Breakin’ ‘em in

I have a new pair of hiking boots.  I am not usually one to complain about the color of such gear because I depend on them to fit comfortably and support me while I scramble over rocks, fallen trees, and slippery roots; not to match my backpack or make my feet look good.  But these boots are, um, green…. a very artificial green,with turquoise and gray laces.  They do fit well, however, and I know from having hiked many miles in a similar pair that they are exactly right for me.  Regardless, the color still bugs the heck out of me.

This morning I planned a short hike and considered my options:  wherever I go it’s got to be super muddy.  Then it won’t matter what color the boots are, they’ll be brown when I get back to the truck!

I settled on a nature preserve surrounding a creek in an old-growth pine and hemlock forest.  Oh, was there mud!  Mud and ice, but mostly mud.  Byron and I walked quickly, avoiding dry rocks, roots, and hard ground. We trudged straight through the middle of the path and skidded down wet, loamy slopes, the thick glue sticking pine duff and decaying leaves to the mud guards around my soles.  I had never cared so little about keeping my shoes clean.  I would cross a stream and leave a cloud of swirling silt, then hop up the bank and stomp around in the first patch of mud in order to reapply the mess.  It felt great.  This must be what gear testers for Backpacker and Outside get to do to the footwear they try out on the trail….. unbeatable traction in slippery conditions,  mid-length ankle support for rock-hopping creeks, hemlock-green uppers help you blend in with your surroundings!

Amazingly, my boots are still mostly green.  But I’m not really disappointed that they were able to resist mud (it flaked off when I stamped my feet on the walkway outside the back door) because they do have great traction on slippery terrain, and I don’t think I would have realized how great had I not been so cross about the color.

Can we please?

Thanks to my dear friend, I have been enjoying this little cluster of carnations for two weeks. They are a reminder of a wonderful day spent catching up on each other’s lives, sipping lattes, and chatting while browsing around culinary shops.  They’ve lasted two weeks, Penny! I thought this called for a photo.

So as I am framing the vase and wooden bowl, a blurry figure enters the scene and stares directly into my lens. What is wrong with you? He says. Can’t you see the sun is out and it is warm and I want to go play outside?! Outside!  Outside in the SUN! Following the sun spots around the house is no longer good enough.

It is my day off, and I have a list that stretches around the block of all the things I should do before the day’s end.   But  between some artwork and the dreaded taxes we will pause to go outside to enjoy the warm sunshine.  Thank you, Byron, for reminding me what is most important in life!

King of the backyard

My first portrait of 2009 is complete!

I had some new challenges with this one. Smokey’s owner wanted the scene to be very gray, since that’s typical of where they live in the Willamette Valley. A gray sky like this one creates flat lighting, though. I had to brighten him up enough to create some depth and interesting texture without making the lighting look unnatural. Plus, in order to balance out all the gray of his fur, the sky, and the wooden fence, I incorporated warm tones wherever else I could. This is obvious in the redwood color at the bottom of the painting, but done more subtly in the trees. Most trees in western Oregon are covered in lichens and mosses, some of which can be very bright yellowy-greens. (This is much easier to see on the original painting.) Finally, the highlights on Smokey’s fur include some pale peach tones, which help to balance his deep blue-gray shadows.

The two most exciting aspects of this painting (for me, anyway):

I got to use my favorite pastel color, the darkest shade of “Mouse Gray,” which is a rich, deep, cool gray with tones of indigo.

Also, I loved working on the tree. It’s sketchy branches and soft cross-hatched texture were more like a drawing than a painting, and I liked the variety of lines it brought to the composition. The thinner branches also reflect Smokey’s whiskers.

A New Year

Whew!  Let’s hear it for a fresh start!

I’m not making any resolutions, but I do have some expectations for myself this year that include more artistic output and focus on my business.  I love my day job, however I can’t let it interfere with my art, so I’m going to jump right back into the pet portraits with a freshly cleaned studio and a new commission.  I’m taking charge of my time and my space like Smokey the cat takes charge of his backyard!

I’ve been inspired by the positive responses I have received regarding the 2009 Calendar I put together in December.  It highlights some nature photography from my 18 months in Oregon.  It is for sale here.  I am pleased that everyone likes it so much, and it has given me ideas for future photography projects.

Back to the studio….I have to make the most of this “day off!”

Feels like home

It finally hit me that I’m “back home.”  On a drive through Vermont last week, over and around the hills of brightly colored trees, I stopped in Manchester Center to pick up a few farmers’ market goodies.  In between  cheese samples, I pulled my jacket closed tighter and noticed my the fog of my breath in the cold air.  Walking back to the car with tote bags full of cheese, eggplant, greens, and a pie, I paused to watch some kids playing soccer.

Above the field, crimson maple leaves spiraled sideways, lifted, then danced across the grass, accumulating in piles at the fence line.  Something clicked inside me, as if I was waking from a daydream.  I smiled, then laughed silently to myself.  I flashed back to fall weekends driving through Stowe, walking along the Brewster River, picking apples, and listening to post-season Red Sox games on the car radio.  I remembered walking back up to campus from sailing practice on Lake Champlain, freezing cold but feeling so alive.  And I got that feeling you always get when you realize you’re suddenly surrounded by the most beautifully colored trees you have ever seen.

I forgot how bright the trees get in the Northeast.  Well, it has been eight years!  I thought the golden aspens in Hope Valley were gorgeous – and the pink trees near the duck pond in Corvallis.  But the foliage I have enjoyed this fall is not broken up by large patches of evergreen.  The colors are warm, glowing, and intense.

While in Connecticut with my family this weekend, I spent time outside and photographed as much as I could.  We kayaked around Lake Waramaug, visted Hopkin’s Vineyard, picked apples, ate cider donuts fresh from the oven, and hit up a few tag sales on the way home.

The day was warm and the sky deep blue.
The wine was crisp and the apples too.

Petals

Thanks to Mom, Em, and Penny for such a wonderful day out.  These photos were taken this afternoon at the Harvest Festival at the Berkshire Botanical Gardens.  We enjoyed music, art, crafts, and delicious autumn foods, while meandering through gardens of late season blooms.

Falls in late summer

It’s been months since I last went on a real hike.  My camera and trail shoes have been gathering dust.  This morning it was time to get back out, and while rain was forcasted, I packed appropriate gear and set out, intending to spend a good portion of the day in the woods.

Plotter Kill, a tributary of the Mohawk River, winds through a gorge that was carved out 10,000 years ago by the melt waters of the ice age.  A steep trail, crisscrossed with gnarly roots, traverses a loop along the ridges;  shorter offshoots descend to the bottom of the gorge and provide access to three beautiful waterfalls.  Byron and I walked down to the creek several times to wade in the cool water and peer over the falls.  We saw frogs, fish, dragonflies, and newts.  This nature preserve is known for it’s unique plant species as well, but I’m not a botanist, so I don’t recognize them readily.

Of the photos I took today, the above shot is my favorite.  The colors down in the creek bed were warm and welcoming – greens, tans, browns, reds.  The sunlight (there was no rain after all) flickered through the dense canopy, falling in patches across the smooth, broken shale.  Standing on a ledge, I observed the abstract shape of my shadow, solid and contoured like the rock beneath me, but fluid like the water moving onward, downstream.

more photos here

New habitat

Albany is a good place.

It’s kind of strange to be back on the East Coast, but so familiar and comforting at the same time.  I am adapting to my new surroundings and falling back into a schedule of commuting and working for a real paycheck.  (Byron has been very cross with me since I no longer stay at home with him each day.  He pushes my buttons by straying too far off the leash and taking his sweet time in the yard when I’m in a hurry to get to work.  Tonight I took him for a walk through the neighborhood, and I am forgiven temporarily.)  Three weeks into my new job as a supervisor at EMS, I am still adjusting to being on my feet and chatting with customers all day, while memorizing the specifications of outdoor gear and climbing the warehouse shelves to fetch hiking boots.  Most of this is nothing new to me, since I worked for another outdoor retailer for three years in California.  But after 18 months of being at home to focus solely on my art, I forgot how exhausting retail can be.  Don’t get me wrong, I love my job, and I can see myself being there for a long time.  But how, I wonder, will I ever be able to find time for all the art projects I have lined up?  Sigh. I hope to soon find a peaceful balance between my full time job, my very new art business, and my constant craving for outdoor adventure.

More than anything, I am excited about exploring the lakes, rivers, woods, mountains, and small towns of Upstate NY.  Each outing will be documented with photography at the very least.  My sketchbook will always be tucked in my pack or dry bag.  And this blog will continue to be an outlet for me to share my experiences and my artwork.  Wait and see where this trail leads.

3150 miles

…of driving and camping across the country brought us to Connecticut yesterday afternoon. Our route wound through northeast Oregon, western Washington, the Idaho panhandle, Montana, northeast Wyoming, South Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Connecticut. Whew!

As much as I would have liked to take scenic back roads across the western states, it was just more practical to stick to the interstate. We enjoyed the ever-changing landscape, frequently rolling down a window to get photos of mountains, rivers, fields, cattle, clouds, and the occasional billboard we found ironic or comical.

We passed the time by studying road maps, listening to NPR stations along the way (making good use of The NPR Map), and scrolling through Joel’s ipod to create a road trip soundtrack. Frank Zappa’s “Montana” was in my head for the entire state. We also read to each other from Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim, by David Sedaris. This lead to many bouts of laughter and provided us with an arsenal of jokes for the rest of the trip. With a little background knowledge of the Sedaris family (after having previously listened to his books on tape), we attempted to read the dialog sections with the appropriate voices, our favorite being that of his brother, “The Rooster.” It was a sad moment when the final chapter was finished.

The best drive-by birding was in South Dakota. Even in the rain, the grasslands were full of red-winged blackbirds, meadowlarks, red-tailed hawks, kestrels, goldfinches, and others. Two states stood out as having the most impressive scenery: Montana and Wyoming. Another had the nicest people, and that was Minnesota. We would have liked to stay in these places for longer, to hike in the snow-capped mountains, learn to fly fish, paddle along rivers, and ride our bikes around little towns. But our bikes stayed locked to the roof rack, and the closest we got to fishing was stepping into a fly shop and outfitter after getting coffees in downtown Missoula. Next summer we can go back. We have already started planning the trip, and it includes a little cabin at the edge of the Gallatin National Forest just north of Wyoming.

Here’s a little of what we saw along the way. The full set of photos is here.

Sapphire Mountains and cattle, western Montana

the Absaroka Range and hay bales, southern Montana

storms over the Bighorn Mountains, from MT-WY border

Buffalo Gap National Grassland, South Dakota

sunset in southeast Minnesota

more pictures…

You will notice there are no photos after Minnesota. As soon as we entered Wisconsin, the view from the interstate became less impressive and the traffic more frustrating. In fact, for day 4, I would have liked a do-over. What should have been a 9-hour drive from Wisconsin to Ohio, wound up taking us 18 hours because of holiday traffic and insane construction projects. Illinois was more like Illinnoying, and Ohio (”the birthplace of aviation”) seemed to be “the birthplace of aggravation.” Day 5 had some interesting scenery through Pennsylvania and Connecticut, but when I was not driving, I was sleeping, so the camera stayed in the bag.

#1 reason I will miss Corvallis: great friends

The absolute best thing about living in Corvallis for the past 18 months is that Joel and I have had an opportunity to spend a lot of time with our good friends, Brian and Carrie. The four of us have become really close, and I cannot wrap my head around the fact that we will now be over 3000 miles apart. (Thank goodness for Google chat!) No doubt, we will still meet up for snowboarding trips, weddings, and possibly over holidays.

Today is the last of four very lazy days we have spent at B&C’s house. As usual, we have whipped up amazing creations in the kitchen, played a little “one-handed” bocce in the yard, sat around a campfire with pints of homebrew, and hit up our favorite places around town. Last night we ate at Strega (again), shared a bottle of Willamette Valley Pinot noir, and gazed out at the view of downtown Corvallis as the sky turned dark pink and the sun set behind the Coast Range hills.

Here is a highlight reel of our regular adventures and activities together:

camping trips and sittin’ round the fire

triathlon (B&C compete, we cheer them on)

snowboarding, dog sled rides, and tailgate lunches at Mt. Bachelor

picking cherries

bocce

holidays feasts with pumpkin pie “in the fashion”

fancy drinks and homebrewing

Deadliest Catch parties

paddling

late night euchre games

NASCAR, chopping wood, and beef jerky on Sundays (the guys)

“man-days” and girls’ days out

Frisbee golf at Willamette Park

Of course we will also miss Abby. She and Byron round out our little family of six and never fail to keep us amused and on our toes. It has been comical to watch their relationship evolve. When they first met, she wanted nothing to do with him. Now they are great companions and, when the wind blows just the right way, they might even romp together in the yard or play tug-o-war with a rope toy. They like to share a bed by the fireplace and snuggle up in the back of the truck when we’re at the mountain. While they have very different personalities, they are a good pair, and I know they will miss each other’s company very much.

Brian and Carrie, we’ll miss you very much. Thanks for everything you’ve done for us; most of all, thanks for building with us a friendship that no number of miles or years could compromise. We love you!