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- "Cow" painting by Abbie Castriott
It's perfect, if coincidental, timing: The same week that Seven Days publishes a special issue on Vermont's dairy industry, the Main Street Museum in White River Junction opens an exhibition of cow paintings. The 270 artworks are paint-by-number — though not necessarily by the rules. And yes, you read that right: There are 270 paintings, sent in from artists and nonartists of all ages from six countries.
Joie Finley is determined to display them all, somehow, in the unorthodox venue that's already stuffed with strange collections.
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- "Cow" painting Nick Clemens
A retired social worker who lives in Hartland, Finley has been volunteering at Main Street Museum for "six or seven years," she said, mostly scheduling events and paying the bills. This exhibit marks the first time she's managed an art exhibit. How did she find herself corralling cows?
First, she discovered the cat lady. Last January, Finley said, "I was sick, in bed and bored, and I scrolled through this Facebook page called Maximalist Design and Décor." There, she came across a post from a woman in Ohio who collects and displays paint-by-number cat paintings in her home. This, of course, is totally in the museum's wheelhouse.
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- "Cow" painting by Laura Lyon
Finley said she reached out to the woman, Megan Lane Patrick, to see if she'd be willing to ship her collection to Vermont for an exhibit. No way, Patrick told her, "because it was a bear to hang and they are all straight right now."
"So I thought, What if we did our own?" Finley said.
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- "Cow" painting by Alyssa La Franka
One thing led to another and then to cows. Finley sourced an 11-inch-square paint-by-number image — the bovine equivalent of a promo headshot. She put out a call to artists on Facebook (and in this newspaper), inviting people to buy the same kit and adorn it as they saw fit. The only rules were no glitter, because it's bad for the environment, and no meat, because ants.
People delivered — from toddlers in daycare centers (think finger paints) to nonagenarians in a local nursing home.
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- "Cow" painting by Kim Che
"There is 'Cow-lage,' a steampunk cow, an alien cow, a true storyboard about a ransomed cow and a Shrinky Dinks cow," Finley said. "There are bling cows, purple neon cows, glow-in-the-dark cows ... There are cows painted with gold leaf, knitted cows, felted cows and beaded cows."
Perhaps inevitably, there are also a "Holy Cow" and a "Got Milk?" cow.
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- "Cow" painting by Christine Traverson
But that's not all. "The stories I'm getting along with this are amazing," Finley remarked. "There was a woman who did one while she was getting chemotherapy — she said [painting] took her mind off it."
Other participants reported doing paint-by-number cows at birthday parties, in a classroom project or on a first date. Paintings have arrived not only from the U.S. but also from Canada, Finland, Australia, Scotland and England, Finley said.
"Kudos to my brother, who recycled 270 boxes," she added. Moo!
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- "Cow" painting by Dan Daly
The reception for "Cow" on Friday, June 2, promises to be lively. The museum usually attracts "about 30" visitors during White River Junction's monthly art walk, Finley said. "I'm afraid it will be busier this time." She's heard of some people flying in from Toronto, others planning to ride their bikes over from New Hampshire.
Finley will be prepared. "My friend picked up some cow cookie cutters," she said.
"Cow" opens on Friday, with a reception at 6 p.m., and will be on view through August. Some of the paintings will be for sale through an online auction to benefit the museum. Stay tuned at mainstreetmuseum.org.