Wallowa Valley Center For Wellness

Boise Open Studios announces new members, upcoming events

Boise Open Studios Collective (BOSCO) welcomes new members Bonnie Peacher (painter), Geoff Everts (illustrator), Jaki Katz Ashford (painter, sculptor), Jany Rae Seda (painter), Nancy Panganiban (painter), Rachel Teannalach (painter) and Robert Carter (steel).

Sue Latta, an adjunct art professor at Boise State, was this year's independent juror. The seven new members will join BOSCO's current membership for this year's Open Studios Preview show at Boise Art Museum from 5 to 9 p.m. on Oct. 6 and for the Open Studios weekend on Oct. 15-16.

Several BOSCO members have received awards recently, or will have their work exhibited:

—Rachel Teannalach and Belinda Isley were selected to design art for traffic boxes in Boise, to be unveiled in September. Rachel's at 9th and Bannock and Belinda's in front of Fork Restaurant.

—Lisa Cheney-Jorgenson's work is featured in Art Journaling by Somerset Studio, Summer 2011 edition.

—Jaki Katz Ashford was awarded First Place at The Wallowa Valley Festival of the Arts for her bronze sculpture "Deep Strings".

—Barbara Louise Bowling's Primal 'Night Lily' is accepted into the 13th Biennial International Juried Enamel Exhibition "Alchemy". The show is held in conjunction with the national Enamelist's Society biennial meeting in Gatlinburg, TN and will then travel around the country.

—Lynn Fraley's recent sculpture, "Rocket's Merry Jet", was accepted to the American Academy of Equine Art's 2011 Fall Open Juried Exhibition. The show will run Sept. 2 through Oct. 15 at the Scott County Arts and Cultural Center in Georgetown, Kentucky.

Upcoming member shows:

—Metal Mixed Media artist Zella Bardsley is October's featured artist at The Art Source Gallery.

—Photographer Eric Obendorf is featured at Green Chutes in October.

—Rachel Teannalach's solo show at Sage Yoga & Wellness Sept. 1-Oct. 31 includes her newest venture into portraiture with kaleidoscope paintings.

Patterns versus gambling

Gambling has become a part of the Oregon landscape, culture and economy. Oregon has more forms of legalized gambling and offers easier access to gambling than most other states. Problem gambling remains a hidden issue that can have devastating effects on individuals, families and the community.  Some people become addicted to gambling in much the same way a person can become addicted to drugs or alcohol.

A definition of gambling is to risk money or something of value on the outcome of an unpredictable chance, event or contest. We intellectually understand this, and would agree. But for the problem gambler, they are in denial as to whether it truly is unpredictable. Many gamblers are superstitious to the point where posture, color of socks, time of day, etc. have an effect on outcomes.

The Gambler’s Fallacy: the belief that one can predict the outcome of random events. How does this happen?

We aren’t assured of why this happens to extremes in some individuals more than others anymore than we can predict any other addictions. We do know some of what is behind it is that all human beings have natural predispositions to find patterns in everything. It is a natural survival mechanism. We use what we learn daily to make the next right decision to keep us alive.  We need this information as much as anything to deal with the struggles of living.

The brain can’t help it. It automatically looks for patterns. This evolved when patterns were natural. In today’s technological, random world, pattern perception gives rise to superstitions, such as The Gambler’s Fallacy.

Knowing this, one might likely question the point that as odds are posted on most methods of gaming, is it even really gambling? We are initially told that the only variable to outcome that we can control is how long we want to play. If we stay long enough, we are told the outcome.    

Because of the risk and consequences of problem gambling, it is a growing health concern. It is characterized by increasing preoccupation with and loss of control over gambling, restlessness or irritability when attempting to stop gambling and/or continued gambling despite serious negative consequences.

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