New watercolor painter

Canadian Donna Greenstein is the latest artist to join the Cow Art and More family. Donna paints her watercolors in a realistic style to help viewers appreciate farming and farm life. She draws her inspiration from the animals on her 50 acre farm in Ontario that she maintains with her husband. Donna has received numerous awards for her work including a "Top Ten" recognition at the Royal Winter Agricultural Fair. Donna's watercolor paintings are available as unframed originals or giclee prints. Her work will be featured in the Cow Art and More new products section for the next month.

A conversation with Shannon Grissom: Part 9

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

More cows, rodeo action scenes and some plein-air pastoral landscapes. And I LOVE commissioned work. They take me places I might not visit.

Picture credit: "Van", oil on canvas

Click here to learn more about this beef steer oil painting

Friday's website of interest to art enthusiasts: WHAT TO DO WITH OLD CRAYONS

I found this article quite interesting as with three small children in my house, crayons are always in abundance. This article, "Uses for old crayons" details about two dozen different ideas for old crayons, mostly projects for kids. The article discusses everything from making magnets and suncatchers to remelting for use later.

A conversation with Shannon Grissom: Part 8

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

About a month, since I'm working on more than one at a time. Having that many in progress keeps up my productivity. I'm always in the mood for one of them.

Photo credit: "Vern", oil on canvas

Click here to learn more about this beef bull painting

Learn how to put a painted canvas into a frame

On my last studio visit with oil painter Linda Blondheim, she was kind enough to allow me to record her in a short video tutorial explaining how to properly place canvases and panels into frames for hanging. I've included the video here, but it is also available on the Cow Art and More YouTube channel.

A conversation with Shannon Grissom: Part 7

Where did you learn your technique?

I learned color seeing through my long time mentor/teacher Michael Linstrom and artist friend Janet Vanerhoof but I developed the layering on my own. I learned so much from them both but I really do not paint like anybody.

Picture credit: "Happy Trails", oil on canvas

Click here to purchase this image on a Christmas ornament decoration

Monday's agriculture website of interest: AG - IT'S NOT JUST A JOB, IT'S AN ADVENTURE!

Today's agriculture themed website of interest to followers is "Life on a Cattle Ranch", written by Kansas beef rancher, Debbie Lyons-Blythe. Debbie and her husband Duane Blythe are raising five teenagers and 500 head of cattle on a ranch in Kansas. Debbie posts to her blog weekly to share with people around the world what life is like in rural Kansas and how her family works every day to ensure a safe, nutritious supply of beef to consumers.