Author Archives: Tara Choate

Catch up with my art scene

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Sorry for being so quiet over the last week or so. This cold is hanging on. At this point I really can’t tell if it’s still the cold, or allergies. On the news they are showing the area as “red” for allergy suffers. Haying is going on everywhere. But as I’m still not 100%, we’ll call it a combination of factors.

As I mentioned, I turned in “Arranged” to the Oregon Society of Artists show and I am pleased to report it got in. It didn’t win any prizes (competition was stiff), but being in the show is still something I’m proud of.


“Galloping Out” came down on Thursday, just in time for me to turn around and take my paintings out to Open Studios of Beavercreek. Today (Friday) was my first day out at Jodi Dann‘s; the setting is idylic, with bluebirds (litterally, Western Bluebirds) flitting around and swallows gliding along. They are baling the hay in the next feild over, and a pair of vultures hung out for a while, and that was another fun time.

I must admit to being completely jealous of Jodi’s studio. It’s a small, independent building, and so lovely with skylights and beams. I think everyone who came by today thought about building one for themselves.

studio

I sold four paintings, including “Between Classes”, with a nibble on a fifth. To me that’s pretty good as I haven’t been painting too much lately and didn’t have a lot of new “smalls” to put out.

2014.betweenclasses_web

I am still trying to get in my Wednesday paint nights, but this cold has not been helpful. Of course, now that I’m on deadline, “Comin'” is top of my list to get finished. I hope to finish this today or tomorrow and take it to critique group next week. Once finished, my Equine Art trio will be finished.

comin

Because I’m having such a difficult time with my painting, I started on a project where my goal is simply to apply paint to paper. I start out with a squiggle and then apply paint. I’m realizing that I’m most attracted to soft and lost edges; that’s something that I don’t do so well in my art, so I think it’s a good experiment both for technique and exploration.

Jodi’s studio seems to be a little slower than Connie’s, so I may bring my paint out to the show tomorrow. I hope you’ll consider swinging by and seeing me.

OpenStudioMapS15_map copy RevA

37 years

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If you have any connection to horses (and probably even if you don’t) you know by know that Amerian Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes today and thus ended the 37 year drought of Triple Crown winners. Let the party start!

I have never seen a Triple Crown winner “live.” I was alive when Seattle Slew and Affirmed won, but I was only 2 and 3 respectively. Since I started watching the races at age 8, I’ve been waiting… and waiting.

Honestly, it felt a little anti-clamactic. But I guess that’s the thing with the great athletes; they make the difficult look easy. He looked like he was walking away with all three races, but particularly the Belmont.

I’m thrilled.

In other news, I have been quiet because I have been sick. A cold just knocked me over this week, and I’ve basically been either sick, at work, sitting on the couch, or walking the dog.

The good news is that I DID enter my painting, “Arranged”, into the Oregon Society of Artists Rose Show and the reception is tomorrow. I hope you will consider coming:

June – Rose Festival Show

Reception Sunday June 7th, 1 to 4 pm.

Also, if you’re marking your calendars, next Friday-Sunday is the Open Studios of Beavercreek tour.

I wish I had more exciting news, but I’m still not feeling 100%. But for now, that’s all the news that’s fit to print.

Sending out a newsletter

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A couple of days ago I finally got over my inertia and sent out my newsletter, updating my list of events in the next few months.

Sending out a newsletter is always an interesting experience. I don’t want to be too pushy (come and buy my art!) but I also want people to get the idea that I am doing new things and want to sell them. I send the list out to family, friends, clients, and a few fellow artists; and I always get back an interesting array of comments.

Some people use the opportunity to take care of “that nagging piece of business.”

Some people treat the newsletter like a personal note and write back how they are doing too.

And then there is the comment that reminds me why I’m doing this. From my friend Sandra Pearce:

Tara, I’m glad you are keeping your hand in this summer. It is tough, working FT and trying to make it as an artist.

I’m encouraging you to enter the Equine art juried show. It’s hands-down you won’t get in if you don’t try. Consider the fee and experience an investment in your artist-self.

I for one, have almost enough rejection letters to paper a small guest room. I am working on the master suite now. Someone said they entered a show 17 years before they got in. So I have a way to go yet. I figure I have to pay my dues.

But something else also happens. Judges and many others are seeing your work and your name – even if you don’t get in, people begin to remember you. All the pieces begin to add up to recognition and opportunities.

You are good at equine art. Yours may be different than what they already have, and they do want that variety. Same ol’ is boring.  I hope you enter, you can make it!

And huge congratulations on your Solo show – That is MAJOR! The works are lovely!!

So with these words in mind, I returned to my “easel” this Wednesday night.

Field Trip!

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Yesterday I went along on a pair of site visits for my job. The idea was to see what was going on in the field so I could understand my new job a little better.

The first stop of the day was at a pair of sites along middle Crabtree Creek. The South Santiam Watershed Council is working on phase one restoration project, and they have a new grant in for phase two, which would restore 32 more acres and do some creek enhancement through wood placement. The visit was to look at the site and ask questions about the projects, including lessons learned.

Of course, I don’t know enough to really ask questions, but it was fascinating listening to the conversations between BLM, Forest Service, OWEB, and various biologists about the details of the project.

It was also very interesting hearing about the politics of getting landowners involved in the project. Most landowners in this area are farmers, and taking a couple of acres out of production can be a big deal for them. This landowner was a larger farmer who was interested in improving his brand by going completely organic. They had bad experiences with the Federal government in the past, but were willing to try again with smaller government.

After this stop, we traveled along the south Santiam to an area called Soda Fork Creek where the South Santiam Watershed Council was proposing a second grant. They took us to Soda Fork to show a similar, very successful project; they had tipped trees into the stream to create better Winter Steelhead habitat.

Before and after this site, the stream was just bedrock, but here gravel and twigs had built up around the tipped trees. The scientists explained that this is the kind of habitat that winter stealhead like. I also heard a lot about how the fish in this area were important “genetic heritage” fish. Basically they hadn’t been contaminated by farmed fish and were one of the few remaining pure strains.

After viewing the goal, we went up the creek to look at a place called Moose Creek where they wanted to do something similar.

redosite1It will be interesting to see if these two projects get funded and how they turn out.

Along the way I saw lots of pretty birds, flowers, and livestock. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

A non-artistic week

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This week has been a big goose egg as far as artistic endeavers go. I wasn’t feeling well for most of it, and though I did go to critique group on Thursday, I still haven’t taken their suggestions, so I have nothing to show you there.

This (three day) weekend I have been hard at work on a variety of household projects that needed to be done, but have no blog merit.

So the best I can give you is my pictures from unloading my camera where I recorded various hikes this week.

Wednesday – Oregon City Trail

Friday – Metro Area

Sunday – Canemah

Monday – Canemah

A fun story about this hike. I was a little ways into my hike and two ladies came along with big binoculars. They appeared to be bird watchers so I asked them if they had seen anything interesting. They rattled off a few species, but they hadn’t seen the GHO. So I showed them some good spots, and my owl actually cooperated by showing up for them.

Turned out they were from the Audubon society doing a little scouting for future trips for their volunteers.

The ducks have got this thing figured out

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Today I arrived at my carpool’s meeting spot and stood for a few minutes waiting for the van to arrive. As I was reading my book, I kept hearing little bird noises.

Of course, birds are ubiquitous this time of year. Between nesting starlings and swallows, if you stand in one spot more than 30 seconds, you hear baby birds.

The van pulled up and I took two steps forward.

ducks1A mama duck and her ducklings were parading around the sidewalk.

Collective “awwww”.

A few seconds later I looked up.

ducks3The rest of her brood was on top of the concrete planter.

Maybe I should mention at this point that all this is taking place in downtown Salem, steps away from the capitol building.

Worry started to set in. Even if the babies jumped down to reunite with mama, how would they get to Mill Creek (about 1.5 blocks away)?

Just then a woman came out of the building caring a box. She reported that this happened “every year.” The duck nested on top of the planter, in the shrubs.

ducks2She and her coworkers reached in to collect the little brood. Then with the box of ducklings in their arms, they made their way down the sidewalk, mama duck following, toward Mill Creek.

Really big collective “awwwwww.”

 

P.S. I don’t care if someone reports this was environmentally wrong or bad for wildlife or whatever.

“Awwwwwww.”

3 hikes, 3 days

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Canemah – May 14

Metro area near Barton Park – May 15

Oaks Bottom – May 17

Painting Night vs. Business

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Tonight is my typical painting night, but I had to go to the Open Studios of Beavercreek meeting. By the time I got back, I decided to work on a few boring business details (who says art is all fun) and I have nothing “painterly” to report.

So instead, I will ask you all to mark your calendars for these current and upcoming events.

Galloping Out

My show through the Clackamas County Arts Alliance will be closing in just over four week (June 11). Please stop on by and see it.

2015postcardfront 2015postcardbackOpen Studios of Beavercreek

I signed up for this event again this year, but I will be at a different studio (details to come). Mark your calendars for June 12-14! My painting “Shoes and Shadows” is featured on the back of the postcard!

osbcpostcardAs you mark your calendars to come and view my art (and of course everyone else’s) I will leave you with this video about using art in your home. Just to say there was something artistic about today’s post.