Cow Art and More seeking new artists

Are you a cow artist looking for a targeted customer base to market your work?  Cow Art and More, the art gallery where 'art and agriculture' meet, is looking for quality artists in any media that portrays agriculture and cows in a beautiful art form.  Cow Art and More will be attending World Dairy Expo in Madison, Wisconsin, this fall, along with plans to attend the NCBA conference in February 2013.

Interested artists should submit by email the following:

A few pictures representative of your work along with descriptions
Retail prices
Availability (originals, prints, etc)

Information must be submitted by Saturday, July 14 to info@cowartandmore.com for consideration.  Incomplete submissions will not be considered.  Questions may be directed to the same email address or gallery owner Kathy Swift on twitter @cowartandmore
 

Two new painters join Cow Art and More

I am excited to introduce two new painters to the Cow Art and More portfolio of artists:

Laura Carey has lived in Canada all her life. She new painting would be an important part of her life, but had no idea that dairy farming would be as important as well. The dairy cattle on the farm she operates with her husband serve as the inspiration for her paintings.










Narrie Toole hails from New Mexico. While she no longer has cattle of her own, she managed her own herd of beef cattle for many years and exhibited the cattle nationally. Narrie's loose impressionistic style of oil painting captures the attention of collectors worldwide.

You can find the complete collection of both artists work in the painting category along with the new products section through the end of the month.

April's featured artist - painter Robert Saueressig

April's featured artist is acrylic painter, Robert Saueressig. Robert's career as a graphic design artist eventually led him to painting, which he has been able to do full time since 2000. Robert's original only work can be found in collections across the United States and Europe. He will be answering a series of questions over the month here, on the Cow Art and More blog.

Purchase any of Robert's art this month and receive free shipping.

View all of Robert's paintings in the Cow Art and More specials section.

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

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.

Jo Lynch - How did you get interested in painting cows?

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

Actually I've always loved the shapes of cows and horses... cows have many funny angles, strong shapes, sort of a linear feeling to me, and horses are smooth and streamlined in my eyes... I love to see a horse in motion. There is a flow to a horse in motion. When I started creating my Whimzicals, I thought a cow would be perfect with it's angular shapes, so a cow was one of my earliest whimzicals. If anyone wants to share photos of horses or cows with me, I'd be delighted as I do not have a lot of horse photos to work from. I have taken many cow photos in my art life... most of them from farms in Western Maryland or Virginia while traveling.

Picture credit: "Southwest Cow and Calf", watercolor on paper

Click here to learn more about this beef cattle painting

Interview with Kevin Webster - Other interests

What else do you do besides your art?

I work full time as a police dispatcher and I love to travel.

Picture credit: "The Look", oil on masonite panel

Click here to learn more about this beef cattle painting

Interview with Kevin Webster - Painting farm animals

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

I have always loved wildlife and sporting art but began painting professionally as an Army Artist. After I retired from the Army in 2004, I decided to start painting wildlife. The first animals I painted were cattle. I have always found them to be an interesting subject matter. I love painting the noses and enjoy capturing their different expressions.

Photo credit: "Grazer", oil masonite panel

Click here to learn more about this Longhorn cattle painting

Interview with Kevin Webster - How do you decide what to paint?

How do you decide what to paint?

I look for animals that will make an interesting composition. I believe that less is more in a painting and I find interest in capturing shadows in a painting.

Picture credit: "Approaching Storm", oil on masonite panel

Click here to learn more about this beef cattle painting

Interview with Kevin Webster - How did you get started?

How did you get started?

My grandfather. He was an artist and he is the one who taught me the basics of painting. I could not have asked for a better teacher. After all, he learned to paint from one of America's greatest artists, Charles M. Russell.

Picture credit:  "Blue on a Sunny Day", oil on canvas

Click here to learn more about this beef cow painting

Interview with Kevin Webster - Why do you paint?

Why do you paint?

Painting has always been a passion of mine. Now I find it relaxing to put on canvas the images I see in my mind's eye.

Picture credit:  "Approaching storm", oil on masonite panel

Click here to learn more about this beef cattle painting

Watercolor artist Victoria Whorley

Watercolor painter Victoria Whorley was the featured artist for June 2010 at Cow Art and More. Victoria enjoys painting beef and dairy cattle as a way to capture the beauty of her home area of southern Virginia. She mostly paints from pictures she takes on her travels around the rural countryside. Victoria's painting Heads or Tails was also featured on the April 15, 2010, issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association.

Why do you paint?

Painting fulfills the creative side of me. The feeling of accomplishment when an animal is accurately portrayed is a great motivator.

How did you get started?

My dad bought me art sets and pastels when I was really small. We used to watch art instruction television shows together in the 60s, and he would explain the techniques as we watched.

What is your technique?

I am a realistic watercolor artist. Each painting is layered from the lightest of colors, working toward darker layers.

Where did you learn your technique?

I learned my technique from a very knowledgeable teacher and from art instruction books.

Where do you get your inspiration?

My inspiration comes from the life and animals around me. I love driving the back roads of Virginia looking for that inspiration.

How long, on average, does it take you to get a finished painting?

Time spent on a painting is based on the size of the painting as well as the amount of detail involved. Several hours are spent on what would seem the simplest of paintings.

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.

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

Having grown up with dogs, cats, chickens, ponies, goats, a cow and ducks, I have always loved all types of animals . . . as an artist, painting them just seems the natural thing to do.

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

Goof-ups are a normal part of painting. Some can be fixed easily; some not so easily. Other paintings just aren't liked for any of several reasons; usually because I feel I didn't portray enough detail.

What else do you do besides your art?

I love to drive back roads taking lots of photographs; am also a scrapbooker and a collector of rocks and gemstones, colored glass bottles, and antiques.

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

Paint more animals and birds.

What advice do you have for aspiring artists?

Paint what you love and don't be afraid to try new techniques.

Meet rancher and beef cattle artist Amanda Raithel

Registered Angus farmer and fine arts graduate Amanda Raithel was the featured artist in November 2009 on Cow Art and More. Amanda farms with her husband and daughter on their Nebraska ranch. Amanda's artwork centers around the show cattle business she and her husband have dedicated their lives to.

Picture credit: Amanda exhibiting in the parent showmanship class at a local county fair.

Why do you draw?

In a nutshell, I draw because it presents a challenge to me. A new drawing is a chance for me to showcase the skills I have developed and uncover new ones that are emerging. Furthermore, I love to hear the emotional response that my drawings merit from my viewing public.

How do you decide what to paint or draw?

I like to choose subjects that make my viewer think, "Wow, I know exactly what she's talking about." Most of my work centers on universal feelings that are felt by cattle producers and performance horse people.

How long does it take you to create the average painting or drawing?

Depending upon the size, 5 to 15 hours.

How did you get started?

As with most artists, I had a great teacher. In secondary school, I learned I had the necessary eye and determination to make good artwork.

What is your technique?

I use prismacolor colored pencils and graphite to created multi-layered pieces. The element of value, which is the difference between light and dark or shading, is what makes my artwork interesting. I use many, many shades of light and dark to make my drawings come alive.

Where did you learn your technique?

Like I spoke of earlier, I had a great teacher in High School. He taught me the fundamentals of drawing. Upon entering college at the University of Missouri, I honed my skills by practice.

Where do you get your inspiration?

I'm inspired the environment around me. I am completely surrounded by cattle and horses. They are what I know and what I love, they inspire me everyday.

What else do you do besides your art?

I work full time on a registered Angus farm called Herbster Angus Farms. My husband and I manage 200 momma cows. We also do a bit of team roping on the side when the cows are content.

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

I'd like to work on a bigger scale and do more horse pieces in the future.

What advice do you have for aspiring artists?

• Work hard and practice.
  
• Find a niche market.
  
• Don't give up when you are rejected; art is subjective, and a champion of your work may be just around the corner.
  
• Try new techniques and talk to your peers in art whenever possible.

Q & A with Deborah Grayson Lincoln Part 4

What is your technique?

Get inspired by something (anything), take a million photos, take piece(s) from several, reconstruct using thumbnail drawings, paint a small version to get color and composition, detail drawing on larger canvas, block in lights and darks usually using neutrals, come back over with color. Sometimes I stop before I put in too much detail, and sometimes I paint every hair. Depends on my mood.

Photo credit: "He's No Dummy", 8 inches by 6 inches, oil on masonite

Click here to learn about this bull painting

Q & A with Victoria Whorley: Part 8

How long, on average, does it take you to get a finished painting?

Time spent on a painting is based on the size of the painting as well as the amount of detail involved. Several hours are spent on what would seem the simplest of paintings.

Picture credit: "Winter's Way", watercolor on paper

Click here to learn more about this beef cattle painting

Q & A with Victoria Whorley: Part 4

What is your technique?

I am a realistic watercolor artist. Each painting is layered from the lightest of colors, working toward darker layers.

Picture credit: "First Step", watercolor on paper

Click here to learn more about this Angus cattle art

This month's featured artist: Victoria Whorley

Watercolor painter Victoria Whorley is the featured artist for June at Cow Art and More. Victoria enjoys painting pictures of beef and dairy cattle as a way to capture the beauty of her home area of southwestern Virginia. She mostly paints from pictures she takes on her travels around the rural countryside. Enjoy reading a series of questions and answers all month on this blog as Victoria describes her work, inspirations and processes.

Victoria's work is featured all month in the Cow Art and More specials section. Enjoy free shipping on her art from now until June 30.