Six months same as cash financing for Cow Art

Cow Art and More is working with Paypal to offer 6 months financing for all purchases of $99 or more. Enjoy the art now, pay for it over time!  (And you even get $5 back on your first purchase)

*Must receive credit approval and make the required monthly payments. See Paypal for a full list of details.*

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.

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!

Cow Art and More - as reported by our intern

*This is a guest post written by our summer intern, M. Valentina Escobar-Gonzalez. Valentina has been our intern for the last 3 months and was asked to write a post about why she wanted to be our summer intern and what she has learned.*

How I Met Kathy

I had been following Kathy's tweets for several months and really enjoy her fun tweets on agriculture (AG), running her business "Cow Art and More", and social media (SM).
She is a spectacular woman since she is a Dairy veterinarian, gallery owner, jewelry artist, mother to three small toddlers, and she still manages to have an happy-go-lucky personality. In the end of spring, I tweeted to her about offering to do an (informal) internship where I could do social media marketing, press releases, and business consultation with the incentive give her more time to be with her boys and less on the computer doing SM. I have a hard time working for individuals who I don't respect or I'm not loyal to, but with a background and personality like Kathy's who can't be respectful and loyal to this amazing woman?

Her business was of particular interest to me since it involved AG, beautiful hand-made jewelry, and AG-related art. Art is not being my biggest strength but I enjoy challenges! She blogs often about art, so I have learned a bit about the subject since I have started. In addition, doing an internship with her seems to make sense since she lives nearby and in my old college town. A visit to meet with her is a perfect excuse to also enjoy my favorite pancakes near my Alma-Mater. I thought it was a good deal and so did she, yes!!! During our first in person meeting, I did some modeling for her resin collection and took videos of her office and product line. I really enjoyed spending time with her young boys, boy oh boy, they were a handful but very sweet. I didn't know little kids enjoyed the Food Network channel as much as I do. We were all glued to the TV watching Rachael Ray between takes.

What I've Learned

I have been very blessed and lucky to work with Kathy. I'm so glad she has opened her doors to me and has implemented some of my ideas to her company. I was surprised to learn my SM suggestions sometimes are pretty unique and often don't always get approval but I'm fortunate that I have her confidence and that she knows that I'm doing it with my best interest at heart. I learned that all of the time invested in SM does have a ROI, blogging adds credibility for her brand, and it is worth the hours invested and sacrificed weekly not spent with her sons.

I often wonder how she is able to sleep and still do it all? I have learned she is able to handle it all due to her love, dedication to the industry, endless amounts of coffee, and rock n'roll music obsession.

Cow Art and More at the Holstein convention

In case you missed at the Holstein convention last week, we want to catch you up on just how the booth finally came together!


This was our "blank slate". The booth came with a covered table, two chairs, 3 foot sidewalls and an 8 foot backwall.











I had the convention center staff add 8 foot tall polls with connecting horizontal bars around all sides. This allowed me to add lights to the top of the booth.

You can also see I hung ivory drapes in the back (I wanted the art to hang on a neutral color) and wood floor design foam tiles on the floor. (Yes, that is one of my peeps putting them together.)





I put the table along one of the sides and covered with the chocolate colored table cover. I then set up pedestals along the back and in the front corner of the booth. The Cow Art and More booth was also on the end of the row, so I had the show staff take off the outer side rail to allow traffic to flow easier.







The finished booth with cow artwork in place! The great majority of our art was of Holstein cattle, but a few Jerseys managed to sneak in too.











The two wooden framed drawings were the original ideal Holstein and ideal Red and White Holstein done by Gary Sauder. The stained glass piece in the center right was done by the McIntyres and had one of Gary Sauder's ideal Holstein cow prints in the center.








We had several Holstein prints by Jo Lynch. This same design is also available as a cross stitch pattern.











"Bessie the Cow" made her debut! She was just added to the Cow Art and More gallery this week. She was also a big hit with the kids since she was hanging out on ground level. Bessie can be displayed indoors, but is meant to live outside and enjoy the weather.














In addition to having the new Holstein cow bookmarks, we also had flower and bird designs from the same artist at Palmetto Cat Designs.
















We also debuted our new farm themed nightlights (and sold out)! These will be listed soon on Cow Art and More. Be sure to keep an eye on our new products section.










In addition to having the Out to Pasture and Over the Moon tote bags by Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson, we also showcased bags with the Grazing Beneath a Garnet Sky image by Robin Maria Pedrero.















Of course we couldn't come without bringing our Southern Living star, "Lazy Afternoon" by Elizabeth St. Hilaire Nelson. She looked the regal part watching over the Cow Art and More booth and was sold to a farm in Virginia before the show was over.













By far, one of the favorite things of the convention was visiting with dairy farmers from across the country. America salutes what you do and I am honored to represent your passions in artistic forms. We will also be posting our success in helping the National Holstein Women's Scholarship Organization raise money for their scholarship through the sale of the milk bottle charm.

Finishing up the cow art display

It's crunch time for the debut of Cow Art and More at the National Holstein Convention! One of the final things to do over the last week was making the fabric covers for the pedestals.


Some of the pedestals will have a nice pale green cover. This is a fire retardant fabric I bought directly from the manufacturer.












I used my handy-dandy sewing machine (which had not seen the light of day in awhile) to finish the edges.












I also did the same with some burlap fabric, but had to use a "edging glue" to keep the sides from fraying.











To hang these to the pedestals, I have a applied velcro to the cardboard pedestal and the fabric cover.

Look for pictures of the finished product later this week!

Become acquainted with painter and pastel artist Robin Maria Pedrero

Cow Art and More featured pastel drawing artist and painter Robin Maria Pedrero in September 2009. Robin is a well-known central Florida artist that both paints and draws with pastels. She has been published in several magazines and has won numerous awards from art shows and art societies across the southeast. Robin is also an elected member of the Pastel Society of America, which is reflected by the PSA designation behind the signature on her work. Robin will participate in an exhibit in Berlin, Germany, in May 2011.

Why do you paint/draw?

There are various reasons as to why I paint and draw. I could say it is a compulsion where I am able to capture a fleeting experience or emotion, a visual form of homage to creation.

What is your technique?

I work in several mediums and the techniques vary for each. At times when I am immersed in the creative process I cover the studio with 7 – 20 pieces in progress strewn on tables, easels, the wall and floor. In pastel, I start at the farthest point in the distance and build layers towards what is closer and more detailed. In acrylics and mixed media I capture life and simple pleasures applying rhythmic patterns and geometrics in translucent layers. In all mediums, I personify nature through color and movement evoking moods of transition, strength, joy and serenity. I use a symbolic visual language exploring the visible and invisible creating a commentary on relationships and thoughts. As I work the images can be unexpected flowing from gathered memories. Within the placed pigment I enhance my perceptions of faces, animals, cities or fauna to share them with viewers. Then I let the work be and come back to it with fresh eyes and work some more until finished. Repeat

Where did you learn your technique?

My technique is a culmination of years of working, creating, building habits and trying new things. I have enjoyed a few workshops through the years and have a foundation of study with master artists.

How do you decide what to paint/draw?

I create what attracts me. The decision of specifics is part of the artistic judgments made throughout the creative process. Unless it is a commission and then the subject is usually their choice via my hand.

How long does it take you to get an average piece of art?

Sometimes I plan or see the piece in my head for days, weeks, even months. Other pieces form by just coming before a blank page and placing marks or color until the piece evolves. It varies with subject matter and medium. An average piece of art might take one hour, two hours perhaps three hours to even seventy two hours over a period of a few weeks or months. Oils can take longer. Part of the process is also having distance and coming back to work on the piece with a fresh perspective.

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

Yes. One advantage of making art is that it is usually a solitary environment, so the less favorable pieces can go unseen, covered up, tossed or used as a teaching tool.

Where do you get your inspiration?

Influences and inspiration are daily occurrences, experienced through all of the senses. My visual journey encompasses my life; family, friends, travel, nature, meals, introspection, books, art, music and worship. The work begins internally and then is brought to the surface, literally.

What else do you do besides your art?

I travel. I spend time with my family and Shui tzu Max, we swim, walk, garden, and explore. I listen to music and dance while making art! I mentor and teach (just a little). I twitter, facebook and blog. I am an active member of several women's, business and art groups. I would be glad to share more on any of them with those who are interested. Presently I am reading "de Kooning". I go to art events...and hope you do too!

What advice to you have for aspiring painters?

There is a preciousness, unpredictability,and endurance to art so have integrity, balance, keep learning, follow positive examples, become a role mode, take courage, thicken your skin for reviews and critiques, and breathe. Don’t be too desperate for the sale. Protect your health, making art can be hazardous. It is a gift to make art, stay well so you can share it.

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

I believe that my art makes a difference in people’s lives and I will continue to make art. In my future I want my work in more Museums, galleries, corporations, institutions and collected worldwide.

What else would you like people to know about your art that they may not know already?

My collectors are precious, they receive my new art news, postcards, gifts and special invites shows and my sacred studio space. They are part of a bigger picture as one of my collectors, they make a difference as I donate a percentage of proceeds to select charities, like the International Justice Mission, Make a Wish, The Golden Rule Foundation, Habitat for Humanity, and more.

If you see PSA after my signature that signifies that I am an elected Signature member of the Pastel Society of America.

Anyone have Happy Heifers out there?

In case you haven't become a fan of Cow Art and More on Facebook, we invite you to come over and join our community. Every Thursday, we have our "Happy Heifer tHursday" contest, where the person who shares a picture of the happiest heifers receives a $10 Cow Art and More gift certificate. Don't have happy heifers? Come on over and leave comments to help influence the judges.

"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.