"Well, truth be known, it was actually June 15th when we took this picture - still is the promising look of a great crop!"
Knee high corn by the 4th of June - can you believe it! For those of you who don't know 'farm talk'..it is tradition that if you have knee high corn by the 4th of July - things are look'in good! Well, due to great weather, lots of rain, and an early spring..we really do have knee high corn already! Things are 'completely summer' now - 10. Everything is blooming and growing 9. The gnats, mosquitoes, and flies are plentiful. 8. The kids are already swimming in the lake. 7. The garden has emerged. 6. The city festivals, parades and county fairs have begun! 5. We're sitting on the porch enjoying lemonade and other things! 4. We have had many campfires in the back yard. 3. The kids are out of school. 2. My laundry pile has tripled since the kids have been out of school. 1. I'm counting the days until the kids go back to school! (Just kidding)
I love having the kids home during the summer..not that it boosts my painting productivity..but it is fun, and we enjoy a more leisurely schedule. The best part is no scrambling to get homework done at night, hurrying off to bed, and having to roll them out early every morning! .......and lots and lots of baseball games and sunflower seeds!
I've been busy, busy, busy - painting, painting, painting.
After a lengthy 5 months of effort, I completed the Foster Mother of the Human Race painting for Hoard's Dairyman! YEAH!! This was a ginormous project, and truly a big score in my career as an artist. John and I traveled to Fort Atkinson, WI this past week for the unveiling and to celebrate their 125th Anniversary with them! What a great event, and what a wonderful staff of people. Congratulations to everyone at Hoard's Dairyman - you are a class act!!
Today, I have completed the painting which I will be donating to the National Holstein Foundation as the 'kick-off' for their National Fundraising effort to raise money for various youth programs and young dairy farmers. It is entitled The Beautiful Cow. It is an oil on canvas, measuring 22x 28. It will be auctioned off at the banquet on Tuesday night, June 29 at the National Holstein Convention, Minneapolis, MN. IF you are interested in bidding, please contact my studio, and I will be happy to discuss more details with you.
I will be printing this painting in the form of both canvas giclee, print, and note cards. Details will be posted on my website soon!! (FYI - I have also written a verse that will accompany this print - I will post it on my next blog - as this one is already getting lengthy. Lastly, in celebration of June Dairy Month - purchase any print, giclee or card with a dairy animal on it- and receive a 10% discount! Discount code is -JUNE10. Thank You to the hard working, wonderful people of the dairy industry who make it possible for everyone in America to pour milk on their Cheerios each morning!! Stay cool ......... Enjoy these beautiful summer days - live in the moment! Thanks for reading... Bonnie
