Hey cow, I see you now!

There have been many posts on Facebook questioning what these painted cows are for, and what they represent. These works were created by several artists and commissioned by the Curd Festival. If you are touring St-Albert or Embrun watch for these artists’ cow creations. Vogel photos and Courtesy photo top, right

Rural Ontario has one common feature other than the dedicated farmers who grow and raise the province’s food supply, and that is the cow. The Curd Festival in St-Albert is an annual event and this year because of COVID-19 it had to be cancelled. Not to be deterred, the organizers of the festival came up with a special and fun way to celebrate the festival with about 20 life-size statues of cows.

The name of the project is “Hey cow, I see you now!” Over a span of some 30 km, people will get to admire the colourful cows installed in front of businesses, farms and residences between Embrun and Casselman but mostly in and around St-Albert. The public is invited to provide their feedback on their “Hey cow, I see you now!” experience on social media by using the #HeyCowISeeYouNow  htag with their Facebook, Instagram or Twitter posts.

You can find a cow at these locations:

894 Rte. 800 East, Casselman
1054 Regional Rd 7, St-Albert
991 Limoges Rd. #12, Embrun
1098 Limoges Rd., Embrun
1128 Limoges Rd., Embrun
1937 Route 700 Ouest, St-Albert
129 rue Principale, St-Albert
808 Notre-Dame St., Embrun
859 Notre-Dame St., Embrun
608 Notre-Dame St., Embrun
154765 La Freniere Rd. Crysler
563 Rte. 800 East, St-Albert
2048 Route 900 West, Crysler
1821 Regional Rd.7, Crysler
689 rue Principale, Casselman
641 rue Principale, Casselman
199 St. Paul St., St-Albert
150 St. Paul St., St-Albert

The cows were painted by 15 artists.

Nicole Bélanger is a visual artist who specializes in the concept of directed murals. In both schools and the community, her focus is on group work, in both the design and the creation.

Shanna Steals grew up in different parts of Prescott and Russell, including Casselman, St-Albert, Limoges and Alfred where she lives today. Shanna earned a double bachelor’s degree in visual arts and in English literature from the University of Ottawa in 2006.

Jamie Janx Johnston layers images to place with texture and perspective to entangle reality; offering bold contrast and mythical scenes that showcase his photography as street art.

Alex Dinet is a 23-year-old abstract painter from Sept-Îles on the North Shore of Quebec.

Christine Lenoir-Godin has been an artist for 60 years. She uses different materials, including ink, graphite, watercolour, pastels, mixed materials and acrylic.

Bernard Lévesque is a well-known artist and has been an active member of Eastern Ontario’s artistic and cultural community for many years. He is the president and founder of the Artists Association of Clarence-Rockland (AACR), and the owner of Studio Art Plus in Clarence-Creek, where he gives classes in painting and drawing.

Madeline Bélanger-Trottier was born and raised in the National Capital Region, she is an autistic kinesthetic artist who focuses on the study and creation of natural geometry.

Désirée Perras was born in Embrun, Ontario in 1962. She is now retired, after having worked as a graphic designer and multimedia technician for the federal government. She studied art and design at Université du Québec en Outaouais and at St. Lawrence College in Kingston. She studied visual arts at the Ottawa School of Art. She has given several exhibits in pubs since 2005. One of her works is currently in the Brasserie Étienne Brûlé in Embrun.

Firmin Falardeau is from the Abitibi-Témiscamingue area, and is an artist, painter, sculptor and metalsmith.

Nathalie Coutou is Métis-Mi’kmaq. She has a degree in graphic arts. She has dedicated her career to promoting Indigenous artists from across Canada.

Louise Héroux born in Gatineau, in the Aylmer sector, is a professional self-taught collagist recognized by the Regroupement des artistes en arts visuels du Québec (R.A.A.V.), and by the Bureau du regroupement des artistes visuels de l’Ontario (BRAVO). Her works has been seen around the world.

Jérome Bertrand grew up in the Outaouais. He teaches drawing and focuses his work in a way that blends colour and form in a sensual aesthetic.

“Hirondella (Anik Deslauriers ) approaches the game of unpredictability with ingenuity and freshness. The outcome is dreamlike imagery imbued with poetry. 

Janelle Marier is a 20-year-old artist who is passionate about painting and decorative crafts. Born in Aylmer, she lives near water and nature, which have always been the sources of inspiration for her creations.

Marin Mitrasinovic, is a mural artist based in Gatineau. When he was 13, he became interested in graffiti and spray painting. “Since then, I have been perfecting my art by creating lots of murals in the Outaouais area and collaborating with other artists.”

Diane Fontaine said, “I have always painted, and I have been encouraged to develop new painting techniques through meeting other artists. I [was] delighted to take part in this project because I live on a farm and I am deeply inspired to create something different on the cow. I can send you different works that I have created to introduce you to my artistic world.”