4A
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APPEAL TRIBUNE
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 21, 2017
Life in the
Valley y
sanews@salem.gannett.com
The joy of painting ... furniture
Brightening up her
surroundings relaxes
Mt. Angel woman
JUSTIN MUCH
APPEAL TRIBUNE
Martha Kosel of Mt. Angel describes
her painting as “whimsical.”
Some may also use the term “col-
orful” to describe the brush-stroked
makeovers she applies to various ta-
bles, benches, cabinets, and the like.
One word Martha will consistently
apply to her hobby is “relaxing.” Anoth-
er is “fun.”
About a year ago Martha retired
from Hospice Care of the Northwest
where she worked as a certified nurs-
ing assistant – a job with an obvious
inherent stress level tucked into its
daily tasks.
Painting has always served Martha
with a dependable release of that
stress, and no less so in her retirement.
“In the past I have painted furniture
for my use and also as gifts for friends.
I even painted a chair for a co-worker
and the staff signed the chair as her
retirement card,” Martha said.
The trick is to find things to paint,
and a place for them after she paints.
“My husband (Jim Kosel) of almost
50 years, will not let me keep every-
thing I paint, so I started a few weeks
ago begging people for items to paint. I
did two small tables for Bauman’s
Farms and the bench in front of Silver-
ton Chocolate Box.”
Now, Bauman Farms has some of
her work on sale.
Martha doesn’t just paint any old
way; she takes a good, hard look at what
she’s about to apply her brush to and
plans out what she wants the final
adornment to be. She’s also choosy
about her medium.
“Right now the real popular thing is
chalk paint. I don’t do that; I don’t like
the way it looks,” she said.
“Painting is enjoyable and I can let
my creative juices go wild…I try to add
butterflies, ladybugs, and even an ant
or spider for fun.”
The word “fun” is essential to the
task and its continuance.
“I really enjoy doing this. I’ll do it as
long as it’s fun,” Martha said.
ROBERT WAY/SPECIAL TO THE SILVERTON APPEAL TRIBUNE
Jim and Martha Kosel of Mt. Angel.
SPECIAL TO THE APPEAL TRIBUNE
Retired hospice care worker Martha Kosel of Mt. Angel finds relaxations and fun through the adornment of common furniture.