Painting Night vs. Business

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Tara Choate

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.

Open 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!

As 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.

Where the Wildflowers Are

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Tara Choate

Today I drove down to Cottage Grove for an event through the Coast Fork Willamette Watershed Council called Bikes to Blooms. I originally saw this event on Facebook and thought it looked like fun, so I marked my calendar and called down to make a reservation.

First let me say that I had a good time, but the day did not go as expected.

I left early hoping to get down there in plenty of time for the 10-12 event that was labeled a wildlife area tour.

i had printed out directions and really thought I knew where I was going.

: Balloon drifting along next to I-5

: A little ultra light gliding along

I got to where I thought the event was at 8:45. At 10:30 I found where the event actually was.

I’m not going to say any more.

Having missed the event I really wanted to do, I tried to go with the flow and went on a short guided hike and then a 12 mile ride around the reservoir. From here on out, it’s about the pictures.

The Views

The Wildlife

: This deer was my first sighting, while I was trying to get found

: This little goose family was chowing down

: A big pack of vultures were enjoying some carion next to the highway

: A wild turkey hen (first sighting)

The Wildflowers

Goodbye Wilson

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Tara Choate

My friend JJ’s dog Wilson passed away today. He was about a millionth my dog too because he occasionally stayed here for a few days when JJ had to go away for work.

He was a cuddly little fellow who warmed my lap and many others through the years at JJ’s shop.

He was a dignified soul who put up with hiking and beach combing with Finn and I, but always made it clear he was just granting us a favor.

pals4 Wilson will be missed, both for his bond with JJ and his unique charm. I’m glad I got to know him.

Painting Night 18 – Background

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Tara Choate

I’m tired tonight. I hate pollen. It’s so bad I’m actually having a little trouble breathing. But I did sit down and I did paint.

Fortunately, tonight’s progress is very visible, but it’s also something I’ve been thinking about for the last week. I’ve played with color choices and styles in my head, and I’m glad to report this is taking shape.

Memes to keep me going

Posted on May 5, 2015 by Tara Choate

I’ve been on Weight Watchers now for a year and two weeks. In that time I have lost 82 lbs.

All that is great. But for the last six months I have been stalled.

Since about when my dad died, it’s been up and down. While a lot of good habits have stuck (exercising, eating breakfast, salad lunches), a lot of bad things had re-entered my diet.

The last few weeks I have been feeling like I’ve been turning a corner and feeling ready to get real with it. Then something falls apart and I restart. That is success, but not the kind that shows up on the scales.

Tonight I don’t feel well. I over did it yesterday and I went to the dentist this morning and my jaw hurts. Also, frankly, some hormone issues are going on and I’ve been better (Saturday morning I laughed hysterically at a funny Facebook post and that night was crying over a sad movie. I have no idea if either was actually funny or sad, but there you go.)

I thought about skipping my WW meeting, but in spite of feeling anti-social, I decided staying home wasn’t going to get me anywhere either (very adult decision. I get some points for that, right?)

I’m glad I went. It was a good meeting. I feel like I heard a couple of good things, which sometimes is really all you need.

Even if I never loose another pound, I need to remember how far I’ve come and that I am feeling so much better than I was. I’m proud of all the things I can do now.

Additionally, being stalled for the last six months is not all together bad. Yes, the scale isn’t going down, but it’s not going up either. And hopefully I’ll get going again and I will have that much less to loose again. My weight loss journey is not going to be smooth and easy… it’s going to be hard and hilly.

I am ready to get going again and the biggest thing to do is re-carve out the sugar out of my life. So, it’s back to basics. I don’t have to be perfect, but I know what I need to avoid.

So… Just do it, Tara.

Derby Weekend update

Posted on May 4, 2015 by Tara Choate

Somehow Kentucky Derby weekend has come and gone without a pre-blog on my site. It wasn’t that I wasn’t paying attention; with Facebook it’s been all Derby, all the time. I just haven’t had much to say. This year none of the horses had really “caught my fancy” the way California Chrome did last year.

This is a little sad. A friend of mine actually attended the Derby this year, and even picked up an official Derby poster for me, signed by the artist, Kimberly Kelly Santini! But when love strike, you know it, and this year I just had generally warm feelings.

It turned out much of the buzz about American Pharoah turned out to be true. I’m really excited about that, mostly from the standpoint that I REALLY want to see a Triple Crown winner before I am too old to remember it. I’ve been watching the Derby since 1983 (Sunny’s Halo.) In that time I’ve seen 11 “near misses” (18 if you count the additional 7 horses who have won the Preakness and Belmont, but not the Kentucky Derby). But all this watching has been within the 36 year drought of Triple Crown Winners.

So… Go American Pharoah!

In other news, Saturday I went with my friend Christi for a bike ride interupted by the Oregon Potter’s Association Ceramic Showcase. This year was not part of the Gathering of the Guilds (which somehow I missed…)

I bought a little present which I’ll use around Christmas and a small sculpture by one of my favorite artists, Anthony Gordon of ChimeraClay Studio.

Not only do I love her art, but when I read her website I sense a kindred spirit…

I remember tossing my mane, and galloping across the playground (age 6)…

In addition I admired a variety of other ceramic art. I love the artists who put out a little sign welcoming photographs. It make my life so much easier!

I go to this event and notice my strong attraction to the earth tones and also wonder why I don’t do more with this palette?

Each year there is a little ceramics demo area, and Christi talked me into trying my hand at a masterpiece. I’ve tried before; in spite of the fact my dad was a talented potter, I never quite picked up the knack. I tried to make a little wall vase. I actually think it turned out pretty well. I might even get it fired.

The Ceramic Show was a lot of fun, but Christi and I enjoyed the bike ride too, especially this little park just before the convention center.

Sunday I played 18 holes of golf at Eastmoreland Golf Course with the local Meetup Group. It was my first time playing this course; it was challenging but beautiful (it abuts Crystal Springs Rhododendron Garden with Johnson Creek flowing through other areas).

A busy but very fun weekend.

Exploring with a new eye

Posted on May 2, 2015 by Tara Choate

I’ve been at my new job one month now and I’m delighted to report things still seem to be going well. This week OWEB had it’s board meeting, which I attended for part of a day as a spectator. During that time I saw presentations by our region reps about grants they were recommending for funding.

With this new information when I went for my Friday night hike at the little Metro rehab area on the way to the SEO barn, I looked at things with a new eye.

These logs have been placed in the stream to provide a place for fish to rest.

This wall of logs is another way to create nice, cool fish resting places. Because the logs protect the bank, the river gets deeper there and the fish hang out.

While this is a lovely scene at the end of my hike, the flatness and un-shady-ness is not ideal for fish; however, this area has been diverted from the main river and there are a bunch of logs in the area just above. So clearly some kind of planning is going on…?

In addition to these delightful pondering, I enjoyed the spring flowers in bloom.

I also caught a nice photo of a pair of tree swallows (so plentiful, but so hard to ID) actually perched.

After finishing my hike, I went to see the horses, then came home under an amazing sunset. This photo does NOT do it justice.

Catching up on painting nights 15, 16, & 17

Posted on April 30, 2015 by Tara Choate

As I’ve reported, my posting has been shamefully light lately, but I have been doing a little bit of painting on painting nights.

I’ve been making steady progress on my rose “painting” of the metallic marbled papers. Tonight I added gold leaf. When it dries I’ll report if I stays on! A couple of weeks ago, after coming back from “Making Waves” in Newport, I experimented with my Gelli plate. I’m still experimenting, but I got a few interesting papers.

I think I’ll try to work on these before trying anything else.

Also inspired by my Newport trip, I decided to take a sketch and do some collaging on it. But I sort of lost faith.

Finally, tonight, I did some more work on “Coming.”

I think the background is going to be a lot… more.

Canemah’s in bloom

Posted on April 27, 2015 by Tara Choate

In the last two weeks of not posting, Canemah has emerged into bloom. Camas, fawn lilies, and even iris area out.

It was another drizzly day around here, but we made it out. The camas will be done soon, but everything is still stunning.

I am sure that the woodpecker pair I commented on a few weeks ago does have a nest in a tree hollow. When I stopped there today to take a look, I heard the faintest little cries coming from the tree. As the website says there incubation period is 11-12 days, that seems about right.