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About Hermiston herald. (Hermiston, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 24, 2018)
B4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2018 NEWS Hat Rock artist puts abstract spin on nature Hat Rock artist develops an international following with fresh look at nature By JADE MCDOWELL STAFF WRITER Jean Christofori Howton sees beauty everywhere. “Cabbages are wonderful to paint and draw,” she said, holding up a small painting layered in every shade of green imaginable. “They’re drowning in deep shadows.” She slid the cabbage painting into a blank section of wall underneath a draw- ing of sheep, testing the fit. She was working last- Wednesday afternoon — as she was every day that week — to transform her home into the Hat Rock Art Gallery ahead of an open house she was planning for Saturday. The house’s architec- ture already has an art gal- lery vibe. Visitors walking through the front door are greeted by a mirrored wall underneath a spacious loft with vaulted ceilings. Nat- ural lighting filters through skylights and tall windows with views of the Columbia River. Most noticeable is the art covering every wall. In the kitchen, it’s black and white pencil drawings of llamas and chickens. Upstairs, large abstract paintings present swirling mixes of rich color in the loft, while the “skywalk” connected to STAFF PHOTO BY E.J. HARRIS Artist Jean Cristofori Howton holds up a print of one of her original pencil drawings at her home Wednesday in Hat Rock. the loft features oil paint- ings of planets in purple and blue. On Wednesday, there were still some blank spaces to be filled with the paint- ings stretched across the car- pet of the loft. Howton said she pulled much of the art- work from every nook and cranny of her house, where it has been stashed for years, but she was also working on some new pieces that would be available at the open house. “I had so many pieces of art tucked away every- where, I’m getting every- thing uncluttered,” she said. Howton said she feels she was born an artist. She remembers how much she loved finger painting during her earliest school years, and after that she was always “scribbling” some- thing. Her art matured as she did, and in college she took plenty of art classes in various mediums. She fell in love, got mar- ried and raised a family, but she never stopped drawing and painting. “It just kept creeping along, and finally it was on a level that was professional,” she said. Howton has shown her work at galleries in the Pacific Northwest and in Europe. Posters from her French openings can be seen around the house. She and her husband bought their Hat Rock home in 1986, but he died only seven years later. After- ward, Howton decided to head to France with a friend who was from there, and she stayed 10 years in Normandy. She loved the French art scene. “They are very enthralled with artwork,” she said. The French countryside was an inspiration for much of her representational art, which often features rolling pastures of cows or herds of sheep. She is also fascinated by llamas. “They’re such strange creatures,” she said. Even the cabbage comes from France, where large, colorful, fresh produce was abundant. “Vegetable shopping in France was absolutely amazing,” she said. Her abstract art is rooted in the natural world as well. A painting with yel- low shapes is titled “Bug Wings,” while one in beige and black is titled “Wren’s First Nest.” Howton finds inspira- tion in walks around the Hat Rock area and paints in her loft, using wooden boards as palettes. After the boards are filled with layers of color, she cuts them up into their own unique pieces of art. On Saturday, all of How- ton’s art was on display at her Hat Rock Art Gallery. She called it Le Crecendo, or “The Grand Sale,” and welcomed prospective buy- ers. Photos of her work and other information about her past exhibitions can be found online at www.jean- creates.com. Umatilla, Morrow counties look at joint transit plan By JAYATI RAMAKRISHNAN STAFF WRITER Mass transit is big-city fixture, but rural ride-shar- ing could soon be making a surge in Eastern Oregon. Morrow and Umatilla county commissioners held a joint meeting Oct. 10 to hear a presentation about tran- sit strategies for the region, which looked at the needs in each county for getting peo- ple to work, and some pos- sible shuttle services that the counties could implement. Commissioners from both boards said they will likely approve the plan at meetings later this month. The Portland planning firm Kittleson and Associ- ates spent about two years collecting data to complete the transit study, which included a breakdown of how many people work in each county, the major employers in each, the per- centage of people that live and work in the same county versus those that commute, and the public transportation options currently available in each county. The bulk of the report, which is available on both counties’ websites, was devoted to identifying sev- eral transit strategies to tar- get the region’s current needs, along with each strat- egy’s priority level and a time frame in which it could be implemented (near-term or long-term). Five potential new bus or shuttle services were identified, as well as two that would modify exist- ing services. The services included four high-priority projects: transit from Board- E-Z man to Hermiston, from Pendleton to Kennewick, from Heppner to Board- man, and a shuttle within the Port of Morrow. The report also included a strategy for a shuttle from Arlington to Boardman, ranked as a medi- um-level priority. The report also offered plans to modify existing ser- vices between Grant County and Pendleton, using the existing transit service, Grant County People Mover. Principal planner Matt Hughart noted that statewide, 8 percent of households have zero cars. The same is true for Umatilla County, and in Morrow County, only 3 per- cent of households have no access to a vehicle. Hughart also broke down the numbers of people that travel between counties to get to work. Only 37 percent of Mor- row County’s workforce lives there, with about 28 percent commuting from Umatilla County. Sixty-six percent of Umatilla County’s work- force lives in the county but, as Hughart noted, peo- ple frequently travel across the county to get to work. Hughart said the strategies address all targeted areas where there is a significant need, and that would serve the largest number of house- holds and workforce. According to the study, all of the strategies could be implemented by exist- ing transit companies, such as The Loop in Morrow County or Kayak in Umatilla County. Although the report laid out several specific tran- sit strategies that the two counties could implement, Hughart said none of the details are set in stone. He added that while plans could be implemented sep- arately, they would be most beneficial to the region if they function as pieces of one larger system. “They really should be considered as layers — all implemented one on top of the other,” he said. The report included cost estimates to implement all the strategies. Hughart noted that the cost to implement the Boardman-Hermiston shut- tle was on the higher side — $250,000 to $300,000 — but would likely be the most utilized. The funds would come from some statewide pay- roll taxes: the Statewide Transportation Improvement Fund (STIF), and the Special Transportation Fund. Morrow County Plan- ning Director Carla McLane said though both commis- sions may approve the plan this month, it may take some time to start implementing the strategies. “I think the real question is, how much money is actu- ally being collected through the tax program, and how much is going back to the local communities?” She said. “And which projects will we prioritize?” McLane said there are STIF Advisory Committees in both Umatilla and Morrow counties that will make rec- ommendations to the boards of commissioners about which projects are most rel- evant to the area. Though the strategies have been formu- lated for both counties, each county will approve the plan separately, and can make changes to it individually. The report also suggested setting up park-and-ride areas, which would allow people in rural areas to com- mute to a more central loca- tion in their own vehicles, and then take public tran- sit to work. Though it iden- tified park-and-ride areas as lower priority projects, Uma- tilla County Commissioner George Murdock said such areas could be beneficial to the region. “It’’s about education and habit,” he said. “We don’t live in an area that embraces NO DIVORCE $155 NO Court Appearances www.paralegalalternatives.com Divorce in 1-5 weeks Possible! Complete Preparation Includes: Children ·Custody ·Support ·Property ·Bills Division legalalt@msn.com 503 503-772-5295 EARTHLINK INTERNET SELF STORAGE HIGH SPEED INTERNET ON SITE MANAGEMENT NOW OFFERING OUR 12X30 STORAGE FOR: • Business • Commercial • Household • Small RV •Autos • Boats Enjov big-time Internet speeds without spending big bucks! Get Connected for as low as NEW CUSTOMER COUPON SPECIAL! 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Employers were surveyed, but individ- ual employees did not pro- vide information. Umatilla County Com- missioner Bill Elfering said while he thinks the plan is a good start, the second component is growing the workforce. “I think this may help, but will it create a new worker? I don’t know,” he said. Commissioners from both boards said they were happy with the increased inter- county collaboration. “I think it’s our third joint meeting, and I look for- ward to more,” said Mor- row County Commissioner Melissa Lindsay. Re-elect LORI DAVIS For City Council • Genuine • Authentic • Experienced • Hometown Proud “For the past 8 years, I have been part of the growth and development in Hermiston, Oregon. We are now the largest town in Umatilla County.” Please Vote On: NOV. 6, 2018! “Make Life Sweeter”