And the cow art gift certificate winner is....

Congratulations to Colleen Newvine (@NewvineGrowing) for being the lucky winner of the drawing for the $50 gift certificate for participating in our customer satisfaction survey. She can spend it any way she likes, which we hope will come in handy with the holidays on the way.

In case you're curious as to how her name was picked (and want to see the video debut of the official studio cat), you're invited to watch the selection video:

Cow art pictures from Pennsylvania

I'm FINALLY sharing more pictures of the Cow Art and More booth from the Pennsylvania All American Dairy show. My apologies for not having these up sooner, but last week was just NUTTY! Seriously. I don't know how people travel all the time and keep up with a business and family life.

Anyway....here there are!


We had more of the puzzles with two of the paintings by Robert Duncan. These 1000 piece puzzles are the perfect gift. You can also see some of the Holstein card sets by Robin Pedrero and the iPhone cases by Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson.














We also had an assortment of bookmark magnets by Palmetto Cat Designs. In addition to the Holstein bookmarks, we had flowers, flags and chickens.















The nightlights by Spotlight Designs were also a big hit. It's funny to see them be popular with all age groups. Apparently, you're never too old to have a nightlight.
















We showed off the stained glass box trophies we did for this year's Red and White Holstein show along with an example of a black and white Holstein piece with colored glass.
















Of course we couldn't go to the show without bringing along our favorite accessory: bags! We had tote bags by Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson and Valerie D'Ortona. These bags are perfect for the beach or trip to the grocery store.















Of course the weekend wouldn't be complete without some art prints. At left is "Holstein" by Jo Lynch.

















Cow Art and More also had prints of the popular "Grazing Beneath a Garnet Sky" by Robin Maria Pedrero.


We had a great weekend and we so excited to meet our many fans! Thank you for the hospitality!

PA All American Dairy show

Thanks Pennsylvania for showing us some great hospitality. In case you couldn't make it this weekend, here's a few pictures:


We had another 10 foot by 10 foot booth. An eight foot table and my shipping crate (foreground) were waiting for me.
















Unfortunately, my kids weren't with me to see the forklift move it. They refer to ALL forklifts now as "Guido", from the movie Cars.















Display and art made it safely to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This was my first time shipping something by freight, so a big Phew! was in order.















Look familiar? The wood grain foam floor tiles made another impression on attendees. People loved how they looked and loved that they were easy to stand on. (They were good for me too. Standing on concrete for hours wears on me too.)















Voila! Another display of cow art, this time at the Pennsylvania All American Dairy show. The booth came together beautifully and I am grateful to both of my sisters who helped me during the weekend.














This is Morgan who was kind enough to let me photograph her excitement over getting a Buttercup no. 1 iPhone case. After I saw these cases, I want an iPhone now too. (My Blackberry is threatening never to speak to me again now.)



I'm also happy to report that Bessie the cow has a new home. She said she might miss the Florida sunshine, but is excited to see snow.








By the way, we will NOT be at World Dairy Expo this year. While the show management has been great to work with, they were not able to fit us in for the third year in a row. Thanks to all our fans who have asked and maybe you can put in a good word for us to show management when you're in Madison, Wisconsin in a couple of weeks!

Many thanks to all our old and new fans that made the Pennsylvania trip a great time!

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).

Jewelry charm sales to support youth program

Cow Art and More is once again partnering with the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) to fundraise for the Jersey youth program. The charm replica of the traditional Jersey jug, created by me (Kathy McComb Swift), will be available for purchase at the All American Jersey show and sale in Louisville, Kentucky, November 6 and 7. Cow Art and More will donate 15 percent of the selling price to AJCA to help support future Jersey milk producers through youth scholarships. This same percentage will also apply to any purchases made through the Cow Art and More website.

I am excited the project was enough a success last year to do it again this year. The future of agriculture is with our community's young people. I am honored and proud to help.

The charm is available for purchase in the jewelry section of the Cow Art and More catalog or by calling the toll free customer care number, 888-613-6019.

Picture credit: sterling silver Jersey jug milk can charm

Click here to go to Cow Art and More to learn more about this piece of cow jewelry

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.

Q & A with Victoria Whorley: Part 6

How do you decide what to paint?

I look through my multitude of photographs. Several photos will 'jump' out at me and I choose one to paint from those photos.

Picture credit: "Pasture Pals", watercolor on paper

Click here to learn more about this dairy calf painting

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 7

How did you get interested in photographing cattle and other farm animals?

I love any excuse to be around any kind of animal. When I started going to summer fairs I was very attracted to the relationships that I witnessed between the cows and the 4H members. I became a confirmed vegetarian after that summer of being around the farm animals. I found cows to be so gentle, trusting and soulful.

Picture credit: "Cowgirl"

Click here to learn more about this cow photograph

A conversation with Gary Sauder: Part 3

What is your technique?

I suppose my technique mostly depends on the surface that I paint on. I generally work from very loose to very tight by and by working darks to mid tones to light to highlights and follow that progression about four to five times until I feel that the painting is finished. And I suppose that you would call the technique would be called realism or super realism.

Picture credit: "Generators Topsy", pastel on velour paper

Click here to learn more about this cow art pastel drawing

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.

Cow Art and More to support dairy youth

Cow Art and More is partnering with the American Jersey Cattle Association (AJCA) to fundraise for jersey youth. Jewelry artist Kathy McComb Swift has created a charm replica of the traditional Jersey jug, honoring the heritage of the Jersey breed. Cow Art and More will donate 15 percent of the selling price to AJCA to help support future Jersey milk producers through youth scholarships.

“I realize now what impact adult supporters had when I was also a youth involved with cattle. They gave their precious time and monetary support to provide the opportunity for me to grow as a leader in the dairy industry,” states Swift. “I am in a position now to help the next generation and am excited to be able to do so with my artistic abilities."

The charm is available for purchase in the jewelry section of the Cow Art and More catalog or by calling the toll free customer care number, 888-613-6019. Charms will also be available for purchase at the All American Jersey show and sale in Louisville, Kentucky, November 8 and 9.

Picture credit: sterling silver Jersey jug milk can charm

Click here to go to Cow Art and More to learn more about this piece of cow jewelry

Photographer Meg Birnbaum Is The Newest Artist On Cow Art And More

Massachusetts photographer Meg Birnbaum now has limited edition prints on Cow Art and More. Meg's work has been recognized nationally for her unique perspective in capturing the balance of diametrically opposed subjects, colors, and themes. She has been a part of over 25 group exhibitions and has 4 solo exhibitions to her credit. She has been featured in The Boston Globe and The Harvard Review, along with other photography publications. Meg's work featured on Cow Art and More is also being showcased at the Hallway Gallery in downtown Boston. Meg's photography will be featured under our new products section until early May.

Picture credit: "Cowgirl"

Click here to learn more about this image including an artist commentary

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!