Kat and Tim King of Land2c Landscape Architecture tame a slippery slope with flowing, private spaces and beautiful tableaux.

A BUSY, URBAN family of four that loves the outdoors and camping but not necessarily gardening already had remodeled its 1920s vintage Queen Anne home three times before undertaking a garden renovation. But creating that garden oasis on a property as vertical as they come was quite a project.

The back garden, with its fabulous views out to the city and Puget Sound, falls sharply away from the back of the old, three-story house. How to create a seamless transition between indoors and out, let alone a garden inviting enough to lure family and friends to descend all those steps?

Designers Kat and Tim King of Land2c Landscape Architecture were up to the vision and the job. But not without a major excavation, safety considerations like replacement and widening of steps, a new irrigation system, night lighting and lots of carefully considered plantings. We needed to create a new topography by berming the slope originally it was flat and then a big drop-off, explains Tim.

Tim is a landscape architect who specializes in crafting a smooth flow between house and garden. Kat focuses on color, plantings and decorative garden elements. She chose and placed every plant in the garden, except for the stately old sequoia that sold the family on the property in the first place. Lit up at night, the rough-barked old giant holds pride of place among a bevy of new plantings burgeoning up around it.

But first, masses of blackberries needed to be removed at the bottom of the garden to carve out level space for a stone patio, a fire pit, benches and Adirondack chairs. This is now the familys favorite spot to hang out. Leslie, the mom, speaks for the whole family when she says, We love camping, and when were down in the garden around the fire pit, it almost feels like were out camping.

The garden was designed to be looked down upon from the deck high above, with three arbors, art and a dramatically curving stone pathway. It works equally well as a space to stroll, hang out and enjoy the feeling of being submerged in the plantings. Its a place apart, quiet, private and enlivened by the familys five chickens, often let loose to peck their way around the garden.

The chickens are housed in a cleverly designed tansu of a chicken coop tucked beneath the steps down into the garden. Designed by Tim, and built by Bob Taylor (of Robert M. Taylor Construction), the coop is partially constructed of windows repurposed from one of the previous home remodels. There are built-in drawers for straw and food storage. The chickens have their own jungle gym, with perches and ramps to keep them busy when they arent out scouring the garden.

Luckily from both the chicken and the maintenance standpoints, Kat chose sturdy shrubs, ground covers and grasses to update, unify and simplify the garden. She planted them in generously scaled masses for great effect from above.

I dont like to see bare soil, she explains. At ground level, black mondo grass consorts with golden creeping Jenny and Sedum Angelina. The flowers of star jasmine cover the arbors and scent the garden, along with sweeps of lavender. Plantings of Japanese forest grass and the orange sedge Carex testacea run between stands of oak leaf hydrangea and Mount Vernon English laurel. And I love every evergreen fern there is, Kat says.

Leslie loves shades of green, so Kat included plenty of feather reed grass; laced the old fence with trumpet vines; and planted a big-leafed, spreading fatsia in the shade beneath the sequoia. Originally, Leslie wasnt much of a gardener. The easy-care beauty of her new garden has changed her mind.

I used to be scared of gardening, of killing plants, but now I love caring for them, she says.

After all the stonework (done by Rich Landscaping in Redmond) and hauling in 20 yards of good soil, Leslie, husband Justin, his mother and Kat did all the planting.

Justin and I wanted to take it from there, says Leslie. Now we take care of the garden.

Read the original post:
Landscapers are Kings of the hill on Queen Anne - The Seattle Times

HELENA, Mont. The main building of an historic, backcountry chalet in Glacier National Park in northern Montana burned in a wildfire Thursday evening.

The two-story Sperry Chalet was lost despite efforts by firefighters to protect it and save it, fire officials said.

The firefighters, supported by 3 helicopters, made a valiant stand to save the structure but were unsuccessful in saving the main Sperry Chalet, according to a statement posted on a federal fire website.

No one was hurt, and firefighters were working to save other buildings of the chalet. The chalet had been closed since Aug. 15 because of the fire.

The Sperry Chalet was built in 1913 by the Great Northern Railway, the St. Paul railroad founded by James J. Hill and later led by his son, Louis W. Hill.

The Hills and the Great Northern worked to promote Glacier National Park as a tourist destination served by the railroads route from the Twin Cities to Seattle. The Sperry Chalet and other buildings constructed in Glacier by the Great Northern were modeled on Swiss architecture as part of a plan to portray the park as Americas Switzerland.

The chalet was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977.

Elsewhere in Montana, a wind-driven wildfire ripped through parched forest and grasslands in southeastern Montana, threatening 35 homes and structures and forcing the evacuation of an undetermined number of residents scattered in the area, officials said Thursday.

The fire that started in the Custer National Forest about 35 miles northwest of Broadus on Wednesday burned at least 47 square miles in a single day.

Authorities issued evacuation orders for the ranches and houses that dot the landscape in the direction the fire is heading. It is unclear how many people are affected by the order, but fire officials say 35 homes and other structures are threatened.

Its growing exponentially, said U.S. Bureau of Land Management spokesman Mark Jacobson. A lot of those people are sparse and spread out.

Its one of 45 fires that ignited Wednesday in Montana, where more than 90 percent of the land is in moderate to exceptional drought. Many of the new ignitions were caused by lightning strikes from a passing thunderstorm that carried little rain.

Unrelenting wind gusts caused the fire to spread too fast for crews to establish containment lines initially, and crews focused on protecting the buildings in the fires path.

Wind gusts and low humidity hampered firefighting efforts again on Thursday.

A 20-person crew and equipment arrived Thursday to help the 70 people working on the fire, but firefighting resources are stretched and are being diverted to catch new fires before they spread, Jacobson said.

We have a lot of other fires that are popping up all around this fire, he said. The situation is rapidly evolving. Theyre doing their best with what they have.

Montana officials plan to nearly triple the number of National Guard troops deployed to fight fires by the end of the weekend. Those 350 soldiers will work on fire lines, firefighting aircraft and provide security in fire zones, Adjutant Gen. Matthew Quinn said.

With personnel and equipment scarce across the nation, those troops could free up other firefighters to focus on keeping small blazes from turning into large ones, Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation Director John Tubbs said.

We need people on the ground fighting fire and weve asked the Montana Guard to step up, he said.

So far this year, more than 1,500 fires have burned 937 square miles in Montana as the state suffers a drought that intensifies each week. The fires have already drained the states firefighting reserve fund and an emergency fund, and there is no end in sight for the hot, dry weather that the fires are feeding on.

In northern Montana, a wildfire burning between Havre and the Rocky Boys Indian Reservation has destroyed five cabins, five other structures and is threatening another 130 buildings, Hill County officials said.

Residents in the area have been notified that they may have to evacuate if the 17-square-mile spreads. It was uncontained as of Thursday afternoon.

In western Montana, fire crews continued to hold the line against a blaze that was threatening Seeley Lake. More than 1,000 homes and businesses in the town are under evacuation orders.

Link:
Wildfire torches Glacier National Park chalet built by James J. Hill - TwinCities.com-Pioneer Press

Keene Lake at the base of Spruce Hill in Keene, reappeared for several days after Tropical Storm Irene ripped through the area in 2011.(Provided photo Joe Hackett)

After witnessing the incredible power and natural force ofheavy rains, blizzards, floods and electrical storms, I can empathize with residentsof Texas and other southern states who have recently weathered the great damage natural events can deliver in the blink of an eye.

Tropical Storm Irene was the most memorable storm to ravage theAdirondack region in recent times. The heavy rains and winds in excess of 60 to 70 miles per hour certainly left a mark and scoured the mountaintops.

Ive witnessed a variety of violent weather events like this over the years, but the Adirondacks still remains a relatively safe and stable environment for the most part. Ive seen considerable damage from blowdowns, ice storms and high winds.

Quite possibly, the greatest threat Ive encountered in the wild came from a natural source. It was theresult of a severe electrical storm that shattered and toppled several massive white pines in close proximity to our camp. As the storm intensified, we huddled in a lean-to in order to minimize the riskof falling limbs and toppling trees.

The incident occurred early in my career, while I was hosting a couple for a weekend of camping and climbing in the Dix Range. After summiting several peaks including East Dix, South Dix and Hough on the first day, we settled in for the night at a shelter near Dix Pond. As rains intensified, we watched a small stream near our shelter turn into a loud, frothing, whitewater torrent.

We shifted nervously as the stream breached its banks and flooded thesurrounding woods. The noise of boulders rolling down the stream-bed nearly drowned out the roaring waters as the rumbling vibrations rattled the floor of the structure.

Although the rain eventually let up, the trails remained full of water and footing was treacherous. Our trip back to Elk Lake ended up being a full-day affair Ill never forget.

However, after speaking with my relatives in Victoria, Texas, recently, the experience in the Dix Range was simply a walk in the park by comparison. They suffered through three sleepless nights in the dark, without water to drink or a house to sleep in.

The storm that had stagnated over Victoria for 24 straight hours deposited more than 8 feet of water on the city. The once vibrant city has been reduced to a vast wasteland, with boats providing the only traffic on roads that remain flooded.

It reminded me of the frantic hours that were spent with friends and family cleaning up in the aftermath of Irene in 2011.

In comparison with the devastation brought on by Hurricane Harvey, Irene was a mere spring shower. However, it certainly didnt seem so at the time.

On the morning after Irene, I traveled from Ray Brook to Elizabethtown to help out with recovery efforts in Elizabethtown. During the ride over through the Cascades and over Spruce Hill,the damage rapidly became apparent.

Roads had washed away and bridges were out. The historic Keene Lake reappeared at the foot of Spruce Hill. The storm transformed the entire landscape leaving wide scars on the surrounding hillsides and rerouting many miles of rivers and streams.

The results left no doubt about the forces of nature.

Here is the original post:
Destructive forces of nature - The Adirondack Daily Enterprise

Dozens of people endured hellish heat Thursday morning in front of the bright, orange arch of Los Angeles iconic Angels Flight, for what many of them called a short, yet significant train ride to local history heaven.

The ride was amazing! It felt great, a perspiring L.A. Mayor Eric Garctti told a crowd of reporters after he and City Councilman Jose Huizar rode the first car of the morning up downtowns Bunker Hill.

On a hot day like today, its a perfect day to ride Angels Flight, he added. Theres a couple of historic bumps. The historic bumps are part of it. But it felt very safe, very secure.

The funky little funicular that carried Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling to the top of downtown L.A. in the movie La La Land reopened to the general public Thursday morning. Dubbed the worlds shortest public railroad, Angels Flight will resume doing what it first did on New Years Eve 1901, ferrying riders up and down the citys stunningly steep Bunker Hill. A round trip cost a penny back then. It will now cost a $1 per round trip, or .50 cents with a TAP card.

For Whittier resident Ron Cherryholmes, the railway carries a special place in his heart and blood: his great-, great-, great-grandfather Col. J.W. Eddy built Angels Flight, which operates by using the counterbalancing weights of its cars to pull one up while the other descends.

Its a landmark, Cherryholmes said. People always link Los Angeles with it. Were so honored to be a part of it.

The railway has long made its mark as part of downtown Los Angeles historic landscape, even being mentioned in John Fantes American classic Ask the Dust. But its own journey has been one of stops and gos.

It closed in 1969 for a decades-long redevelopment project that saw Bunker Hills mansions replaced by high-rise office buildings, hotels, luxury apartments and museums.

Four years after it reopened in 1996 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

It was closed again in 2001, however, after a failure of the counterbalancing system caused a crash that killed one rider and injured several others. The railway finally reopened in 2010, only to be closed three years later after riders had to be rescued by firefighters. No one was hurt, but a subsequent investigation revealed numerous safety flaws, and the state Public Utilities Commission shut the railway down.

Thursdays reopening came about with a little push from the film La La Land. Stone and Gosling climbed aboard it for a scene that depicted a romantic nighttime ride.

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By the time the Oscar-nominated film was released last year, officials were considering plans to reopen Angels Flight. But the movie seemed to give them added incentive. While it was closed, the public had to use an adjacent steep, smelly, trash-strewn stairway.

La La Land was the last straw, laughed local historian and preservation activist Richard Schave. It was like, OK, we have to get a yes on this now.

Schave and his wife, Kim Cooper, had launched a popular petition drive to reopen the railway after an ugly graffiti attack damaged its two antique rail cars in 2015.

That sentiment was repeated again and again among riders, who said it was Angels Flight that solidified their love affair with the City of Angels.

Donovan Sinohue of Yorba Linda was so excited to ride Angels Flight he dressed in an early 20th century white period suit. His great-, great- grandfather worked to pave the streets of Los Angeles. His grandfather, a World War II vet and Native American code talker, worked with the Los Angeles Unified School District and his father worked for the Department of Transportation. Sinohue works in the citys election division. He said he worked to get the word out about Angels Flight opening because of his own history with Los Angeles. He said he was honored to have a small part in a big operation.

Steven Luftman and Karen Smalley, a couple from Central Los Angeles historic Carthay neighborhood, said they appreciated the citys efforts in preserving Angels Flight. Luftman, a Los Angeles native, said he hadnt been on Angels Flight for 20 years.

This kind of historic romantic old L.A. is why I was drawn to coming here from New York 20 years ago, Smalley added.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

See more here:
LA's iconic Angels Flight railway climbs Bunker Hill once again - LA Daily News

Stiperstones and Corndon Hill Country is a beautiful upland area that crosses the Welsh English border between the Shropshire Hills and Montgomeryshire.

The Landscape Partnership Scheme aimsto conserve and enhance the local heritage and wildlife, raiseawareness, and provide opportunities to all for involvement, access and learning.

Itbrings together local people, groups, organisations and professionals from England and Wales, and covers an area bounded by the settlements of Churchstoke, Chirbury, Minsterley, Pontesbury, Bridges, Wentnor and Norbury see map below.

The Scheme is divided into four programmes reflecting the special qualities of the area, and is runningfifteen projects, ranging from heritage restoration and habitat management, to training young people in rural skills and offering grants and advice to landowners.

Take a look at oureventspage for local walks, talks and activities, includingourexciting local archaeological project, or help start a project in your local area throughDown to Earth.

Supported by Heritage Lottery and other funders, the Scheme is running for five years,ending April 2018.

Map of Scheme area (click on map to expand)

Read more:
Home - Stiperstones & Corndon Hill Country Landscape ...

Tumamoc Hill, a favorite walking spot for Tucsonans, will expand the hours it is open to the public starting Sept. 5.

The new hours will be from 4 a.m. to 10 p.m. every day, giving walkers 18 hours each day to enjoy the scenic 1-mile path. The change came as an effort to allow the community to enjoy the hike up the hill while also preserving the sites scientific, natural and cultural integrity.

The west-side site will also include signs displaying the new hours of access and wire cables along the path and top of the hill where Ben Wilder, interim director of Tumamoc Hill, said the most damage to sensitive areas is being done. The cable fencing will be to prevent public access to areas beyond the walking path.

With the increase of numbers in recent years, weve seen a very alarming degradation of the top of the hill, Wilder said.

Tumamoc is an 860-acre ecological reserve and U.S. National Historic Landmark owned and operated by the University of Arizona in partnership with Pima County.

Before, the hill was closed to the public between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. weekdays. This made it difficult for UA police to enforce rules, and for damage to be done at night.

UAPD was ticketing grandparents walking with their grandchildren in the evening around 5 p.m., Wilder said. Now, were kind of flipping that and trying to accommodate walking preferences if you want to go at sunrise, the middle of the day or evening.

Over the years, Tumamoc has seen a dramatic increase in foot traffic.

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, no more than about 100 people would regularly walk the path, Wilder said. Today, that number is about 1,500 a day.

Tumamoc has seen over 4,000 years of human use (if you include settlement along the Santa Cruz) and has been a cultural gathering place for the valley of Tucson, Wilder said. This (current) migration of people is just the latest chapter in this story thats been going for thousands of years.

Tumamoc is a beautiful gathering place with a deep cultural history, Wilder said, and he sees it as an opportunity to let people see research in action. But this is an ecological reserve, not a park.

There are no pets, bicycles or smoking allowed on Tumamoc.

New phone app to enhance experience

Walkers on Tumamoc will also have a new way to enjoy their strolls a soon-to-be-released phone app that is similar to the one that supplements the drive up Mount Lemmon.

The app, for both Android and iOS devices, will feature six sections that are meant to narrate the hike up the hill.

The first section is an introduction and overview, followed by information on the desert laboratory site and history of the buildings. The desert lab buildings were built more than 100 years ago, and today, the glass in Wilders office is wavy with age.

Then the app walks listeners through the landscape, ecology and seasons of the desert.

At the top of the hill, the app delves into the archaeology of the site, including the history of the people who made the same climb thousands of years ago, and stories of the Tohono Oodham, descendants of the people who used to live on the hill.

There will also be 16 YouTube videos of additional content for those seeking a more thorough picture of the site.

The tour will be narrated on the app by Alberto Burquez, a researcher at the Universidad Nacional Autnoma de Mxico, in Spanish, and David Yetman, a research social scientist at the University of Arizona Southwest Center, in English.

The bilingual aspect of the community that uses the hill has been overlooked, so in terms of my tenure here, its one of the most important things to support, Wilder said.

The music accompanying the app is by Calexico and Gabriel Naim Amor.

Contact Mikayla Mace at mmace@tucson.com or (520) 573-4158. On Twitter: @mikaylagram

Read this article:
Tumamoc Hill to be opened during the day for walkers starting Sept. 5 - Arizona Daily Star

Lawrence Township trustees

Monday meeting

KEY ACTION Fielded a complaint about the condition of Clover Hill Cemetery and agreed to send the Police Department to the site to investigate the damage.

DISCUSSION Many of the headstones, some dating back to the 1850s, have been knocked over, broken or moved and stacked in piles. There appears to be a road being built to the south side of the property, said Kathryn Hardgrove Popio of Wadsworth, who visited the cemetery located on Deerfield Avenue as part of her research on cemeteries. Trustees and the road superintendent were stunned to hear of and see pictures of the damage. The Road Department maintains the property, which previously was owned by a church.

OTHER ACTION

UP NEXT Meet in regular session at 4:30 p.m. Sept. 11 at the township administration building.

JOAN PORTER

Read more from the original source:
Police to investigate Clover Hill Cemetery damage - News - The ... - Canton Repository

Sen. Bernie SandersBernard (Bernie) SandersWe might end up with single-payer healthcare, whether we like it or not Sanders: Single-payer isn't a litmus test for Dems OPINION | The real threat to our republic is the Orwellian Antifa MORE (I-Vt.) said that supporting a single-payer healthcare system shouldn't be a litmus test for Democrats, but that he believed more members of the party will grow to back the policy in the future.

Sanders told The Washington Post that hes building support for his Medicare for All bill, which would institute a single-payer health insurance system.

The former presidential candidate's backing for the policy has raised questions about whether he and his supporters might launch primary challenges against Democrats who do not back a single-payer plan.

Is this a litmus test? No, you have to look at where candidates are on many issues, Sanders said.

But youre seeing more and more movement toward Medicare for All. When the people are saying we need healthcare for everyone, as more and more Americans come on board, it will become politically possible.

Sanders did predict that Democrats in the future will likely have to back single-payer healthcare if they want to win elections.

Could people run? Sure, Sanders said of Democrats running for office without backing a single-payer system.

Do I think they can win without supporting single-payer? Im skeptical. Among the people who consider themselves progressive, who vote in the primaries, theres clearly movement toward Medicare for All.

Sanders plans on introducing his bill once the Senate returns from recess. He has been hosting town halls to draw attention to his plans.

The progressive senator said that the landscape had changed for single-payer during the GOPs drawn-out battle to repeal and replace ObamaCare, which failed in the Senate earlier this month.

People are saying the ACA did some good things, and the Republicans wanted to throw 22 million people off of it, Sanders said. Thats an absurd idea to most people.

Universal healthcare plans like single-payer have gained traction among more progressive lawmakers, but have not yet earned the support of more moderate Democrats, who remain hesitant about the idea.

More here:
Sanders: Single-payer isn't a litmus test for Dems - The Hill

The Scottish Government has been pushing to increase our forest coverage for many years, but it has never been easy to plant the trees we need. Planners are under growing pressure to meet targets, but changes to farm subsidies might change that.

If rough grazing and traditional hill farms lose their subsidies with the demise of the Common Agricultural Policy, there is a very real prospect that large areas of hill country could soon be heading for commercial softwood forestry. Scottish foresters have identified 1,600 square miles of unimproved grassland and heather moorland for planting, and change will fall hardest on the poorest ground and the least profitable farm businesses.

Its hard to argue against the foresters promise of sustainable economic growth and employment, but there are trade-offs involved when we convert wide-open landscapes into close-packed forests. The Southern Uplands bear scars from softwood plantations established 40 years ago, and we are still learning hard lessons from the first generation of intensive forestry.

The latest push for more forestry comes at a crucial moment for some of our iconic bird species. The Southern Uplands were once a confirmed stronghold for curlews, and the birds formed an integral part of a region founded upon moorland farming networks and open hill country. Curlew declines are sometimes driven by agricultural intensification, but the most profound collapses have taken place in areas of upland forestry. Open habitats have been fragmented by trees, and along with many upland species like black grouse, hares and lapwings, curlews have totally vanished over the past thirty years.

One factor which has driven curlew declines around forests is an abundance of predators drawn in and sheltered by the trees. RSPB studies demonstrate that curlews can prosper alongside plantations provided that predator control takes place. Management of foxes and crows would mitigate the impact of new plantations and provide a secure habitat for a range of ground nesting birds, but it is ignored by all but a few foresters. The current collapse of the curlew is partly the result of poor communication between farmers, foresters, conservationists and the general public, and with the potential for more forestry, we must not allow history to repeat itself.

This push to plant trees reveals as much about farming as it does about forestry. A 2008 report by the SRUC showed how farming is retreating from the hills, so perhaps its no surprise when we hear calls for this abandoned land to be planted. Ive spent the last few years trying to build a herd of traditional galloway cattle, but opportunities to rent even the poorest land are extremely limited for new entrants like me under the current system of grants and payments. There are all sorts of factors at play, but the agricultural status quo in the uplands can feel like an anachronism, ripe for revision.

At the same time, we shouldnt leap towards planting without considering all the other services which open hill country can deliver. Cattle like mine have been bred over centuries to convert low-value moorland grass into superb quality beef. Cattle complement sheep, and both can work alongside a range of other interests on unplanted hills, from Carbon storage in peatland to biodiversity and renewable energy development. Its a balancing act and an ambitious portfolio, but well integrated, diverse moorland can provide a wealth of social and economic benefits to match even the most profitable plantation.

Over the past fifty years, the Southern Uplands have been blown to and fro by subsidies and incentives. Now the winds of change look set to blow again, and we should think carefully before we seek and reinvent our hills as a timber powerhouse. Theres no doubt that forestry is an important industry, but the success of future plantations must be judged on how well trees are integrated into a varied upland landscape.

Balance and communication will be vital if we are to save the curlew for future generations, but we must also learn to value our open ground as an asset for the future, not a relic of the past.

Patrick Laurie is a farmer and conservation writer from Dalbeattie

View original post here:
Patrick Laurie: Landscape management needs balance to allow room for all interests - The Scotsman

Grand Valley artist Dan Log uses a different technique for painting with oils; he holds his brush near the end instead of near the bristles. Look for Logs work to be displayed in September and October in the new exhibit space at Colorado National Monuments Visitor Center.

Katie Hill is the first local artist to exhibit paintings at the Colorado National Monuments Visitor Center. Eight of her oil paintings, some of which can be seen behind her, are displayed on a wall that until July was blank.

Independence Shadow by Katie Hill is part of the artists exhibit at the Colorado National Monuments Visitor Center.

This oil painting by Katie Hill is part of her exhibit at the Colorado National Monuments Visitor Center.

Kissing Couple by Katie Hill is part of the artists exhibit at the Colorado National Monuments Visitor Center.

Earlier this month, Dan Log was narrowing the number of oil paintings he plans to exhibit int the Colorado National Monuments Visitor Center.

Framed by his oil paintings, Grand Valley artist Dan Log sits in his painting chair at his studio. Some of Logs paintings will be displayed in the new exhibit space at Colorado National Monuments Visitor Center beginning Sept. 1.

Katie Hill is the first local artist whose work is being shown in new exhibit space in the Colorado National Monuments Visitor Center.

WATCH THE PAINT

The first Colorado National Monument Plein Air Event is set for Oct. 37.

More than 20 artists will paint at various spots in and around the monument beginning Oct. 3. Painting will wrap up at noon Oct. 6, when the events exhibition will be hung in the Visitor Center auditorium. John David Phillips (johndavidphillips.com), a local oil painter, will judge the show.

Times and dates to note:

From 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 4 there will be a paint out in the monuments Saddlerock Picnic Area parking lot.

The event exhibition will open with a preview night for association members and sponsors from 58 p.m. Oct. 6. Non-member tickets, which will include a Chinle Level association membership, cost $30.

The exhibition will be open to the public from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 7.

Here are the names of participating artists: Jody Ahrens, Mark Akins, Timothy K. Brady, Maggie Cook, Mary Pat Ettinger, Diane Fechenbach, Amy Gibbs, Doug Graybeal, Debi Hedges, Katherine Heister, Nancy Hutcheson, Cedar Keshet, Nancy Lewis, Dan Log, Bob Martin, Jason McCullough, Susan McKelvy, David Mosier, Brooks Powell, Jane Sutton Seglem, Lily Shanabarger, Richard Szkutnik, Bob Tallarico and Lillian Wyant.

By Ann WrightThursday, August 24, 2017

Until July, the wall above the doors to the exhibits and auditorium inside Colorado National Monuments Visitor Center was blank.

John Lintott, local painter and art coordinator for the Colorado National Monument Association, sought permission for months from the National Park Service to put up a hanging system for a small art gallery to show local artwork.

Permission finally came in late May and now the wall is filled with vistas of the monument. Each two-month exhibit is required to be 50 percent or more related to the monument with the rest being a good representation of the featured artists work, Lintott said.

Katie Hills oil paintings have been on display since July 1. On Thursday, Aug. 31, her paintings will come down and Dan Logs paintings will go up on Friday, Sept. 1. Logs artwork can be viewed through the end of October, at which point another local artists work will fill the space.

All of the artwork if for sale, with a percentage going to the association and the majority to the artists.

The whole reason were doing this is, No. 1, it would be nice to generate sales for artists and have another place for them to exhibit, Lintott said.

Its also a way for the monuments many visitors to see original artwork of the monument and discover local artists, he said.

Since Hills paintings were hung, theres been a lot of people who look up and they love the fact that theres artwork up, Lintott said.

Here is a look at the first two artists to have work displayed at the Visitor Center, why they began painting and what inspires them.

I LOVE THE COLORS

When Lintott sent out a call for artists to show their work at the Visitor Center, Hill replied right away.

Im always looking for places to hang my art, she said.

He asked how soon she could be ready, and she replied, Anytime.

Im thrilled to be the first, said Hill, whose eight oil paintings have been on display at the Visitor Center since July 1.

Theres Independence Monument, Kissing Couple and Wedding Canyon with reds and oranges that contrast nicely with the blues and greens of two paintings of the Maroon Bells in the White River National Forest.

The Maroon Bells are lovely, but the canyons and monoliths of the monument are some of Hills favorite scenes to paint.

I love the colors and the dramatic landscape, the depth of the canyons, she said.

Hill, who paints mostly landscapes and occasionally animals or people, began painting in 2004 when she retired from a career as a computer analyst.

It wasnt that she couldnt paint before both her grandmothers were landscape artists and Hill painted a little in college. But life was busy, and art, along with golf and playing the flute, became a goal for retirement.

To get herself started, Hill asked members of her family to send her landscape photos to use as reference. Since she grew up in Alaska and much of her family is still there, she received a lot of photos of Alaska. And so she painted Alaska for quite a while, sending the finished pieces back to family members.

She also took some painting classes and has had both Lintott and Log as instructors.

Along with painting with oil on canvas, Hill uses acrylic to paint scenes on pieces of shale.

Ive sold 150 rocks, she said.

But selling any of her art is a bonus. Hill paints because she enjoys it, not as a 9-to-5 job.

Her easel at home is set up so that as she walks by she can do this or that with a painting until shes satisfied, then leave it and come back later.

I dont paint eight hours a day, she said.

She also prefers to use photo reference over painting plein air and likes that with landscape, things dont have to be exact.

For Hill, its about capturing the beauty of landscapes she loves and wants others to love as well.

Learn about Hill and her art at facebook.com/KatieHillArtist and katiehillart.blogspot.com.

I FOLLOW MY INTERESTS

Ive spent most of my life in this room, Log said, stepping into his garage, which is lined with paintings, oil paint and brushes, stacks of photos and more paintings. Its more studio than garage, by far.

I eat, drink and sleep art, Log said.

Hes been painting for 35 years and used to do mostly wildlife. Now he focuses more on landscape. Some of both were in the pieces Log had lined up in his studio earlier this month as he made his final selection of oil paintings to be displayed for two months at the Visitor Center beginning Friday, Sept. 1.

Among the possibilities was a coyote in its winter coat hes pretty healthy, Log said vibrant red Indian paintbrush, Independence Monument and snow over red rock.

The older he gets, the pickier he gets about his work, he said.

He describes his style as painterly realism, and prefers working from photo reference in his studio. He also does photography, so Im out there a lot getting reference material, he said.

While the landscapes featured in his paintings are a real places such as the monument, he might subtract a tree and add a rock if he likes, and I like the brush strokes to show, he said. I dont paint every hair, not these days.

Recently, he has been painting clouds to loosen up.

You can change a cloud and it still looks like a cloud, he said. But with an animal, say, a moose, you need to make sure its believable.

Log grew up with art in upstate New York, as his mother was a weekend painter. When Log started for himself, he was a river rat and painted waterfalls.

His paintings of ducks have made the cover of Ducks Unlimited magazine three times and the Long Island Duck Stamp in 1982.

When he moved west his parents retired here and his sister also moved west, so Log and his family followed it completely changed my subject matter.

The light is brighter, the color palette is different and the vistas are deeper.

He paints nearly every day and I follow my interests, he said.

Log plans to participate in the first Colorado National Monument Plein Air Event set for Oct. 37. While not what he prefers, painting plein air is something I need to do more, he said.

He has been told that it provides a connection between eye and scenery that cant be beat. And besides, I like a challenge, Log said.

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Katie Hill, Dan Log first artists to exhibit paintings at monument's Visitor Center - Grand Junction Daily Sentinel