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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 8, 2017)
Wednesday, November 8, 2017 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon Oil paintings on display at library By Sue Stafford Correspondent Chris Nelson, co-owner of the new Wildflower Studio in Sisters, is the featured artist for the Friends of the Sisters Library art exhibit in the com- puter room of the library for the month of November. Her warm rich oils of landscapes, still life, song- birds, and dogs also showcase Nelson’s framing talents. She moved to Sisters 15 years ago from Minnesota, and had been doing art framing at the Clearwater Gallery since two weeks after her arrival, before opening Wildflower Studio. Nelson was an art major at St. Olaf’s College in her native Minnesota. “In college, (art) was the thing that was easy,” Nelson recalled. “I loved college. Everything was fun.” After graduating from college, Nelson spent a year in China teaching English. She began framing when she returned to Minnesota, as well as getting married and having her three boys. “My dream was to become a painter, and I stayed in a field connected to painting,” she explained. My dream was to become a painter, and I stayed in a field connected to painting. — Chris Nelson Looking for a new arts community when leaving Minnesota, Nelson and her family drove through the West, decided against Sun Valley, and then discovered Sisters one fall. The next spring, they moved to Oregon. “If you can move down the street, you can move across the country,” Nelson said. “We just fit in Sisters. It has felt that way ever since we moved here … The boys have grown up knowing the outdoors.” Nelson has found fun (or made it) wherever she has been. Right now, with her new artist studio/gallery/framery with business partner Wendy Rickards, she is enjoying hav- ing more time to just do what she loves. “There are things I want to explore; like trying looser, bigger oils. I have a little stu- dio at home, too, so I can paint either place. I love the light in the new store,” Nelson added. She had promised herself that when her youngest son graduated from high school, it would be her time. He just PHOTO BY SUE STAFFORD Artist and framer Chris Nelson stands in front of her depiction of aspen trees in the fall. started his freshman year at Portland State University. All of the pieces exhib- ited at the library are for sale. Most are original oils. The small birds and the two Labrador retrievers are giclee prints on canvas. Nelson pre- fers working in oils. “I like the feel of oils. I love the look of the old mas- ters,” she said. When her children were small, oils were a logical choice. “You can come back to them after stopping (for the kids). I was able to be frugal – not wasting paints.” Nelson also has pieces on display at Wildflower Studio, 103 E. Hood Ave., Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Sunday, 12 to 3 p.m.; and by appoint- ment, 541-904-0673. I like the feel of oils. I love the look of the old masters. — Chris Nelson The Central Oregon Spinners and Weavers Guild exhibit continues in the library Community Room through November. BEYOND ORDINARY Hand-forged architectural iron work Come visit our showroom today. 7 Fire district offers car-seat check-up The Sisters-Camp Sherman Rural Fire Protection District will be conducting a child car-seat checkup event on Friday, November 10, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The event will be held at the fire station at 301 S. Elm St. in Sisters. Nationally certified car-seat technicians will check the child’s seat for recalls, proper fit in the vehicle, and proper fit with the child. Caregivers will then be assisted in installing their child’s seat properly. Please plan to bring your child or children and allow approximately 20 min- utes for each seat. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), motor-vehicle injuries are the leading cause of prevent- able deaths and injuries to children in the United States. Correctly used child safety seats can reduce the risk of death by as much as 71 per- cent. Most car seats are either installed incorrectly, or do not fit the child properly. All children under 4 feet 9 inches in height should ride in a car seat, with a few exceptions. This can include children up to 8 years old. For more information call the Sisters-Camp Sherman fire station at 541-549-0771. . Here’s Your Retirement Countdown If you want to enjoy a comfortable retirement lifestyle, you don’t need to have been born rich or even to have earned scads of mon- ey during your working years. But you do need to make the right moves at the right time – which means you might want to start a “retirement countdown” well before you draw your fi nal paycheck. What might such a countdown look like? Here are a few ideas: Ten years before retirement – At this stage of your career, you might be at, or at least near, your peak earning capacity. At the same time, your kids may have grown and left the home, and you might even have paid off your mortgage. All these factors, taken together, may mean that you can aff ord to “max out” on your IRA and your 401(k) or other employer-sponsored retirement plan. And that’s exactly what you should do, if you can, because these retirement ac- counts off er tax benefi ts and the opportunity to spread your dollars around a variety of investments. Five years before retirement – Review your Social Security statement to see how much you can expect to receive each month at various ages. You can typically start collecting benefi ts as early as 62, but your monthly checks will be signifi cantly larger if you wait until your “full” retirement age, which will likely be 66 (and a few months) or 67. Your payments will be bigger still if you can aff ord to wait until 70, at which point your benefi ts reach their ceil- ing. In any case, you’ll need to weigh several factors – your health, your family history of longevity, your other sources of retirement income – before deciding on when to start taking Social Security. One to three years before retirement – To help increase your income stream during retirement, you may want to convert some – but likely not all – of your growth-oriented investments, such as stocks and stock-based vehicles, into income-producing ones, such as bonds. Keep in mind, though, that even during your retirement years, you’ll still likely need your portfolio to provide you with some growth potential to help keep you ahead of infl ation. One year before retirement – Evaluate your retirement in- come and expenses. It’s particularly important that you assess your healthcare costs. Depending on your age at retirement, you may be eligible for Medicare, but you will likely need to pay for some supplemental coverage as well, so you will need to budget for this. Also, as you get closer to your actual retirement date, you will need to determine an appropriate withdrawal rate for your invest- ments. How much should you take each year from your IRA, 401(k) and other retirement accounts? Th e answer depends on many factors: the size of these accounts, your retirement lifestyle, your projected longevity, whether you’ve started taking Social Se- curity, whether your spouse is still working, and so on. A fi nancial professional can help you determine an appropriate withdrawal rate. Th ese aren’t the only steps you need to take before retirement, nor do they need to be taken in the precise order described above. But they can be useful as guidelines for a retirement countdown that can help ease your transition to the next phase of your life. This article was written by Edward Jones for use by your local Edward Jones Financial Advisor. 541-549-9280 • Sisters Industrial Park www.PonderosaForge.com | CCB# 87640
