ABOUT BLUE COW

Hi, I'm Jenny

I teach art the way I wish it had been taught to me — with room to explore, permission to get it wrong, and someone in the room who's genuinely glad you showed up.

I graduated from UVEI (Upper Valley Educators Institute) in 2005. I then taught middle and high school art at Rivendell for 19 years. With Blue Cow Art Studio, my dream of bringing accessible, enjoyable art classes directly to the Upper Valley has been realized. I hope both students and adults take advantage of classes and gain confidence in their artistic expression. Art is for everyone!

I have lived in the Upper Valley for over 20 years, and love this landscape, this community, and the vibrant art culture that we enjoy.

I grew up in NYC, and spent many summers as a camper at the amazing Camp Aloha Hive on Lake Fairlee where I fell in love with Vermont. It was during my 13 summers as a counselor that I began my journey towards teaching, first teaching sailing, then arts and crafts, unit head (in charge of 5th and 6th grade graduates and their counselors), as well as department head (in charge of programming for my department).

I graduated from Pitzer College in Los Angeles in 1996 with a bachelors in art and environmental studies. After college, I continued on as a counselor at Aloha Hive in the summers and wintered in Crested Butte, CO where I carried on my teaching journey as a ski instructor.

When I was ready for the next step, I headed back east and spent a few years doing odd jobs (printmaker's studio assistant, waiting tables at Molly’s, freelance art work). I knew I wanted to keep teaching, so I made it official with UVEI and was hired at Rivendell Academy. I remained as the Academy art teacher for the next 19 years. During my tenure, I revamped and ran the Advisory program for 12 years. And with a team of students in the Fun Club, planned and ran our monthly Fun Assemblies filled with hilarious games and activities (as I am forever a camp counselor at heart!)

My time at Rivendell was wonderful - working with a progressive principal and an incredible team of colleagues, and amazing students who were fun, interesting and game for all sorts of artistic challenges. I was allowed to think outside the box as a teacher, collaborate with other faculty to develop engaging curricula, and encouraged to use Critical Explorations as a way to help students deeply engage with new material.

Adults would come into my art room all the time and comment on how much fun we were having, wishing they could come in and join us. The art room has a special feeling: safe, fun, nurturing, endless possibility, companionship … With Blue Cow Art Studio, I want to recreate that environment - a place where we can continue to feel those things, and find your happy place - an island of safety in a chaotic environment.

I live in Norwich, VT with my my husband, daughter and two dogs.
Colorful painted horse sculpture with floral patterns in an outdoor park setting with grass, trees, and buildings in the background.

So why a blue cow?

Two reasons. The first is simple: I love cows.

The second is that a blue cow is a nod to the Post-Impressionists, the Pop artists, and everyone else who refused to paint the world the way they'd been told to. They built a new visual language and showed their ideas in a way nobody had seen before. That's the permission I want people to feel the moment they walk in here.

What I love about this work

  • Teaching, and connecting with students.

  • Building a space people actually want to be in — because it's safe, and because it's fun.

  • The surprise on someone's face when they make something they're proud of.

  • Finding new ways to walk a person through learning something hard, so they stay engaged and come along for the ride.

  • Watching people grow over months — skills and confidence together.

The students I'm here for

I thrive with people who don't consider themselves artists. If you were told as a kid that art isn’t for you, or maybe you just decided it somewhere along the way and never tested it again, this studio is for you. Watching those students give creativity a chance is the best part of my week.

I also welcome seasoned artists who want to actively keep art making in their lives, their energy and perspective brings so much to the group. I strive to always have something new offer those students as well.

My job is to listen to who you want to be, what you want to create, and guide you every step of the way.