My Montana Vacation

So on August 1 through the 8th, my Mum and I spent a week at the Bonanza Creek Ranch in lovely Martinsdale, Montana! Mum always wanted to do this vacation, it was on her "Bucket List", so I was happy to tag along with her and what an experience. It was so much fun!

We flew into Bozeman on Sunday at around 12pm but our ride to the ranch (2 hours away) wasn't scheduled to pick us up til 2pm. So we took a cab into the center of Bozeman with another girl and it cost $45!!!! Holy Crap! I guess in a small village like Bozeman where everyone has their own Ford F150 that cabs can charge whatever they hell they want to! So we split it 3 ways, got out and had lunch. Then the girl what we shared the cab with came into the restaurant and said that she had her mom with her, and their car, and that they were going back by the airport and would we like a ride? Well, how nice! So we put our bigger cases in her truck and walked around Bozeman while Jamie and her mom had lunch. Then while getting a 2 day fishing license this guy behind me strikes up a conversation; where we're we going? what are we fishing for ?and oh - if you're using spinners then this lure is excellent etc. And then I find out the guy doesn't even work there, just a nice guy. I have to be honest, I'm from the North East city of Boston. No one is this nice here!! Well, maybe me, but that's if you catch me on a good day!

The view from our cabin

Anyway, once we got there what a view and it is in the middle of nowhere! I was told people need to drive 40 minutes out to the nearest convenience store to get milk. But gorgeous, oh my. Sunday was a meet and greet with the other vacationers staying at the ranch. There was 12 total and each party got their own cabin.

Saddled Up

Monday morning was an "orientation" with your horse. You rode the same horse all week. Up until this time I had never sat in a Western saddle (if you don't know the difference between Western and English go here http://www.equisearch.com/horses_riding_training/training/beginning_rider/english_western102200a/ )

But over all it was pretty similar. I think my biggest obstacle was new horse, can I control him? And after a couple of runs, he was awesome!!

Nate Dogg

My horse was a black combo of Tennessee Walker and Quarter Horse. Simply put - he was a great horse for me. His name is Nate, but I called him Nate Dogg after that West Coast Hip Hop artist. And just like the real Nate Dogg, Nate was cool, chill and easy going. But instead of smoking grass, he just kept eating it. :) We spent Monday on 2 trail rides. The morning one we had an encounter with 2 coyotes and they were NO WHERE as big as New England coyotes, so I didn't feel threatened at all. Then Monday afternoon, Tanya (our guide) Mum and I went on a trail ride and I got to do a couple of nice controlled canters on Nate. Horseback riding is all about being in CONTROL.

Bison at the Lazy Daisy Ranch

Monday night was a tour of the Lazy Daisy Ranch about a half hour away from Bonanza Creek. So all vacationers packed up in the back of this old pickup truck and cruised around this ranch. They had bison, horses, cows, llamas, sheep, chicken, ducks, peacocks and God knows what else. It was taking a little critter cruise. I wish I had brought a bottle of wine, that would have made it complete :)

Pronghorn on the Horizon

See those tiny dots on top of the hill? That's pronghorn, North America's only antelope! I was so excited to see these guys ( I'm I wildlife geek, what can I say?) and had only seen them on TV up until this point. The pronghorn's defense is that they stay in large numbers and as far away from you as possible. As you can see here, they were succeeding.

View from the Main Lodge

Tuesday morning we did a trail ride into the woods to a campsite and had breakfast in the woods. Nothing like sitting among the wilds of the woods eating bacon! Then we did a trail in the woods along the actual Bonanza creek and did see a red tailed hawk pretty close up. Then the party divided in 2, those who wanted to gallop up the hill, those who didn't and took the low road home. Yes, I went with the gallopers!! It wasn't the speed that really got to me, but Nate's take off and the amount of power this animal was using to lunge himself up a hill was mind blowing. I just held on!

Cattle Penning

Tuesday we did some cattle penning. This was a TON of fun! We had about 14 or so cattle in the corral and the object of the game was to break 3 head off the herd and move them to the opposite side of the corral. Mum, myself and another vacationer, Joe, were the only ones who succeeded!

Me being silly!




Action shot!

Then all of a sudden the weather took a turn for the worse. The thunder started to roll in and then the rain started. Our guide told everyone that we're going to trot home. Well then it started to hail, and as big as marbles! So all the horses were galloping back. Thank dog I had already galloped earlier that day. I felt a little more comfortable that some of the others! A those marbles hurt!

Pushin' Bulls

Wednesday morning was another lovely trail ride. The weather was cloudy and in the 40's and it felt more like October than August. I did see 2 whitetail on this trail ride as well. We bumped into 2 cowboys that were on dirt bikes herding some bulls. They needed 2 bulls pushed into another pasture and since it was on our way, our guide got them going and we pushed them for quite some time. I learned all about breeding black Angus that morning. These boys had some serious "jewels" on them LOL

Skulls and sheds

Wednesday night was a wagon ride to the Hunting Camp. I got to steer the horses on the wagon too and it's not as easy as you might think. Saw a couple of mule deer on the ride as well. The hunting camp was very cool and the guys who organized it were awesome. They had beer, wine and a roast turkey dinner waiting for us! Then after dinner and dessert (peach cobbler and homemade ice cream) they sat around the camp fire and played guitars and sang some country tunes. I'm not a fan of country music but after a couple of beers, I was singing too.

Singing Cowboys

Thursday was an all day trail ride into the Crazies. I was told that the highest point was 8,100 feet above sea level. It was beautiful. Some controlled cantering but then there were some gallops too. And we saw a black bear on our way up! I don't know if I was tired from the week, but I was tired of galloping so at one point I tried to keep Nate from galloping and he was NOT listening to me! In fact, I think because I kept his head in, he ended up tripping, then stumbling and I thought "Oh sh*t, we're going down!" But he collected himself and kept on running until we got to our lunch spot. My hands were shaking so bad when I got off! Needless to say, we didn't gallop after that!

Lunch Spot

After being at the top we rode down to the hunting camp, the same one where we had dinner the night before. Here we gave the horses and ourselves a much needed break!

Horse Butts

(that's Nate on the far left)

The trail ride was 22 miles long and my knees were kind of killing me! I took a hot bath and drank some Mike's Hard Lemonade when I got back. What a workout!

Liz and her herd of cattle

Friday morning was herding 150+ head of cattle into another pasture. We each had to gather about a dozen or so head and then meet up at the pond with our herds. The small groups were scattered all over the property. This is a lot harder than you might think. Chasing cows through bushes and trotting over some rocky terrain. I have so much respect for cowboys now! When I got back home, I guy that I work out with, who is also vegan, asked me if I ever thought guilty about eating beef after being with these cows and um, no not at all. In fact, we ate so much beef that week and it was sooooo goooooood every time!

Friday afternoon was a small trail ride and then it was time to say goodbye to our horses.

Me and Nate Dogg

After untacking and brushing them down, we led them into the pasture (40 square miles) and let them go off and be with the other horses. Bonanza has about 60 horses and after a week of riding they're then given a week off and another bunch will be gathered to work. As you can see from the picture below, I think they knew it was Friday too.

TGIF!


So thanks to Bonanza Creek, my Mum and my horse, Nate for such a wonderful week. I can guarantee that I will be doing this again!
For more pictures visit my Flickr site http://www.flickr.com/photos/11087728@N03/sets/72157624628393309/

For more info about Bonanza Creek Country go here http://www.bonanzacreekcountry.com/

August heat!

A reminder to you that art fair season has arrived!! I will be doing the Charlestown Arts in the Park in Charlestown MA in the main square. (9/11/10 rain date 9/12/10). I'm quite excited about this show because I've never done it so to me it's a whole new audience. And I received my assignment this morning and there's a lovely reception for artists after the show at the Grille which includes a drink ticket and appetizers.. How nice!! I have also submitted my application for the Jamaica Plain Christmas fair which is held the first Saturday of December. I have specifically requested NOT to be on the piano as it just gets too cramped in the corner.

And please let me know if you are interested in getting a New England Arts for Animals calender for 2011. I've ordered 12 and are selling them on a first come, first serve basis. They're $15 a piece and all proceeds will go to NEAFA. My "Black and White Barn Scene" will be one of the pictures. I'm thinking probably Jan, Feb or Dec.....

"Black and White Farm Scene"

5"x7" Watercolor

And you all know by now how much I love Twitter. Well, my new friend @gallaghermeow writes a blog http://johnryangallagher.tumblr.com/ and has the ability to get me cracking up laughing in my office. I think probably because we grew up in the same area of Massachusetts, (he in Newburyport and I in Boxford). So yea, a lot of it's "northshore" humor but I highly recommend you take a look! So then he said that he would commission me to do a portrait of his cat smoking weed. haha. So this is what I sent him:

Too funny. I just wished I centered it on the scan bed. Owell.

So speaking of smoking weed.... I don't know if you're all aware of the decriminalization of marijuana that's happening in Massachusetts. As of January 2009, being caught with an ounce or less of the stuff is now grounds for a citation. Basically that means that they can't arrest you (unless you're in the car or it's the 2nd time you've been caught) and it's just a $100 ticket. Hey, I think it's fine and dandy and what people do in their own time is their own business and as long as you're not hurting anyone then go ahead and blaze away. But then I'm in Martha's Vineyard over the weekend with my sister and my nephews (8 & 9 years old). We took them to the arcade in Oaks Bluffs and I was really not down with hanging out in the arcade (all I can think about is the germs all over the games) so I hung outside and there's this dude, about 18 years old smoking a joint RIGHT THERE. Really??? There are tons of kids around and there's a beach up the street and you're doing this right HERE?? I would have said something, but he was big and nasty and I really didn't want to get into it. So I just glared at him. I do wish I had said something though. That's just not right.

hey all!

Look at these babies!!! Oh how cute are they??????

As you might have know in previous posts, my sister's cat had kittens. I've been told by J that we can NOT get another cat, but look at these and how can you resist????

Back from Montana and I brought my watercolor while I was there:

Montana Hills

watercolor 2010

This was the view from the porch on our cabin. The ranch was in Martinsdale MT, so more sage bush and prairie like. I saw plenty of wildlife including coyotes (which were so much smaller than New England coyotes), bald eagles, golden eagles, red tailed hawk, flickers, the Western tanager, mule deer, whitetail deer, pronghorn, prairie dogs, black bear not to mention all the horses, cows and bison. I had such a great time and can't wait to get my pictures developed!!

Mid Summer Dreams

It's the middle of summer and I'm getting ready for my Montana vacation next week (yay!) Well, mentally ready I guess.

Nothing says summer like bugs sitting on daisies!

I took this photo when Jason and I visited upstate New York. I believe we were in a town called Roseboom (love that!). I took my camera out and captured a couple of images of that peaceful place. I still use a 35mm camera and it's so freakin' heavy to carry around and I'm sans lens cap right now. You'd think I'd run out and get another, but it's not that easy! I'm starting to have a difficult time finding film! But it's funny because when I do get my pictures developed and show them to some people, more than one person has told me that they miss looking at photos this way. What a difference to hold a photo or look at it on photo paper vs. someones digital camera. Now, I know some of you out there have some rockin' monitors - but do you miss just flipping through an actual stack of pictures? Or a photo album?

Boardwalk on the Marsh Trail Parker River Reservation

Newburyport MA

This is one of my favorite spots to bird watch. Lots of different species of waterfowl as well as songbirds congregate here and make a racket! I was here on the day that they finally "capped" the well in the Gulf of Mexico. And it makes me think that I should keeping a record of what these places look like to me when I am here. I mean, we can all admit that humans have continuously altered this planet we're on. And there's no way that New England looks like it did 100 years ago. (which was a farm land - stripped!) or 200 hundred years ago.

Still life with Skull, Bottles and Vegetables

Watercolor 8x10

Another still life with the skull. T and I did Wednesday night creativity last night and I thought that we should revisit the skull. I think that I need to spend more time on these paintings. I don't know if I'm thrilled with this one. Again, the bottle in back is glass, the one in front is a ceramic but could you tell the difference? My issue is texture and still trying to work with it. I think next time I'm going to do a still life with only glass. Superstar challenge. And that I can't use what we're having for dinner as the still life. Get some pizzas and make it easy.

Next week I'll be in Montana!! On a dude(ette) ranch http://www.bonanzacreekcountry.com/ woo hoo! I plan to take a ton of pictures with my heavy 35mm and bring a sketch book! I'm so excited!!!

Working hard or Hardly working?

Well, since I'm sitting in the office in Cambridge, and writing on my blog, I'm going to say that right now... I'm hardly working. In fact, I'd much rather be here:

Parker River Reservation, Plum Island, Newburyport MA

photo taken 7/15/10

I was here last Thursday ( I went out to the Dead Weather show on Wednesday and felt I needed to sleep in and go to the beach!) This has to be one of my favorite spots on the planet. With all the talk about the oil slick that's going on, I look at the beach now and think will this change in my lifetime? Should I be taking a documentary of all my favorite spots before they are wiped out by oil or the Asian Spotted Beetle or just plain human development? This particular spot is a wildlife reservation in Newburyport MA and you have to get there fairly early in order to get in as there's only so many cars to be let through the gate. It's a wonderful place to bird watch and I did get some of that in too. Unfortunately, there are the greenheads. They are the nastiest biting flies. Big and they hurt when they bite you! And the little buggers are tough! I would smack one on my shoulder as it was feasting on me, it would then fall, shake it off and fly away! Needless to say I was wearing more bug spray than sunscreen that day!

But then when I get home then I'm working hard!! People still ask me where do you find the time for all this? I tell them: "I don't have time, I MAKE the time." And it helps when I don't have a computer or cable TV to distract me.

Boylston Black and White

black watercolor 5"x7"

This is the beginning of another painting of Boylston, my friend's cat. Unfortunately Boylston passed away earlier this year. I've already done a pet portrait for my friend but he gave me a ton of reference photos so I've been doing a Boylston series if you will. I'm not sure that he or his wife is obsessed enough about this cat in order to get all the paintings that I've done, but then again, that's not why I'm doing them. Practice practice practice.

"Snackin' Duo"

Watercolor 5"x7"

This was for the winner of my gift certificate that I had donated to the Animal Rescue House http://www.rescuehouse.org out in Los Angeles. I call it "Snackin' Duo" because in the reference photo she had to hold a cookie in her hand to get the attention of both pets looking the same way. In the photo, her hands still there but of course we took that out and left their cute faces!

"Eva"

5"x7" watercolor

Eva's owner was the winner of my gift certificate donated to the Friends For Tomorrow program http://www,friendsfortomorrow.org. This is a place where both physically and mentally challenged kids can have the opportunity to experience the therapeutic benefits through horseback riding. If you've ever ridden a horse, even at the walk, you know thrilling it can be! I love little Eva's face. She looks a lot like Oliver, a dog that my family had back in the late 80s.

Speaking of horses, 10 more days and I'll be dude ranchin' in Montana. Oh my, I can't wait!!!!

Hot July Tuesday

Krypto

5"x7" watercolor

So last night I met with Layla, a woman who wants to learn how do to watercolors and wants me to teach her. WOW! I've never ever done this before. So I went online and did a little research and read a blog about a woman who teaches a workshop, just so I could get an idea of what to teach first. I want to be the best teacher and help this woman to learn the steps of watercolor from A to Z. And if you are an artist, you know that the first thing that makes a great painting is all the prep that you put into it. Such as, good supplies, color knowledge and composition. Well, when I walked in and started talking to Miss Layla, she said, "What shall we draw first?" and "I want to paint JUST LIKE YOU". While that may be flattering, I don't want to be copied and told her so!

So I had her sit down with me and we worked on doing wet in wet gradations. Making that color to the white space a soft transition vs. a hard line. I did give her a little lesson in paper. Quality watercolor paper is SO important. I prefer Arches 100% cotton 140lb coldpress. This is the best on the market. She had some tablets and pads and I brought an Arches tablet just to let her feel the difference between the Arches and the others. Just a side note: she did have a pad by Strathmore that was so smooth it was a crime to call in watercolor paper. That sh*t will buckle the second you put any water on it. But I told her to save it for other projects. Can't waste it, can we?

I want to post pictures, but like a dummy didn't take any. I will next time. Thing is, Layla says she's embarrassed by wanting to learn watercolors (WTF?????) She says that she's too "old" to be learning and that she doesn't want to tell people. This just struck me as very odd. I said things like "Too old? Never!" and "Lots of people pick up new things to do when they retire! There's nothing to be embarrassed about." Because Lord knows, I'm going to be telling everyone haha!

In the mean time, I've been working on my gift certificate winners and trying to work on more stuff for my own portfolio. I haven't sent a newsletter out since *yikes* last Christmas!? that's bad! But then I don't have a whole lot to share, not even new artwork. I just feel that I'm rehashing my old pieces and I can't be doing a whole lot of marketing when I have nothing new to market. At least that's my feeling.

However, you should go over to the Canine Art Guild website http://www.canineartguild.com/gallery/ and vote for your favorite piece in the Here Kitty Kitty art show. I have 3 pieces presented but you should definitely vote for your favorite.

Speaking of kitties.............

Here's a picture of Sweet Misty, my sister's cat who had her 5 babies on Sunday night. SO CUTE! I can't wait to go and look at them! Of course J is very nervous about me going over there and made me promise that I wouldn't bring another cat home. We already have a kitty but sometimes I think she needs a buddy. Our condo is pretty small and I do fear 2 cats might make it a bit stinky.... but they're sooo cute!

Hot hot hot

Well, it's officially summer and it's pretty freakin' hot out. But you don't hear me complaining! I feel if you're complaining about the weather, well, then your life must be pretty damn good. Besides, just wait in 40 years when it'll be hot like this everyday. Are you ready to give up oil yet?

So get this: I received a call from a woman who wanted ME to give HER lessons on watercoloring! HA! I've never done this before, so talk about an adventure!! I'm in Holliston all this week playing single mom with my nephews while my sister is in the Philippines (business) so we're meeting next Monday. I'm still trying to figure out how I'm going to approach this.... stay tuned!

Remember a couple of posts ago I did a painting of Bo, the golden, whose owner had won my gift certificate? Well, if you do you'll remember how much of a time (grrr!) I was having to get those colors right.... Here's the final product:

"Bo"

5"x7" watercolor and colored pencil

Not bad, huh? Sometimes those colored pencils really come in and save my day. I do believe sometimes I use them as a crutch and should shake them but I. just. can't.

So to help you cool down, here's a picture I took last February in Epson NH. I love winter. :)