Becky Gravenmier fills up a plate for guest.

What a day we had!! The long planned dinner and art auction held on July 11, 2009 had a huge response. The  dinner was planned and prepared by chef Dave Burke, caterer Becky Gravenmier and wonder cook Sandra Choate. The dinner was Japanese inspired and featured shrimp yakasoba noodles, chicken yakatori, rice, California rice rolls, cucumber salad and dessert dish with green tea cake, fruits and cookies.   The food was excellent and there was plenty of it.  For beverages there was a wine selection, iced green tea and Japanese beer. Folks were impressed.

Arlene Larison models kimono

The art auction began at 6 PM and the auctioneer was John Phillips and the secretary was Kathy Phillips, their company is called Rising Bid Auctions and is based here n Goldendale. The Gallery members are deeply indebted to them as they donated their services along with some wonderful door prizes. The art items made by the Guild members plus some that were donated brought on some brisk bidding. When it did go slack John spoofed and joked and got folks started bidding. There were 66 items and folks bidding got some very good buys. All the contributing members donated 100% of the money to the gallery and we did not have the silent auction as in the past. this arrangement seemed to work considerably better than past years – lots less bookwork too. Joan Crice organized the auction items and several members helped to have them ready for her to take outside and line up. Dorothy and Jim Walter walked the items around the tables for closer viewing by bidders. Sometimes the bidding got hot and sometimes not but every item sold and this money will help keep our doors open.  Overall the dinner/auction was a great success.

Jim and Dorothy Walter driving Gallery parade entry advertising Kimono Dinner/Auction.

This year we have featured Japanese clothing in the traditional styles and how wonderful it is to have an opportunity to view some of the finest kimonos available.

A collage of many of the lovely kimono on display at the Golden Art Gallery

Maggie Backman is the owner of most of the kimonos and obis on display and she traveled here to Goldendale to docent this wonderful show. Backman is the coordinator of Silk Experience, thesilkexperience@silkthings.com. She is very knowledgeable and told a group of us just how she first became involved back in the early nineties. At that time one could purchase a 200 pound bale of Japanese silks and fabrics but she hesitated until a group of women interested in specialty fabrics and dying got together and purchased a bale to divide up.  That was the beginning of a long lasting and loving relationship with the traditional clothing worn by the Japanese.

Maggie owns most of the kimonos and accessories in this fabric show.

The opening of the show took place Thursday night June 25 and a gala event it was indeed. With Maggie as docent we learned about the textiles and methods used to achieve the beautiful effects of each kimono. this was very interesting and there are many very stringent rules as to just how one dresses in the traditional clothing. On display are the lovely obis that are placed at the waist just so, there is a case display of the accessories used for proper dress.

These haori are for women. the fabric displayed is the traditional 18 inch width used to make kimonos.

Also on display is the the common field clothing worn by men and women for work. Each display has a full description of use, age group and male or female. women’s kimonos in general are more decorative but the young girls is the most decorative and colorful and features longer sleeves.

On display is a magnificent wedding kimono which is the outer garment worn open with a train by the bride. This garment is beautifully embroidered with peacocks and flowers, symbols of good luck. and fortune. The inner garment is white and is revealed by the open outer kimono.

Magnificent embroidery of peacocks and flowers adorn this kimono

The wine bar featured wines and Saki martinis which were delightful but you could have your choice of other wines as well.  The snacks were a lovely assortment of Japanese style tidbits and a cute fake California sushi roll made out of a Twinkie rolled in green apple fruit leather, too cute!! There was a nice crowd who came to enjoy the Japanese experience and to meet new and old friends.

Coming up is  the July 11 Gallery benefit Japanese style dinner and live auction.  Advance tickets are available now at $12 each.  This is always a  lot of fun and you can join in at no cost.

This Second Thursday we were able to set up outside the Gallery for the first time this year. We have been urging other stores to stay open so people will have a variety of places to stroll around and visit. This effort has been rewarded with more participation, stores may be identified by the flying banner outside their shops.

The evening was warm and sunny so our live music by singer Tom Beck and our Wines of the Neighborhood with wine master, Leroy Schoot, were outside in the large parking lot beside the Gallery.

The wine expert, Leroy Schoot and pleased customer Eliza

The songs you love to hear, Tom Beck entertained us all evening.

We had set up several tables with chairs so people could sit down and enjoy their wine and and a variety of good food was on the menu provided by Malibu Hut.

Great food that is a little different

We also had a variety of appetizers brought in by members inside the Gallery. Several vendors joined us so we had a nice variety of hand made items to choose from.

Janis Powers displays some of her habd beaded items.

Carol Schoot always has a great variety of handmade items, herbs too.

It was a wonderful chance for folks to to socialize in a very relaxed atmosphere. From the Gallery location in the heart of town a person could walk to the Video Store and they now have an ice cream parlor and that was dessert for some of us. The Golden Frame and Photo shop was open and on the sidewalk with some art specials, the General Store offers a wide variety of items. If you headed east you could visit Beth Poirier in her Fiber Arts Studio where she was setting up two looms for weaving towels and scarves. There are several other fiber artists in that location too. The new book store offered some good buys. As the summer progresses there are sure to be more open doors for the 2nd Thursday Night event.

The Guild also signed on to the 13 Mile Yard Sale which is really closer to 140 miles, maps are available at Chambers and stores. We will have ours in the lot in back of the Gallery and hopefully we won’t have too much of a weather problem. A couple of donations have swelled our inventory so there will be lots of good buys and also there will be whatever the artists decide is no longer needed at home. June 13 and 14 are the dates and we invite you to swing by for a look. A portion of the proceeds from sales will be used for seed money for our upcoming Kimono show starting June 23. Several artists have been hard at work making Japanese inspired items. It will be informative and fun.

Our Second Thursday event on May 14 was a new experience for most of us. Our wine master, LeroySchoot, served up trays of 6 samples of Klickitat syrah wines – all concealed in brown bags tightly wrapped up. Since having fun was first on the list of instructions we all managed to socialize and joke between careful sips of the heady wine samples. I really took my time and often left the table to talk to others after I judged one of the samples and checked off my official thoughts. I have never participated in one of these tastings but it was fun and I had picked the same as several others including wine expert. Leroy plans to have another blind wine tasting in September. As a further treat we had Doug Seigal playing and singing wonderful background music while we chatted and taste tested.

A sampling of Wine Set Up

Six samples of Klickitat syrah wines are set up with a paper and form for grading, water for mouth rinsing and crackers to adjust your pallet.

This was the first of the Second Thursday events to include vendors who were located outside the Gallery. Weather was a bit windy but did turn sunny just in time for the 4 PM opening. We will have lots more open air vendors during the next few months. The idea of Second Thursdays has caught on and several other stores and one quality restaurant remain open during that time.

Student Art Show – Month of May, 2009

The school children and young adults turned in an impressive number of great artwork, at least 200 entries.  We had a judged show and the winners were awarded art related items from Golden Photo and  Frame store.  The schools were Goldendale H.S., Middle School, Primary School , Head Start, private schools as well as home schooled children.  We have a wonderful crop of artists locally and the entries were pretty impressive. Shown below are two pictures featuring a few of the many entries we received.

Another winning entry from the School Show

Winning entries from the School Show

Blue Grass Festival – May 29 and 30, 2009

Check our calendar of coming events on this site, we have some great activities planned. May 29 and 30 we will have a number of artists at the Blue Grass Festival in Ekone Park.  Several artists will do demonstration painting on both days. Other artists will set up their own tents featuring  art works and the gallery will have a tent with more art works and information about our wonderful Kimono show due to start June 23.

Kimono Show – Starts June 23, 2009

To kick start our Kimono show we are going to do a Starving Artist yard sale Saturday June 13 and run through Sunday the 14th.  Donations are accepted with many thanks.

We have made some really cute little origami kimono pins and they are now available for a donation, be sure to pick one up at the gallery or any events we have planned.

Kimono Show pins

The April 2nd Thursday reception had a few surprises. The first was a little pair of Easter egg cakes and a glass of syrah in honor of Gallery Secretary Joan Crice birthday. Members and guests sang their version of the birthday song raising their glasses in salute. Great fun!

Joan Crice celebrating her 80th birthday!

Neighborhood Wines by Leroy Schoot held a surprise fully organic wine by Klickitat Canyon Winery.  Also featured were a choice selection of reds from Syncline Wine Cellars and a very special white from Kestrel Vintners called Pure Platinum. Leroy passed out dollar off coupons for a bottle of wine from the Goldendale IGA store (Red Apple). There is a always a group around the table to discuss whatever is current news. Come join us for wine tasting and delightful snacks, study the art displays and catch up on the latest news.

April Second Thursday Reception

Home and Garden Show – April 18 and 19

April’s show at the gallery corresponds to the Goldendale Regional Home and Garden Show that will be held April 18 and 19 at the Klickitat Fairgrounds in Goldendale. The gallery will have a large vendor space that will include arts and crafts from members plus we will have art demos by one or more of our members.  This is a first for Goldendale and it is FREE. The gallery will display art and crafts related to the Home and Garden theme and is always free.

Home and Garden Show

Arts and Crafts Show

Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour – May 2 and 3, 2009

We have five local artists who are going to participate in the Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour here in Goldendale, May 2 and 3.

• Beth Poirier, Fiber Arts Studio will have numerous weavings
• Arlene Larison will have paintings and notecards at her home studio
• Charlotte Van Zant-King will have her new studio open featuring her colorful artworks
• Pat Farrer will open Pat’s Place studio featuring her works of art
• Cindy Bluemel will have her Golden Frame and Photo shop open displaying her paper works and framing materials.

The gallery is open and has tickets with maps available.  Tickets are for two persons, good both days and cost $25.  This event covers many Gorge Artists studios including Hood River, The Dalles, Troutdale, Goldendale and more.

Bob Koch is a retired science teacher from The Dalles, Oregon.  He is now enjoying doing his area photography, and also publishing some of the old photos that were taken long ago and recreate some of the local Gorge history.  Some of his most popular photos show Celilo Falls before the inundation.  Other works are the very artful bordered photos of area orchards featuring the local cherries, pears and apples and the graceful grapes of the wineries. The reception was a huge success and we had at least 70 persons come for the event.

Bob enjoys the snacks and visiting.

Bob and guest view the picture taken in the thirties using 22 head of mules to pull a grain harvester.  These are hills and the mule driver used only one set of reins.  A lot of skill and training were involved, a great glimpse of history.

Twenty two mule hitch

Wines of the neighborhood

Leroy Schoot once again had a great selection of gorge area wines.  Three lovely reds and two crisp whites were available along with a very unusual dessert wine that had a touch of added chocolate.  Leroy had an extra to offer us in the form of a $1.00 off wine coupon good at our local Red Apple store here in Goldendale.  I know I will make a selection for sure.  He had 50 and gave out all of them so we know for sure that we had about 70 visitors.  It was a very busy evening for the gallery.

Music Maestro

Doug Seigel entertained the visitors with soft , lovely music.  He accompanied some of the songs with his voice which is really pleasant and made for just right background for everyone.  We all enjoyed it thoroughly.

Everone loved the soft and entertaining music

Doug is the Goldendale H.S. band instructor and they are really fortunate to have someone so talented. He is always there for the school and has a small jazz band formed from the band and they are simply great.

You are invited

When in Goldendale, WA do stop at the Golden Art Gallery located on Columbus and Main Streets.  If you are in town on any second Thursday of the month stop in and enjoy our artist receptions.  Relax and enjoy the ambiance later this spring when we will offer a few small tables outside.

Creative masks by Middle School students

Wines of the Neighborhood

We really did have a fabulous chocolate selection thanks to member Sandra Choate,  who made several confections. There were lots of visitors sampling the chocolate as well as the wine offerings.  Our wines of the Neighborhood were predominantly the full bodied reds and they paired beautifully with the rich chocolates.

This month the Golden Art Gallery featured some wonderful masks created by the Goldendale Middle School and High School.  The paper masks were really attractive with a jungle animal theme and the H.S students created life masks .  Very innovative and very attractive and very well done too.  The Gallery will have another special party for the students and parents February 21 at the gallery.

Our  featured artist breaking into the New Year.

Kathy Baldwin  presents her sister’s photographic genius. Teresa Marie is gone now but she was a photographer with great passion and lived life with her heart wide open.  As her photography matured she explored a new world – that of macro photography. There was an explosion of color and forms that echoed Teresa Marie’s wide view of life. These photos are reproduced in several ways to fit most everyone’s purse from the very large, gallery wrapped canvas, regular framed pieces and matted prints.

Kathy cared for her terminally ill sister to the very end of her life and now represent her in the Golden Art Gallery. You can contact Kathy at Katou2@aol.com or contact the Gallery at 509-773-5100 for more information.

Leroy Schoot brought in four new “Wines of the Neighborhood” and all were good choices. My own favorite was Maryhill’s “Cabernet Blanc”, a double platinum medal winner.  Sometimes Cabernet wine is acidic but his one is super smooth and very polished.  It pairs well with rich foods.  All the wine choices may be purchased locally by special arrangement with the distributor and Red Apple Market here in Goldendale.

Leroy is always very happy to tell you all about the wines and answer questions about them and the various local wineries.

Everyone enjoyed the exquisite photography, assorted hors d’oeuvres, and the wonderful  guitar music of Star Meichtry.

Coming up in February our show will feature Mardi Gras, a pre-Lenten celebration.  Though we are far from New Orleans we do know how to party. Circle February 12, 4 to 8 PM on your calendar and plan to have fun.

A very special evening with an interested crowd of about 50 persons came to enjoy the evening with Ron and other artists.  People were very impressed with Ron’s new watercolor works that are framed sans glass.  This is a big innovation only recently available to artists.  Ron carries this a little further by mounting the paper onto a regular canvas, the final result is sealed with a relatively new product that protects the art.   Who knew , glass free watercolors at last! Ron was very successful in his sales that night and four of his trios went to new homes.

Great wines were served by Leroy Schoot, resident wine expert.  He had three lovely whites featured in his “Wines of the Neighborhood” – Spicy White , a blend of Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer and Big White, a lovely Chardonnay, were both from White Salmon Vineyards. A Late Harvest Riesling came from the Hogue Cellars and is a great wine with good balance of sweet and acidity.  The reds were equally outstanding with a full bodied Pinot Noir from White Salmon Vineyards, a classic Syrah from Maryhill, very rich with a peppery finish, and a stand out from Sagelands with the name of the winemaker, Freddie’s Blend.  This is the creation of Frederique Spencer, their very lovely female winemaker, and it is my choice from the selections offered, a very fine wine.

HOLIDAY EATING TIPS

1. Avoid eating carrot sticks.  Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday table knows nothing of the holiday spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately.  Go next door where they are serving rum balls.
2. 2.  Drink as much eggnog as you can, and quickly. It’s rare. You cannot find it any other time of the year but now.  So drink it up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It’s not as if you are going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It’s a treat, enjoy it.  Have one for me.  Have two. It’s later than you think. It’s Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That’s the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they are made with skim milk or whole milk. If it’s skim, pass. Why bother? It’s like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have  a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people’s food for free.  Lots of it!
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Years.  You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you will need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10 pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself  near them and don’t budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. If you leave them behind, your never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat.  Have a slice of each. Or if you don’t like mincemeat, have two Apples and one Pumpkin, always have three.  When else do you get more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it’s loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost.  I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip : If you don’t feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven’t been paying attention. Re-read the tips: start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by:

“Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive, well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming “WOO HOO what a ride!”

Have a great holiday season.

Author unknown

So drink up!

Sue Krigsberg is our featured artist of the month and her reception was very well attended. The reception high lighted many of Sue’s latest works.  Her intense colors , textures, and free forms have attracted attention from gallery goers.

About 50 folks came by to enjoy the wonderful snacks and the special wine tastings hosted by Leroy Schoot.  What Leroy does is select five or six very special wines from the Gorge area for us to sample.  He calls his offerings “Wines of the neighborhood” and has maps showing the location of the various vineyards.  My personal favorite is Satin by The Pines 1857 winery. This is a crisp and delightful wine with flavor and character.  I was amazed to learn that this particular vineyard was actually established in 1857 and it is located in the hills south of The Dalles.

We were further entertained by the excellent guitar music by Star Meichtry.  Low key and soothing notes underscored the ambiance of the evening and everyone enjoyed it and the opportunity to visit with Sue and talk to her personally about her art.

Next month we will feature Ron Sheldon and his excellent watercolors, Ron has developed a wonderful way of presenting his vivid watercolors so that they need not be covered with glass.  Circle December 11 on your calendar and join us. Wines of the Neighborhood will be offered and Star Meichtry has offered to return with his wonderful guitar music.