Seven Wonders of Oregon at Wallow Foundation

When I was in middle school we had to do a project to graduate 8th grade.   I chose to focus my studies on the Oregon Trail as my mom had always talked about how my family came over on the wagon trains.  During that project I made match stick wagons with my step mom and learned that I was in fact seventh generation Oregonian.  As an adult this project still sits in my mind with such clarity it surprises me.

To say I love Oregon is an understatement.  I genuinely I cannot imagine dying in another state let alone living there.  So when Travel Oregon came out with their Seven Wonders of Oregon I couldn't not go.  As started to plan the trips that would get me out into some parts of Oregon I had never been I had no idea how integral some of these trips would eventually be.  Nor would I imagine the beautiful selection of paintings that would come from these experiences and just how beautiful they would be at Wallow Foundation. I wanted to share with you each of these pieces and how they came to be.

All seven paintings up at Wallow Foundation

Oregon Coast

Our first trip was to the Oregon Coast.  I have spent my entire life going to the Oregon Coast.  It was not going to be a new experience. However this would be the first time that I was taking my paintings supplies to try and document the experience for myself. It was personally an important trip my for my wife and I.  At the time we had just met and it was our first real trip away.  I remember running in the rain and just discovering a part of the coast that would eventually call home.  Included in this painting are the average low, high and median temperatures of the Oregon Coast.

Smith Rock

Painted Hills

Our next trip was a double doozy where we went out to Bend and then did two separate day trips. The first trip was a trip I had been dreaming of taking for a long time. I could not imagine a place that would be more incredible than the Painted Hills.  I was moved to tears that incredible ways in which the natural world looks like an abstract painting.   The second trip was Smith Rock State Park.  Surprisingly Smith Rock blew my mind with the sheer magnitude of the park.  That is one of the trips we will absolutely repeat.  Included in the Painted Hills paintings is the number of acres that the state park covers.  Included in the Smith Rock Painting is the climb rating for the exciting climb, Monkey Face.

Painted Hills

Smith Rock State Park

Crater Lake

Our next trip was a monumental one.  We scheduled a week at Crater Lake for my birthday.   My wife surprised me with a scavenger hunt around our campsite that ended in a proposal.  We spent the week hiking through the park which is part of The Pacific Crest Trail through the west coast.   We hiked the rim and then did the climb to go down to the water.  Included in the Crater Lake painting is the depth of the deepest point of Crater Lake.

Crater Lake

Columbia Gorge

Living in Portland the Columbia Gorge is literally our back yard. It is the go to hike for my friends so visiting this wonder was easy.  We took a group hike with our friends during wildflower season.  It still amazes me the way that wildflower grow through old burn zones.  Sadly last year a young teenager through a firecracker into our beloved Gorge.  I included in this painting the number of acres heart breakingly burned by that wild fire.  We have lost some of my favorite hikes but I cannot wait to see how the wildflowers take over those lands.

Mt Hood

                                                                      Like the Columbia Gorge, Mt Hood is in Portlands back yard.  We especially love to snow shoe on Mt Hood. The painting is particularly important in that it includes the longitude and latitude on Mt Hood where my wife and I got married.  

Wallowas

The last trip that we took was to the Wallowas in Eastern Oregon.  We chose to go during the total solar eclipse and it was truly magical.  The sheer energy of the area had me painting all week.  Furiously.  We enjoyed hiking several days in the Eagle Cap Wilderness as well as staying in the most beautiful farmhouse airbnb.  Included in the painting is the hike number of The Chief Joseph Hike.   An especially memorable hike for my wife and I.

These beautiful paintings are coming home next week and will be available for sale in my shop shortly after that.   If you are interested in purchasing feel free to reach out to me and we can get the sale arranged. 

xoxo Kirista

Paintings in the Wild