HURRICANE WARNING ON THE OREGON COAST

Hi All :)

I hope Spring (Autumn for our S. Hemi Peeps) finds you well :)

2 weeks ago, I went to the Oregon Coast with my two Sons. We stayed in an amazing house on a sand dune right above the beach & looking out at the amazing vastness of the Pacific Ocean :)

We have stayed in this house before and knew it had awesome views with lots of windows facing the West for amazing Sunsets & Ocean viewing :)

What we didn't know was how bad the weather was going to be, rain had been forecast, hey, this is early March in Oregon so no surprises there, but we did not expect the Hurricane Warnings that started to show up the day after we arrived, oops! These are basically unheard of in Oregon. It definitely made for an interesting experience; I have experienced some strong winds in my life but for about 18 hours this was crazy and the rain, just pouring down like tomorrow was going out of fashion and the winds whipped the waves into a frenzy, the windows of the house were literally shaking (thankfully they were not glass) and we were happy to be indoors with a gas fire to keep us warm.

You can read about the Hurricane Winds Here; 

I went outside onto an upstairs balcony, a couple of times, very briefly, to take some photos of the very high waves but nearly got blown away; trying to hold my camera steady with a zoom lens was challenging but I tried :)

So, as fuzzy as some of these images are I wanted to share them with you because they have their own beauty. :)

The following day the waves were still high but lovely blue skies appeared; there was some flooding and some of the local coastal rivers were close to or at flood stage, we drove thru a few big pools of standing water along some coastal roads. Still not really quite believing what we had experienced.

Click on photos to see larger images :)

The Pacific Ocean, by early afternoon (1pm) the winds had picked up and the High Tide was churning - the sky was grey and the drizzle turned to rain. (Next 3 photos are early afternoon too)

I couldn't resist adding a little colour to this photo (and a few following ones) to see if I could show the brewing storm in a different light.

The Pacific Ocean at 3pm - The sky was so dark it was hard to see the horizon - the waves were powerful and swirling, it was amazing to hear their thunderous crashing.

1pm March 9th

1pm March 10th - 

It was amazing the transformation within those 24 hours

Same shot (Above and Below) 24 hrs. apart - Mother Nature is so awesome.

Again pretty much the same shot taken 24 hrs apart - the Ocean is beautiful, majestic, frightening and reassuring all at the same time. (High Tide both shots)

Looking out at the calmer Ocean at High Tide and the Blue Sky, if we hadn't lived it we would not have believed it had been so incredibly rainy and gale force winds less than 6 hours before and howling ALL night.

But as the camera was pointed South, there were still glimmers of those rain clouds moving inland towards the coastal range.

I have to admit I was just so excited to be by the Ocean again; it has been the longest time ever for me between trips to the Ocean, I had missed it so much. I'm a Water Girl, I need to see the Ocean and be by it on a regular basis or I dry up, lol :)

Well, I guess I got more water than I had bargained for but it was thrilling to be at the coast to experience this storm, call me crazy but I felt a kind of refreshed sense of renewal after it but I am also the kind of girl who likes to open the windows and breathe in deeply during a thunderstorm :)

Hope you enjoy my photos :)

Happy Wednesday :)

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.

SPRING GIVEAWAY

Hi All :)

I hope you are all doing well on this special Leap Year Day :)

So, getting back into blogging has made me realise I haven't done a Giveaway in FOREVER.........definitely time to rectify that :)

As we are starting to get some Spring like weather here in the Pac. Northwest and the Daffodils and Crocus are in bloom in my garden, I thought why not do a Spring Giveaway :)

Here it is;

Choose One Photograph from my Etsy Shop That's it! YAY!! (Depending on the image format you will receive either an 11" x 14" or 11" x 16" photo (Value $50.00 including shipping :) Giveaway is only open to U.S.A. residents at this time. One Entry per person. Giveaway will finish on March 4th 2016 at Midnight P.S.T. :)

(don't forget to leave a way for me to contact you should you win! :)

So, really simple, go to my Etsy Shop, 

PhotosByChipperfield

Choose the Photograph you would like to have if you win the Giveaway (doesn't have to be a Spring Blossom Photo :), leave the link to the photo from my Etsy Shop in the comments and tell me why you chose that image :)

Have Fun :)

Here are a few Spring Photos in my Etsy Shop you might like :)

"A MOMENT IN TIME"

"COOL BLOSSOMS"

"SPRING BLOSSOMS"

"COOL MAGNOLIAS"

"GLOWING MAGNOLIA"

Hope you enjoy browsing thru my Etsy Photography Shop :)

Don't forget to enter the Giveaway :)

Have a Lovely Day :)

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.

A Dear Jane Letter to my Computer and Flip Phone :(

Hi All :)

Gosh Me!!! It has been a while since I have been here :(

Well, I have been "Computer Challenged" recently, my computer is 10 years old (congrats to her for making it this far, Oh Where does the time go???) but unlike her Human counterparts she is going into early demise and needs constant life support, constantly crashing and recently, I was "Blue Screened" too!!! So I haven't been able to use her much or be on the internet or work on photos and FB is way too much for her and she just gives up. I am really grateful that she has gotten me this far but it is time (shh, I don't want her to hear) - whispering - "it is time to let her go" :(

My "Old" Desk Top Computer :)

I also have had a flip phone (camera - less too) for the past 9+ years, which of course in cell phone years means she is close to pre-historic. It is definitely challenging when anyone wants to hear me on the phone and when I have to text (she is so old, you know how it is, you have to pressed the button 3 times to get to "C" right) it is just too exhausting!!! 

The other day my Son and I had to go to the airport to pick up his car, he called me and then texted me to say he had his car and was leaving the parking garage and my phone didn't make a sound, No, it wasn't on silent or off :( Thankfully I was waiting for the call and kept looking at my phone (I was at the designated cell phone waiting location - well, actually I was "plane spotting" with my binoculars, lol, but I digress...... :) I should have heard something but not a beep, nothing, so that was that, I decided even though I do not use my cell phone too often it was time to get a phone that worked and my Hubby wouldn't keep saying "I can't hear you very well, Darling" when I did use it.

My old Samsung Flip Phone - look it is so old it has Cingular on it, remember that, AT &T bought them out way back when........ You can tell how many times that poor phone has been dropped by all the scratches on it :(  

So to bid them farewell I decided I would write them a Dear Jane Letter ;

To my Dearest Computer and Cell Phone, 

"for the past 10 years or so we have been together and you both have served me well but of late you have both started to let me down, first it was in small ways like not being available and alert when I needed you and then things got worse and more challenging. I am exhausted, cajoling, nurturing and egging along you slow coaches but we have grown up together in this "techie" world but one of us is letting the team down and it isn't me :(  It breaks my heart to have to write this but I'm afraid it has become apparent to me of late that we need to part ways. What we have experienced together can never be replaced but it is time for me to move on and into the 21st century. That being said please don't be jealous of the new smart phone or the faster computer with more memory, just try and think of them as helping me move on to reaching my potential.  You know I will always remember you both fondly, love T.xxx"

 I have ordered a new computer which will be faster, way more reliable and with LOTS of memory. :)

I also bit the bullet and bought a new smart phone, scary when your phone is smarter than you, lol :)

I really can't believe how much of my life is spent on the computer these days. :(

So, now the problem will be a HUGE learning curve for the next few weeks because I have to learn how to use a new computer. Although, it might take me longer to work out how to use my new phone, lol :) Thankfully I have great in-house computer tech support and phone support, YAY for nerdy males, lol, gotta love 'em :)

This is my new Smart Phone with one of my own designs on the cell phone cover from Society 6 :)

You can check out my Smart Phone Cases on S.6. HERE :)

Of course the first thing I thought about was making it pretty, not how I was going to use it, ever the Artist, lol :)

Hopefully, it won't be too long before I am fully functional in the computer world again :)

Hope everyone has a wonderful Weekend. :)

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.

My New Artwork :)

Hi All :)

I hope your week is going well :)

As some of you may remember I had to pack up my Art Studio space well over a year ago as we were planning to remodel our kitchen (where my art studio was a part of) but (because of other life plans) that never happened completely and so I have been slowly dragging things back (from all corners of the house) to my Art space but it just doesn't have the same feeling anymore and I am reluctant to unpack everything or even hang up much of my stuff back on the newly painted walls (at least we got that part done) or splash them 'cuz if you saw me painting, well, let's just say I'm pretty messy when I paint, lol :)

So, I had been working on smaller art pieces (ones that will fit on the table top) and that has been a challenge for me as I like to paint BIG! 
Well, I got tired of that and bought some larger canvases, the Girl really has to have a larger surface to paint on, that's all there is to it, lol :)

My poor easel, has done a major tour of the house multiple times  (depending on who was home or what rooms were needed for people visiting at the time) but just before Xmas I decided "She" needed to be back in my Art Space, well, you know how Xmas is, always so busy and crazy, so no painting got done at all. With one thing and another I didn't get a larger canvas onto my easel until March :)

But, look what happened, I am so excited :)

It feels like I have my ART MOJO back, YAY!!!! :)

I Hope you enjoy my new artwork :)
and yes, most of them are larger canvases, lol :)

click on photos to see larger images:)

"Northwest Spring" 30" x 40" Acrylic on Canvas

"Ocean" 30" x 40" Acrylic on Canvas

"An Evening Walk" 24" x 36" Acrylic on Canvas

"Rain Drops" 30" x 40" Acrylic on Canvas

'Awaken" 20" x 20" Acrylic on Canvas

"A Rainy Morning"  30" x 40" Acrylic on Canvas

"Flying High" 12" x 12" Acrylic on Canvas

"Dizzy" 30" x 40" Acrylic on Canvas

So, these were all created in the past few months and now I have managed to get them photographed I need to start entering them into some local juried shows. Wish me luck :)

Hope you enjoyed these, let me know what you think :)

Have a wonderful Tuesday :)

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.

Giveaway Winners :)

Hi All :)

I Hope your June is off to a wonderful start :)

I Truly appreciate everyone who participated in my 5th Blogiversary celebration :)

I LOVED the comments and all the positive feedback, it makes a girl feel good about how she approaches her blogging :)

So, without further ado, here are the winners :)

Marsha won the "Ocean Waves"  iphone 4 cell phone cover :)

Then my Dear Blogger Buddy Anna from Almost Precious and 
A Beader's Blog

has won the package of lovely flower cards :)

A BIG "CONGRATS" to the Winners :)

And a BIG "THANK YOU" to all my blogger Buddies for stopping by and making my Blogging experience a fun part of my life :)

Have a wonderful Monday :)

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.

Blogiversary Number 5 YAY!!!!! :)

Hi All :)

I hope your week is off to a great start :)

Well, I have been so busy that this one nearly got away from me this year - how is that even possible?!?! LOL!!!! :)

A couple of days ago my little blog turned 5 :)

Oh it is all grown up and almost ready to go off to school, lol :)

Not much has changed on my blog over that time and I keep thinking I may give it a little makeover but, well, I just like it the way it is right now so why mess with it? :)

 I wanted to say a BIG "THANK YOU" to Everyone who has been so generous with their support, caring advice, friendship and all the wonderful comments that have kept us connected over the years, I truly appreciate you all :)

So, on this special occasion I wanted to hold a Giveaway to show just how much I appreciate the LOVE :)

You know I do not like to give away just one item, so here goes :)

First, I will be giving away this lovely iphone 4/4s case with one of my Ocean Waves images on it :)

Value $42.00 :)


Then, I just starting selling these lovely greeting cards in my Etsy shop and thought a set of these would make a great Gift :)

A set of 5 cards (one of each) 

Value $16.25 :)

You can see these (description) in my Etsy Shop HERE :)

I'm sure you are dying to know how you can win one of these lovely Gifts right?!?!?!

It is simple :)

Just leave me a comment and tell me what you like about my little Blog :)

It is that easy, I'm not going to have you go off and "Fav" things in my Etsy shop, go to my facebook page or share this anywhere, unless you want to that is, lol :)

There will be just one entry for each person :)
(Must be a follower of this blog to qualify for entry in the Giveaway :)

This Giveaway will run until Midnight (PST) Saturday 31st May 2014 :)

Can't wait to read your comments :)

Thanks again for 5 wonderful years of Blogging :)

Happy Monday to you all :)

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.

MY YEAR IN PHOTOS 2013 :)

Hi All :)

I hope you are all doing well and enjoying life :)

For the past few years now I have been keeping score of how many photos I take each year with my Nikon camera and also sharing with you some of the photos that I really haven't had time to share before as the year whizzed by so quickly! (Don't they all, lol :)

So, for the record I only took approx. 7,000 photos in 2013 compared to the previous years that is way down but still, I got some great shots and feel good about my work progressing :)

You can see the previous posts and photos here; 2012, 2011 and 2010 :)

                          

        Well, I usually do this post at the end of January and so I know I am like nearly 3 months behind with posting these images but here                                      is my 2013 in Photos :)

(it is really hard to just pick 2 photos for each month to share with you guys but you don't want to be here for a whole year looking at them, LOL!!! :)

                               I Hope you enjoy them :)

JANUARY

                                                 click on photos to see larger images :)

New Years Day in Lake Oswego, Oregon. A bright but chilly start to the year :) This is a little glimpse of the Willamette River, the photo is of these old pilings (the birds love to sit on them ) the trees from upstream were getting caught up in them but a few days later (as the river was running so quickly) these trees were gone. (SOOC SHOT)

Later into January I looked out of my bedroom window one morning and saw a very frosty Oak Tree, we were in for a cold spell :(

FEBRUARY

And so the cold frost continued into February :(

And continued...............(my poor Wisteria)

MARCH

So, it was time to go off to sunny California, get away from the cold and celebrate my B.Day :) 

(SOOC SHOT)

If you want to see the San Diego photos you can see them HERE :)

We came home to lots and lots of rain but a few weeks later out came the Daffodils and the Grape hyacinths in the garden, oh and the sun too! YAY!! :) (SOOC SHOT)

APRIL

I LOVE the way this building in Portland is painted, so bright and cheery, we need it! So many houses are painted in "Northwest" colours, so they are dark and dreary :(  (SOOC SHOT)

(You all know my house is painted yellow right :)

My Hubby & I celebrated our 30th Wedding Anni in 2013, a milestone for sure :) I would not let him order flowers (yes, I am that bossy, lol :) So, he bought these, at the local store, for me instead, so pretty :) (SOOC SHOT)

If you missed the Wedding Photos you can see them HERE :)

MAY

In May, we headed to the Midwest to celebrate our Son's college Graduation, you can see those photos HERE :) 

Oh, we flew into Chicago and took a little road trip first; we were driving around looking for somewhere to eat and I noticed the sun setting behind this roller-coaster at the Six Flags in Gurnee, Il. It made me giggle because our family's fav. Christmas movie in "Christmas Vacation"; Eddie says; "....gas money give out in Gurnee" LOL!!!  :) (SOOC SHOT)

Windmill in Holland, Michigan :)

JUNE

In all the years I have been growing Poppies, I have never seen one that has literally just "hatched" I was so excited, of course I grabbed my camera :) (SOOC SHOT)

We see a LOT of clouds in Oregon but for me this was so unusual because they literally came right down onto the road. Believe me there are some Mounts and hills behind that mass. (SOOC SHOT)

JULY

I added a textural layer over this photo of our garden shed :)

We stopped at this small park off Hwy. 18 on the way to the Oregon Coast; I just loved how still the water was making the reflections amazing :) (SOOC SHOT)

AUGUST

I had to show you at least one Rose shot; this one is in my back garden, I LOVE it :) (SOOC SHOT)

I LOVE taking photos of building, this one has a tree growing inside of it and a creeper inside behind the door. It is made of a mix match of things. (Portland Oregon) (SOOC SHOT)

SEPTEMBER

Party Table (unfortunately not for me) at my fav. winery (PONZI) in Wine Country, Oregon :) 

(SOOC SHOT)

"Mouse Party" These are my fav. I love the shape and colours, I had the pink one for a long time and then of course when I needed to get another one they had discontinued the pink, WHAT!!!! I freaked out and bought the last red one I could find and multiple blue ones, I think I am covered for a while, lol :) 

(SOOC SHOT)

OCTOBER

On a bright Sunny Fall Day driving around the neighborhood I spied these lovely California Poppies in full bloom growing at the bottom of a telegraph pole, so cool :) 

 (SOOC SHOT)

As I was crossing the mighty Columbia River via the "Bridge of the Gods" heading to Skamania Lodge, I looked West and quickly took this shot as the sun had just set and the gorge was flooded with so many lovely colours :) (SOOC SHOT)

NOVEMBER

This shot was taken well into November (in Portland), I couldn't believe these beautiful Autumn leaves were still so bright and colourful and hanging in there :)

(SOOC SHOT)

The beautiful morning Fall light glowing thru the Oak Trees in our back garden :) Shot taken thru my bedroom window :) (SOOC SHOT)

DECEMBER

Vintage Dakin Pom Pom Santa Xmas Tree Ornament :) (story behind this next blog post or you would be here all year, lol  :)

(SOOC SHOT)

Xmas twinkle lights in a park in Lake Oswego, Oregon :) 

(SOOC SHOT)

So, again, this past year I have been working with multi layering photography, as well as challenging myself to continue my quest to produce beautiful imagery with SOOC (Straight out of camera) and no flash photos.

So, I hope you enjoyed my 2013 Year in Photos :)

Let me know what you think :)

Have a lovely Monday :)

Happy Painting/Creating! :) T.