World Dairy Expo Supplement (complete PDF) - Hoards Dairyman

HOARD’S DAIRYMAN
EXPO 18 September 10, 2011
Circle No. 34 on Reader Response Card
Fits your small
ration needs and
your pocketbook too.
Toll Free 800.809.8224
www.JAYLOR.com
Circle No. 29 on Reader Response Card
Around the world of dairy
A SUCCESSFUL artist is one
who paints with a passion for their
subject. This is why cow artists
sprinkled among the other exhibits
at World Dairy Expo have such
an ardent following. Bonnie Mohr,
situated at the front of the Coliseum
is probably one of the best-known
painters of cow images. She and her
husband, John, also own a registered
dairy herd in Minnesota. Bonnie’s
lifelong exposure to dairy cattle
gives her a wealth of knowledge
as she paints her images.
There are other painters who have
emerged in the world of “cow art,”
including Larry Schultz, Jeanne
Tuman, and Mary Heinze, each with
their own niche area in the art world.
Love for the outdoors
Cows on canvas
Wisconsin native Larry Schultz was
encouraged as a young boy to pursue
his natural artistic talent. Today,
he merges his talent with his love of
nature and the outdoors into beautiful
paintings depicting nature, as well
as farm scenes.
When Larry first started painting
in 1989, he focused on horses, only
to find out that the market for horse
paintings was already saturated.
So, Larry began experimenting with
cow paintings.
“I have always had an affinity
for cows. When I was growing up,
I spent time on my uncle’s dairy
farm,” Larry said. “I had hopes of
one day being a dairy farmer, but
that never came to be.”
In the late 1990s, Larry began
exhibiting his artwork at World Dairy
Expo. Since that time, he has doubled
the size of his booth and is a familiar
face along the exhibition hallway.
“World Dairy Expo has been a great
opportunity for me to meet people
from all over the world,” Larry adds.
Larry admits that painting for
true “cow people” like the ones at
World Dairy Expo has stretched him
artistically. While some may like a
more stylized or “artsy” cow, Expo
visitors want to see true type and
conformation of the animals.
“That cattle judging class I took in
high school has helped, but my customers
are the ones who force me to
really know what a good cow looks
like. When I work on commission
painting, they will point out the different
things they are looking for in
the painting,” Larry says.
In the past several years, Lar-
The author is an agricultural writer based at
Dansville, Mich.
by Laura Moser
ry’s work has been commissioned
by several breed associations and
dairy companies. His painting, “The
Seven Wonders of Wisconsin,” was
commissioned in 2000 by the Wisconsin
All Breeds Convention.
In addition to commissioned work,
Larry loves to take stories he hears
and depict them in a painting. “Cows
Are Out” and “The Tank” are common
memories for many dairy farmers.
“People share their stories with
me about life on their dairy farm or
bring in pictures,” Larry says. “I try
and capture that in the paintings.
“I love coming to World Dairy
Expo — it is like a family reunion,”
Larry adds. “I have met so many
people, and I love it because they are
all such good people.”
From crafts to paintings
Jeanne Tuman’s love of World
Dairy Expo and the cattle exhibited
there is evident in the pieces
on display in her booth. Many of the
paintings feature cows that have
walked the colored shavings in the
Coliseum.
“It is not always what I sell the
week of Expo,” Jeanne says. “It is the
connections I make while I am here.”
Jeanne’s first exposure to the
trade show was back when there
was an arts and crafts show. When
the arts and crafts show was eliminated,
Jeanne focused more on her
portrait paintings.
“I have been painting for over 50
years,” Jeanne says. “I enjoy being at
Expo seeing the good cows and talking
to people about my art or the cows.”
One of Jeanne’s first commissioned
pieces was a painting of “Six
In Serenity” (all breeds print before
Red and White Holsteins). The
prints of “Six In Serenity” generated
a lot of interest and led to more commissions
of individual cows.
As an avid Brown Swiss breeder,
Jeanne was eager to complete
a painting of “Snickerdoodle.”
Jeanne’s prints of Snickerdoodle
were very popular at Expo in 2009.
“I admire a good cow, no matter
what the breed,” Jeanne says. “I
have an eye for good cattle. I will
take pictures in the barns and the
show ring to use in the paintings. I
always have a camera with me.”
Jeanne and her husband, Doug,
milked registered Brown Swiss for
32 years in Minnesota. Their connection
to the farm helps Jeanne
relate to her customers.
“I know what it is like to have
Brazil — Girolanda cattle, a Holstein and Zebu cross, originated in Brazil.