By Chris Harding
Special to the Reporter

Old sofa fabric, vintage album covers and that kitschiest of paintings "Dogs Playing Poker." Sounds like yard sale dregs, right?

But each of these odds and ends eventually inspired a Jones Hill artist to produce a whimsical entry in the local version of the world's largest and most popular public project ever, Cow Parade Boston. Life-sized fiberglass cows, decorated by local artists, are being displayed in the public areas of Boston all summer until they're rounded up in September to be auctioned off to benefit the Jimmy Fund.

Nationally known pop artist Howie Green's initially submitted a design for "Sophie the Flower Cow" with its pattern of cabbage roses, cherry bachelor buttons and gold-streaked leaves taken from the material on the 1940's rattan Philippine couch in his Trescott Street home. Though it took months for the Parade committee to sift through the 400 submissions, they came back to him with a "Yes!" for Sophie and a "Got any more ideas?"

The pop culture slant of Green's website prompted the committee to suggest that Green do two more cows, starting with a commission from PokerStars.net. The Dot artist decided to do a take-off on C.M. Coolidge's infamous and endlessly reproduced "Dogs Playing Poker," substituting bovines for canines. Presto, "Poker Cow"!

Green's real passion &endash; rock music &endash; surfaced in his third effort, "Rufus, the Boston Moosic Cow." Though named after Canadian-American singer-songwriter, Rufus Wainwright, Green's critter is bedecked with album covers of 39 Boston bands, including three with Dorchester roots: New Kids on the Block, Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch and the Ashmont-based Human Sexual Response, "my favorite band of all time."

Green is one of the few Parade artists to have more than one cow in the city's herd of 117. The Flower and Poker Cows are within a few feet of each other at Faneuil Hall Marketplace, while Rufus grazes in front of the Marriott Courtyard Hotel across from the Wang Center. More on these beauteous beasts and Howie's other art achievements at hgd.com.