"Out to Pasture" wins award

The mixed media collage "Out to Pasture", by Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson, recently received a first place award in the mixed media category from The Artist's Magazine online competition. Elizabeth's work was selected from more than 1,800 entries. Read the online press release about Elizabeth's winning piece of cow art.

A conversation with Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson: Part 12

What else do you do besides your art?

Besides my art, I am a self employed graphic artist. I spend my days working on layout and design of marketing materials for several clients. I also play the violin with the Maitland Symphony Orchestra, we rehearse once a week and I take violin lessons to help me keep up with the music. I enjoy exercise and I'm currently training for a triathlon and a half marathon. I have a family, my husband and two children, that also keep me busy. I volunteer at our elementary school to bring art to the students every month and I write the lesson plans for this program. I enjoy cooking and I make homemade dinner and breakfast for my family every day.

Lately I have been teaching collage workshops and I have found this to be very fulfilling! I never thought of myself as a teacher, but I enjoy sharing what I love with other artists and aspiring artists.

Picture credit: "Waiting for Rain"

Click here to learn more about this cow art mixed media collage

A conversation with Shannon Grissom: Part 11

What advice to you have for aspiring painters?

I think it was Julia Cameron who said it best.."Dreams don't die, people do." It's so important to make time to go for it. Don't let life get in they way. My creative time is sacred.

Picture credit: "Happy Cows ver. 1"

Click here to see this image on a ceramic mug, greeting cards, or porcelain ornament

A conversation with Carla Christina Contreras: Part 5

What is your technique?

I started shooting digitally in the mid 90’s, a simple 3x zoom camera. I purchased my first digital SLR in 2002. My digital photographers “darkroom” consists of about $20,000 in computer equipment and software. I spend hours reviewing, processing, and organizing my digital negatives; digital photography is VERY time consuming.

Picture credit: "A Southern Cow Belle"

Click here to learn more about this cow photograph

A conversation with Gary Sauder: Part 4

Where did you learn your technique?

For the most part I am self taught, but that doesn’t mean I didn’t learn anything from other artists. I have taken workshops from other notable artists and have done several lessons in technique from master artist’s publications. And have viewed and studied the techniques of the artists that I admire the most. I also have taken to not hanging my own work on my walls at home and hang other artists work for me to see so that I don’t become too enamored with my own work.

Picture credit: "Zandra in Lupine," pastel on velour paper

Click here to learn more about this cow art pastel 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