Onstage this month:

Shows were found online @ CowlitzToday.com – the online community calendar for our area.

The Rainy Months Series. A family experience for the imagination. Rain, rain, go away….NO, WAIT! Let’s PLAY!
Puppetry, song, foolishness and stories strang and wonderful make up the Rainy Months Series at the Columbia Theatre this season! Bringing the best in regional and national children’s educational performers with an emphasis on the shared experience for both children and the adults in their lives.
Tickets are very reasonably priced at $5 per person and a special “family pack” of 6 for $25.

Rainy Months Series for January: ‘Legends of Mexico-Leyendas de Mexico’
An original production by Nuestro Canto Gerardo Calderon & Nelda Reyes.
Sunday, January 22 at 2:00 pm
Mexico is very well known for its legends, myths and tales. There are legends since the time of the Aztecs, Mayans, Toltecs, Hucholes, as well as legends after the arrival of the Euraopeans to the American Continent. There are legends that talk about love, nature and everyday life. Nuestro Canto has gathered legends from all over Mexico and has composed music especially for the legends narrated during their performances.

Runt of the Litter
He was second to one
Friday, January 27, 2012 at 7:30 pm
Former Houston Oilers Defensive Back, Bo Eason, brings his one-man play to the Columbia Theatre.
At nine years old, Bo Eason took a crayon and paper and made a plan. The plan was to play professional football in the NFL and become the best in the league at his position. Bo (whose older brother Tony was a starting quarterback in the NFL) was told he was too small to play and was passed over by every college in the country. Instead of packing it in, he kept at it and eventually became the first safety chosen in the 1984 NFL Draft. He went on to play five years for the Houston Oilers.
This is an inspiring first-person re-telling of his journey from “runt” to fearless defensive back. “Runt of the Litter” opened in New York to rave reviews with the New York Times naming it, “One of the most powerful plays in the last decade.”
Ticket prices: $25.00 to $40.00 (discounts for senior and student).

Enter the Community Photo Show

Longview Recreation and the Monticello Camera Club invite all interested photographers to enter their photographs in the upcoming Photo Contest and Show to be held on November 4, 5 & 6 at the McClelland Center, 951 Delaware Street.
Photographers of all ages are welcome to participate. Students, ages 18 and under, will be judged separately.  2 adult divisions include amateur and advanced photographers. Ribbons and prize gift certificates will be awarded.  Categories include:  Still life, plant life, creative, scenic, people, animals, and general interest.
Photos must be entered on Wednesday, November 2nd from 12:00 noon to 7:00 pm at McClelland Center.  Photos must be rigid mounted, and no smaller than 5×7 and no larger than 12 x 18. A string or wire hanger must be attached; framed photos are not accepted.  Entry fees for adults are $5 for each print, or $20 for 5 prints, youth entry fee is $3 for each print. There is a limit of 5 entries per category.
The awards reception will be on Friday, November 5 from 7 to 8:30 pm. Public viewing is also on November 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 pm and on Sunday, November 7 from 1 to 4 pm. There is no charge for the public viewing.
For more information, please contact Longview Recreation at 442.5400.
Photo shown was taken at Long Beach, featuring Chloe and Cora Myre. Photo by Michelle Myre

Columbia Theatre’s Fall Season offers a delightful feast

The Columbia Theatre, crown jewel of Southwest Washington, is celebrating a Fall to remember with a variety of music and entertainment. The intimate 800 seat historic venue has recently undergone an $11.6 million renovation and stands as the largest performing arts venue in Southwest Washington.
For information about all of the Columbia’s events call the Box Office (M-F, 11:30 – 5:30) at 360-575-8499 or 888-575-8499 for ticket information or order online at www.columbiatheatre.com.

Symphony, Swing, and String Quartets in October…
* October kicks off with the Southwest Washington Symphony’s Pops Concert featuring “Bach to Beatles” on Sunday, October 9 at 3:00 p.m. The concert will feature J. S. Bach’s Orchestral Suite #4, J.C. Bach’s Overture to Artaserse, Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto in E Flat, and Bruce Healy’s Beatles medley Love is All You Need.

* Celebrate the life and times of America’s Greatest generation on Tuesday, October 11th at 7:30 p.m. when In The Mood—the 1940’s musical review visits the Columbia stage with a 13-piece Big Band, 6 singers and a high energy Swing-Dance couple. It’s the music that moved a nation and helped win a war!

* On Sunday, October 16th at 3:00 p.m. the Longview-Kelso Community Concerts Series opens  its new season with Carpe Diem String Quartet performing classical string quartet repertoire with a twist—a collective musical passion that has lead them down the paths of Gypsy, tango, folk, pop, rock, and jazz-inspired music.

* Jazz at its absolute finest…
The Miles Davis Experience: From Birth of the Cool to Kind of Blue 1949-1959 a Blue Note Collaboration comes to the Columbia on Sunday, October 30th at 3:00 p.m.  Featuring Ambrose Akinmusire,  winner of the 2007 Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition.  Joining Akinmusire onstage will be Samuel Harris (Piano)  Harish Raghavan (Bass) Justin Brown ( Walter Smith III (Tenor Sax)and Donald Lacy (Narrator).
This musical event pays tribute to jazz innovator and legend Miles Davis with live performance, archival images, film and recordings. The multimedia experience traces Miles’ most notable tracks from 1949 through his Blue Note years, culminating in his masterpiece Kind of Blue. Recapture the period, sound, historical and cultural context of this critical period of American history through the lens of jazz music and its most iconic innovator.  It is a linear walk through the iconic 50’s Jazz scene with a world-class jazz quintet against a multi-media backdrop. Sponsor: KMHD Jazz Radio 89.1 FM

1889: Do you know who this man is?

It’s a mystery – can you solve it?
This beautiful portrait is in the collection of the Castle Rock Exhibit Hall. But the man is unidentified. Can you help identify him?
The portrait was found on the second floor of the old Castle Rock Bank building (now a physical therapy office), at the corner of Front Avenue and Cowlitz Street in Castle Rock.
The portrait is signed “W. M. Short, 1889.” This is likely the artist’s signature and date of creation. The portrait may be of a doctor or relative of a doctor, but we don’t know that for sure.
If you have any ideas on who this gentleman might be, please call Karen Johnson at the Exhibit Hall (360-274-6603). We appreciate your help and look forward to announcing his name – and the person who helped us name him in the upcoming issue of the Valley Bugler newspaper!
You may also call the paper at (360)414-1246 if you would like to leave an anonymous message with the information about the man in the photo. All information shared is confidential.

Teague’s Interiors offers flavor and taste for your home

There’s always something new and interesting to peek at when you visit Teague’s Interiors & Gallery on Commerce Ave in Downtown Longview. I stopped in last week and was greeted with some fantastic new glasswork by Shirley Erickson, a prominent artist from the great Northwest city of Bellingham, WA.
“This one is my absolute favorite,” sighed owner and operator, Wendy Kosloski.
She was commenting on an approximately 5-6 foot tall masterpiece of sculpted glass and metal. It looked like a ‘waterfall’ of sorts – you know the kind that trendy doctors offices hang on their walls? It was simply exquisite.
“Oh, this is simply beautiful!” exclaimed a Teague’s customer, Jean Hipner, commenting on the glasswork by Erickson.
Surrounding this new art piece were flowing tapestries showcasing the various window coverings and materials available.
Apparently, insulating window coverings, replacement and repair are the main course for window treatments at this time of the year. If you’re anything like me, you’re probably taking notes on this, because I really am clueless when it comes to interior decorating and design.
Blinds, shades, draperies, repair….you name it, Teague’s has major brands and a multitude of offerings for each and every location of the house. Not only that, but they guarantee the fit when they measure your windows. I came to find out that’s really very important when shopping for window coverings.
And what room is complete without a classy, fun or intriguing lamp or two? or three?
“Hardwired chandeliers and lamps of all shapes and sizes are really fun for us to help integrate into people’s homes,” says Kosloski, “with color palettes, furniture arrangement, hanging artwork or even helping outfit the windows, it’s just something we love to do.”
The “we” in that statement of course refers to Kosloski’s mother, Shirley.
Shirley is not only a fabulous interior designer and master print preservationist, she is also an exquisite artist. The gallery at Teague’s is featuring some beautiful canvas artwork by Shirley this month, and I would encourage you to visit.
In discussing the print preservation and conservation, I was educated that all the boards and mats that Teague’s uses are acid free. This helps with many aspects of saving the precious photograph, painted picture, artwork from your children, and so much more. The acid in regular cardboard backings destroy the object, print or photograph from within, causing horrible damage and loss of value. So using the acid free mats and boards, along with a professional conservationist, you will have something that can be passed down along the generations with the knowledge of its safety.
When glazing is called for, the only glaze they use is museum grade, is crystal clear, and preserves the art beautifully.
If you are looking for some examples of their conservation work, just visit their store, and you can witness their masterful preservations.
I had never even thought of preserving baptismal dresses, athletic T-shirts, fossils, spoons or even envelopes along with the “typical” photograph or art piece. It certainly set my wheels to spinning.
Teague’s is proficient in a diverse range of styles, and they are dedicated to creating highly individualized interiors that match the needs and desires of their clients.
Wendy and Shirley believe that Interior design needs to be interesting, inviting, fun and comfortable.
So whether you are breaking ground with new construction, building an addition, refurbishing an area, or needing them to work their magic with a relic from your past, Teague’s Interiors & Gallery will meet your need.
You can reach Wendy and Shirley at (360)636-0712 and the storefront located at 1267 Commerce Ave, Longview, WA.

Art World Fashions Today

There are so many things come to mind when you think of the word “FASHION”.
The high-powered world of Women’s Fashions when we see the Runway Events taking place every spring, the elegant silhouettes created by the many Designers here and in Europe.
The colors for this season seem to be Black and White and Tan.
According to the Ads there is beauty to be had at every size. The Red Carpet becomes a reality for every woman.
Then too, there is the beautiful world of interior design, a world that is dear to our hearts. It is the time of year for Seattle Design Center’s Northwest Design Awards, which bring the latest trends in the Interior Design world directly to us as entrepreneurs in that area.
In case you didn’t know, white walls are out, unless you go completely white. I mean white walls, white floors, white window coverings, and white pots for Banana Palms (silk of course). You can even get your laptop in a white leather case!! (See photo at right: “White on White”)
It’s the time of year for graduation exercises at the local college and we have young grads coming into our store with their Resumes, looking for work for the summer. Each one is fresh, eager, and vastly interested in the world of fashion in any of it’s many facets.
here are those who are interested in Interior Design Planning and Layout work, and those who love to go into a home and proceed to build a beautiful model with their ideas presented to anyone who will listen. There are those who are interested in Fabrics and what can be done with each and every type of yardage, from upholstery for newly designed (from scratch) furniture, to re UP jobs and elegant sheers for window coverings. There are those to whom color is the basis of every design for anyone’s home. They listen to the vibes of light, artificial and sunlight, how it enters a room, and how to complete a room, maybe with just the addition of a gorgeous blown glass bowl to complete the look. It’s a beginning for any grad to find their niche.
Then there is Art, for the walls of any room, be it commercial or domestic.
You can fill a room with $30,000 worth of furniture, but if there is nothing done to select the background color of the walls, and the art that hangs there. It isn’t finished. The decoration of walls is one of the most absorbing duties of any Interior Designer.
Then there is the Art World of the Consultant, one who has extensively studied the many art styles and historical contributions to our modern society from the past. This person is up on the latest type of paint in use today. The latest forms created by those in the Glass Industry, the different types of sculptural materials in use today for use in-or-out of doors. These people often work with architects for the decoration of city streets and parks. There is a whole world of beauty in our towns today.
Visit Teague’s Gallery anytime to see examples of fine arts and some of the latest “fads” in Fashion! Located at 1267 Commerce Ave, Longview.

It’s still a mom’s world

I so often remember my Mom and how she believed that good manners applied in any and every situation. “A bit old fashioned” you might say. Not at all.
It’s still important to clean the house, top to bottom, when guests are arriving to spend the night, or several nights. Clean the bath and shower, change the beds, vacuum the carpets. Dust the lamps and wood furnishings. Put on a clean tablecloth and go to the store to stock up on fruit, chips, dips, and a few breakfast and lunch items.
We usually go out to dinner when we have company, which is always fun…we get to visit our favorite eating-places. And, put a favorite movie on the TV cabinet in case we spend some time sitting around visiting and need a little entertainment.
This time of year, when the kids are spending Easter vacations traveling about and visiting relatives and friends, there are often loads of company or a bit of traveling on all our schedules. I always hanker to get on a plane and head off somewhere interesting. Itchy feet I guess.
Since I can no longer visit my mom, who passed away in 1975, I find another way to remember her on Mother’s Day. There are always flowers at the local Memorial Day Service, or just a blossom of her favorite flower set on the TV to remember her by.
She would always remind me, when I was a child, to greet any guests warmly and introduce anyone who was new to our circle. It was so important to remember names and she always gave us little secrets to doing that, little associations to help us remember someone’s name.
We were always reminded to take their coat and/or hat and hang it in the coat closet. It was nice to think about our guests and wonder if they were tired from traveling and would like a little time to freshen up and even to take a short snooze, or a shower. Depending on their mode of travel.
Mom always put out a plate of cookies and something in a pitcher for a drink. Usually there was a plan of action whenever anyone came to visit, from going to a concert at our local theater or to an Art Gallery, or even just to church on Sunday.
When it comes to Weddings, good manners are imperative. A whole different world comes to the fore, even in this day and age of casualness. There truly is an ART to putting together a memorable occasion for the couple in spite of all the fads and choices of settings. A good wedding coordinator is invaluable, usually through a church, in order to do what is right in regard to seating, greeting, music, flowers, food, etc. They can be a lot of help, especially to the bride’s mother.
After all, Life is an ART. Is it not?
Art photo at left is “Country Blue” (detail) by June Dudley.

Fun in the sun – the art of gardening

By Shirley, Teagues Interiors
Now is the time if you are ever going to get your yard in shape for summer fun. (As soon as you get warmed up from our late winter season, that is.) If you look in your flower beds I’m positive you will see green. There are even a few buds showing on daffodils and tulips and some Crocus and Narcissus are in bloom along with the gorgeous yellow Forsythia.
Art is the word for our summer flower beds. There are so many lovely plants that will thrive in our area, with our balmy winter climate. Except for the unusual hard frost that will invariably kill off some of our hardy perennials, most unexpectedly. Otherwise we are blessed with much rain and some sun, and some beautiful flowering trees (seen the pink out??).
If you happen to live on a piece of property that was landscaped originally you are twice blessed. These yards stay the same year after year except for weeding, watering and pruning, and the addition of summer annuals. If you have only a square of grass and a few rectangular beds near your foundation, you have a perfect canvas for new garden art.
If your taste runs to stone and tile or brickwork, now is the time. There are so many lovely paving choices for outdoor dining and, by summer, those areas can be ready for entertaining. You can even add a fountain, pool and garden seating that will stand up to the winter rains without too much maintenance. (See the Deck design illustrated at right).
If you do not have a lot of plants I have a perfect solution. At least it was mine. I moved into a yard that was 10’ deep in blackberry vines and, with a visit from my kid’s sheep, soon got the many leaves and stems into the trash. With a bit of work with the shovel we soon had curving beds laid out, a series of diagonal car parking spaces edged with RR ties, a rose garden and accents of bright pebbles for the roof run-off.
For plants: We joined the National Arbor Society and every year for the next 12 years we received (for a small membership fee ) a lovely group of small stems and trees ready to plant and nourish to maturity. There were evergreen trees, which went outside our yard fence as a buffer to the freeway. There were small flowering trees to cover a steep bank adjoining the neighbors yard which proved beautiful in springs to follow. White dogwoods, red Buds, Flowering White Hawthornes, etc. We received a group of Crepe Myrtles which we planted near our entry deck and they proved to be a lovely Red Leafed wall in fall and in spring they were covered with blossoms.
We supplemented our plantings with Rose Bushes from J&P in Jacksonville, Century plant starts for an area near our entry, and a number of Hostas to plant under a huge old evergreen that grew near our drive. We also received a box of Iris Risomes from a dear customer in our store (she raised Irises). They covered a useless slope that we made into a rockery with the addition of Irises which were unbelievable each spring.
All in all we had an awful lot of fun putting all these things together over the years. We just proved you don’t need an awful lot of land (or money) in order to make a bleak looking yard into something extraordinary.
Happy Gardening!
Shirley

“From the eyes of a child” Assemblage Art

If you have never heard of “Assemblage Art,” there is a new Gallery Show in town, first quarter -
January through March, featuring this very thing.
These Artists often work outside large cities and outside the mainstream, while being aware in varying degrees of the activities of the city and the productions of the contemporary art world. A common thread in assemblage art is that the artists usually have something to say which they communicate using non-traditional materials assembled in personal and unique ways.
One such artist is Modesto, California artist, Ellen Roehne.
“If it’s just a pretty picture to look at, it’s not doing much to make a statement in the world.”
She says that the good stuff is that which forces the viewer to think. As an assemblage artist, she pieces together a limitless array of objects and materials to produce art that provides something for both the heart and the mind.
While receiving BFA and MFA degrees in mixed media, the artist initially explored art that was more figurative, easily recognized, and readily understood in its subject matter, meaning, and appearance. Her movement into assemblage from more conventional art media came about for two reasons.
First, an assignment in college presented her with her first foray into the technique of assemblage. The assignment called for students to move away from their chosen medium and create a piece using a style outside of their comfort zones. For this, she chose to abandon the ceramic sculptures with which she was comfortable in favor of bits of fabric and wire. “I loved the freedom of it,” she says of the experience. What resulted was an assemblage piece that was part found-object collage and part installation. The experience ultimately brought about a complete change in how the artist would approach her craft. Secondly, this transition was solidified as the result of a simple lack of materials.
Graduation from college meant that she was on her own to find her work in ceramics. As a student fresh out of school, college work produced from found objects simply seemed more financially feasible. Hence the title she uses, “Lost and Found”.
For Ellen, creating an assemblage piece employs a wholly different process of creation and a completely different way of thinking about art. To begin with, assemblage lends itself more readily to spontaneity than most other media and techniques. Other media, she feels, involve careful planning that gets in the way of creativity and can become restrictive. With traditional media, she says, “you really have to have a good idea of what the end product is going to look like, and I think that’s why I don’t do that work as much anymore.” With assemblage, the art almost creates itself. The artist need only direct the flow of creativity until something striking emerges.
She frequently deals with the theme of relationships, a subject that is both personal and universal.
“If I can connect it with something more deep and personal to me,” says the artist, “it’s going to, I think, make a better art piece.”
Some pieces explore the relationship between parent and child, while others delve into the links between man and nature. In the end, the resulting works have a way of tapping into a personal place, a shared experience, to which each of us feels a connection. The freedom possible with assemblage enhances the artist’s ability to capture and convey very complex ideas and emotions through what may initially be a collection of objects or images.
This is evident in her piece called “Growth”, illustrated at left. This piece consists of a small white shirt and a bundle of broken tree limbs growing up through it. It poetically embodies the relationship that young children often have with nature. Free from the worries that plague adulthood, children interact with their surroundings on an intimate, direct and fresh level. They take time to notice small events and fully engage them..
From an interview with the artist by Ryan Gurney, Sept. 2005.
Teague’s Gallery Show, First Quarter 2011, featuring Ellen Roehne, Modesto, Ca. will be highlighting some of her very interesting approaches to Assemblage Art. Come in and get acquainted with this fabulous Assemblage Artist’s work.

“THE MANY COLORS OF HISTORY”

The just past Christmas Season always reminds me of wonderful classic history, that of the birth of Christ 2,000 years ago and further into when the Greeks struggled to keep their peaceful land together.

Then into that world came Christ’s Apostle Paul and his friends to spread the word. They found a world of exquisite beauty, tinged with pagan superstition and idol worship, and began systematically to change that world, at the cost of their lives.
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