Friday's website of interest to art enthusiasts: NATIONAL ART EDUCATION ASSOCIATION

Friday's art related website of interest is the National Art Education Association (NAEA). The mission of NAEA is to promote art education through professional development, service, advancement of knowledge, and leadership. The association has 20,000 active members, consisting of art educators in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 as well as college and university professors and researchers, administrators, and museum educators. Members are in all fifty states plus the District of Columbia, U.S. Possessions, most Canadian Provinces, U.S. military bases around the world, and twenty-five foreign countries.

A conversation with Laurie Winkelman: Part 11

What else do you do besides your art?

I think the better question would be ‘when do you find time for your art’?

As I mentioned earlier, I am a full-time Ph.D. student at Cornell University, which involves working with cows, doing a lot of work in the laboratory, reading (a lot), and also writing (a lot). I help coach the Cornell Dairy Cattle Judging Team and also volunteer at various dairy youth and 4-H activities in New York State, such as 4-H Dairy Quiz Bowl and NY Jr. Holstein activities. I also serve as an instructor at Badger Dairy Camp, going back to Wisconsin in June for the last 7 years to work with kids in dairy projects. I really enjoy opportunities to work with dairy youth, and it is fun to share my knowledge with them and encourage them to pursue careers in the dairy industry.

Additionally, I write articles for “Hoard’s Dairyman” (a national dairy magazine), classify (evaluate) cows part-time for the Brown Swiss Association, and am a part-time employee for a catering business in Ithaca, NY. Also, I am still somewhat ‘active’ in the family farm in Watertown, WI, Twinkle-Hill Farm (www.twinklehillfarm.com – a site which I designed and maintain). I own quite a few Brown Swiss cows at the home farm and work on the breeding and genetics-side of the business from afar.

Our family shows our cattle at state and national shows, including World Dairy Expo. I love clipping and fitting the cattle to get them ready for the show – in a way, fitting has a slightly artistic side to it too!

In between all of the school, work, and volunteer activities, I really enjoy running, working out, skiing in the winter, and reading books and magazines. I have run 2 marathons and was training for a 3rd marathon this past May – but I got injured about 3 weeks before the race. I am ecstatic to report that I started running again, pain-free, at the end of June!

Picture credits:

Top: Laurie (far left) with her Cornell dairy judging team she helped to coach

Bottom: Laurie (wearing a black jacket standing just behind the dairy heifer) showing other attendees of the Badger (University of Wisconsin) dairy camp how to prepare and groom a heifer for show

A conversation with Laurie Winkelman: Part 10

What advice to you have for aspiring artists?

I think that I still qualify as an aspiring artist! When I was learning about the process of becoming a ‘published’ artist and having prints made of my drawing for the first time, I really didn’t know where to start. So, I called up a very respected and highly successful agricultural artist studio, Bonnie Mohr’s business in Glencoe, MN, looking for a little help.

While I didn’t talk to Bonnie herself, her employees working there were very supportive and helpful. They suggested a printing company, Hunter Editions in Maine, and I wasted no time in touching base with them to get the process rolling. Since most of my art career has been independent and self-directed, it was really great to get some direction and help from the people at Bonnie Mohr’s studio. So, I guess my suggestion for aspiring artists would be to not be afraid to ask for help or advice.

Monday's agriculture website of interest: HEIFER INTERNATIONAL

Monday's agricultural website focus is on Heifer International, a nonprofit organization based in Arkansas, that alleviates hunger, poverty, and environmental degradation through gifts of food and income producing farm animals and training. These animals provide a source of protein, such as eggs and milk, for children and generate income for families through the sale of animal products. Since 1944, Heifer International has helped over 4 million families in 125 countries become self-reliant. Each family "passes on the gift" by giving one or more of its animal's offspring to another family in need.

New art from Julia Swartz

Oil and watercolor painter Julia Swartz has had a busy time in the studio this summer! She has created two new paintings for Cow Art and More. Both are available as canvas giclees in several sizes or as the originals. Go to the Cow Art and More new products page for more information.

Picture credit: "Moo Cow", oil on canvas

Go to Cow Art and More to read more about this cow oil painting

A conversation with Laurie Winkelman: Part 9

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

As time permits, I would love to do more drawing and artwork. As I mentioned in an earlier question, drawing provides me a way to de-stress from the pressures and rigors of a very left-brain lifestyle. Down the road, as I settle into a full-time job (at some point!), I hope to find more time to focus on my artwork and developing more and more business opportunities in that area. I am not sure if art could ever be my ‘full-time’ career, but it would be fun if I could make that work!

Friday's website of interest to art enthusiasts: DAILY ART FIXX

Friday's website of interest about art is Daily Art Fixx, a website dedicated to focusing on a particular art or style daily. The author is Wendy Campbell, a Canadian artist who has devoted time to learning more about other artists and their work. Says Campbell, "This blog is a way for me to immerse myself in art - to learn more about the masters and discover what’s going on in the art world right now. Each day there will be something new - it might be an artist profile, a product, book, or event review, or just a nifty tip that I come across."