.

Picture credit: "Curiosity", pencil drawing on rag paper

Click here to purchase this drawing

Welcome Gary Sauder to Cow Art and More

Cow Art and More is pleased to have Gary Sauder from California as one of the newest artists to the website. He creates two dimensional art in a variety of media, but for Cow Art and More, he has included some of his favorite pastels. The picture posted here is "Snickerdoodle," the Grand Champion Brown Swiss and Reserve Supreme Champion at the 2008 World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin. Gary has prints and originals of his work listed for sale. To read more about Gary, click here. To see more of Gary's work, please go to the new products tab of the website, or look directly under the graphics and drawing division, pastels category.

We want to hear from you

I'm always on the prowl for new and exciting art to add to the website. What would the fans and customers like to see? Different media? A particular breed of cattle? Leave us a comment!