The Artist Studio Tour is a well loved event in Sisters, Oregon. It is a self-guided tour, open to the public. There is no admission fee and proceeds for all sales go directly to the artist. commission free. We hope to see you there.
One Artist's Report on the 2025 Artist Studio Tour....
Another Successful Artist Studio Tour for 2025
Sisters is a beautiful environment that naturally attracts artists. In September of 2025, our ninth year of the tour, we represented 25 working artists at 16 Open Artist Studios and Hosting Galleries. Visitors from all over the Northwest toured the studios over two days. Art lovers got a chance to meet artists and learn more about them and their work. Art was purchased directly from the artists, commission free. Visitors signed up for workshops and one-on-one learning opportunities. Artists were commissioned to create new projects for collectors. It was all about art lovers and artists getting to know each other.
Claire Elmer, reporting for KTVZ summed it up in an interview with Taylor Manoles, who shared Danae Bennett Miller’s Sculpture studio on the tour.
The Artist Studio Tour is over for 2025, but you can still meet artists and see their new work at Galleries and ArtWalls in Sisters during Fourth Friday Artwalks, or anytime online, HERE.
Jacob Norris - Featured Art Walls Artist at The Barn
This event is on Friday, April 25, 2025 from 4 to 8 pm at The Barn in Sisters at 171 E. Main Avenue.
Jacob Norris is a celebrated artist known for his captivating works that often blend elements of nature with abstract expressionism. His unique style and ability to evoke emotion through bold colors and intricate designs have earned him a dedicated following both locally and beyond. Jacob's art pieces are not just to be viewed; they are to be experienced, offering viewers an opportunity to see the world through his minds eye.
This meet and greet is not just about art appreciation; it's about community, connection, and inspiration. It is a wonderful opportunity to meet with and support local artists and the vibrant art scene in Central Oregon. Mark your calendars and don't miss out on this exceptional event! Gather your friends, family, and fellow art lovers for an unforgettable evening with Jacob Norris. We look forward to seeing you there, celebrating art and creativity in our community.
Denise Kester Book Talk
This event is on April 24, 2025 starting at 6:30 p.m.
Denise Kester is a nationally recognized and collected artist from Oregon. She will be presenting her book, “Drawing on the Dream,” an visual and narrative account of using art to navigate her life as an artist. She will also talk about art as a way to navigate dark and stormy times and envisioning a positive way forward. Denise has been featured on Oregon Artbeat as one of Oregon’s best art story-tellers and inspirational creatives. She will be accompanied by original music by Kathy Marshall, a Sisters singer/songwriter featuring songs from her fourth album “A Raven’s Dream” – A perfect pairing with the themes and characters in Kesters’ book.
This Saturday and Sunday
September 21–22 From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
SAA's once-a-year Artist Studio Tour and a chance to visit with 18 highly popular and collectable artists at 12 home studios and hosting galleries.
CLICK HERE...
To get your own copy of the Artist studio Tour Guide. You can download a printable PDF or just have it available on your phone or tablet. This is a self-guided tour so you can plan your own route to meet the artists that interest you most and see and learn more about their work.
MORE HERE...
To see today's news story about the Open Studios and artists on the tour.
MORE HERE...
To see a recent article on a couple of the newest artists to join the tour.
MORE HERE...
To read about new work from a well established and widely collected artist.
You can also pick up a full color printed edition of the Artist Studio Tour Guide at the following locations:
Artist Studios
Art Galleries in Sisters
Paulina Springs Books in Sisters
Sisters Coffee Company
Fika Sisters Coffeehouse
Sisters Moviehouse
MORE ABOUT THE ARTISTS HERE...
To see a list of the participating artists and follow links to their websites and social media.
PARTICIPATE IN OUR ARTIST TOUR QUICK DRAW:
Register at all galleries you visit and increase your chances to win one of two $50 gift certificates – good at any participating gallery. Thanks to Cascade Hasson Sotheby's Real Estate in Sisters for their support.
2024 Artist Studio Tour
SAVE THE DATE: September 21-22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day
Visit 18 fine artists in 12 home studios and hosting galleries. SAA’s eighth annual Artist Studio Tour is self-guided so you can experience this event at your own pace. Choose the artists you want to meet and take all the time you want to visit. It is an opportunity to get to know them up close and personal and experience their art in a very special way. Download an interactive copy of the 2024 Artist Studio Tour Guide with active links to artist websites where you can learn more about them and their art.
SAA 4th Friday Artwalk Highlights (3/22/24 Amanda Morton of Space in Common Gallery)
Artwalk current date details here
RAKU AFTER DARK
A Live Firing demonstration at during SAA Fourth Friday Artwalk at Canyon Creek Pottery - Friday, November 24, 2023.
Master Potter Ken Merrill will be pulling pots from the raku kiln, starting at 5 p.m. at his gallery at 310 N. Cedar in Sisters. Western style raku involves removing pottery from the kiln while red-hot and placing it into a container with combustible materials. Once the materials ignite, the container is closed, producing an intense reduction atmosphere, which creates the colors in glazes and produces deliberate crackling. It will be a lively and exciting demonstration, and you get to see beautiful pottery created in real time. From red-hot to beautiful finished pots in minutes.
Click on the images to start the videos.
Raku After Dark
2023 Sisters Artist Studio Tour Has a Special Purpose
Amelia Morton SAA artist member & gallery owner of Space in Common and featured during our 2023 Artist Studio Tour, Sat-Sun, 9/23-9/24, 10am-4pm
March Kickoff of the 2023 SAA 4th Friday Artwalks (courtesy KTVZ-21)
2022 September Example of the SAA Annual Artist Studio Tour (courtesy KTVZ)
See event at: https://www.sistersartsassociation.org/sistersstudiotour.
Holiday Home Show
SAA artists are hosting a HOME SHOW on December 3rd & and 4th 2022, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. 17192 Jordan Road, Sisters, OR. This show will feature the pottery of Mitch and Michelle Deaderick and the jewelry of Josepha Fine Art. Check out the details below.
Open Studio and Sculpture Unveiling
Click on the image above to see an enlarged view. – Photo by Dennis Schmidling
THIS SATURDAY, AUGUST 7, 2:00 p.m.
Announcing the Unveiling of – “Out of the Mystic Past Comes the Teaching of the Deer” by J. Chester Armstrong
Above is a photo of the recent work by J. Chester Armstrong, depicting the evolution of wisdom, from the epoch of the cave man to modern times, in a poetic sculpture to be unveiled on Saturday, August 7, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at his studio in Sisters, Oregon. The public is welcome to this event. He will talk about the process involved in this creation from milled lumber to finished piece and what influences the creative process along the way.
Postscript: This event was attended by a large local turnout. The sculpture will now be installed in a private collection.
Public Dedication of the Sisters Heritage Mural
On June 5th the Sisters Arts Association, the Three Sisters Historical Society and the Habitat for Humanity held a public dedication of the Sisters Heritage Mural on the west wall of the Habitat for Humanity building. The city Mayor, Michael Preedin, cut the ribbon and commented to the public assembly that had gathered for the occasion, “I appreciate the Sisters Arts Association, the Three Sisters Historical Society, and Habitat for Humanity for collaborating on this project. I would like to see organizations do more of this We need to preserve more of the City’s history on it’s walls.”
There are a few more images that Steve DeLaitsch, the muralist, needs to complete before he heads home to Minnesota. Unusual weather has been quite a challenge to the project. There has been rain, hail, high winds, near freezing and 90 plus degree days where the artist said the paint began drying as the brush came out of the can and onto the wall. He will need to leave Sisters before he is able to complete the legend for the mural, but will complete that panel and send it to Sisters for installation later this summer.
The Sisters Arts Association and the Three Sisters Historical Society will be working on a brochure that will detail the history represented by each of the images in the mural. The brochure will be available onsite for visitors to take away. Councilor Gary Ross believes “the mural is a tremendous asset to the community. As people enter the town, it is highly visible on the side of the building. I think it represents the spirit of the town as it was and is now.”
KTVZ Evening News at the Mural Dedication Below:
SAA Sponsors a Historical Mural for the 75th Anniversary of the City of Sister
With the help of a Sisters Country philanthropist and generous donor to the arts, SAA is collaborating with the Three Sisters Historical Society and Habitat for Humanity on the creation of a mural to help commemorate the 75th anniversary of the founding of the City of Sisters. The mural will include images that go back much further than 75 years, to include depictions of early settlers and 1800’s Native American cultures. The mural is expected to be dedicated in early June. To learn more about this public arts project, click HERE.
4th Friday Artwalk Returns
“In Pursuit of Delight” by David Mensing, celebrating change and renewal.
The Sisters Arts Association’s Fourth Friday Art Walk is returning this month, focusing on featured artists and their work throughout the galleries of Sisters. This year the event is a little different. The Art Walk takes place during each gallery’s regular hours, generally 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., on the Fourth Friday of each month, May through September.
Gallery Walk Maps are available in any of the galleries. The maps also indicate where good food can be enjoyed. The focus is on art and artists, as galleries will not be offering food or beverage this year. To comply with safety recommendations, visitors are encouraged to take their time throughout the day, to stroll through galleries and adhere to other safety guidelines including masking indoors, and not overcrowding.
Visitors can stroll through town, engaging with artists and the wide variety of methods that they use to create art. Most galleries will be hosting featured artists, doing live demonstrations and showing examples of their work. For instance, on May 28 at The Clearwater Gallery, David Mensing will be painting on-and-off during the day, outdoors in the gallery’s Courtyard.
Growing up in Iowa, David was captivated by wide prairies and carefully groomed cornfields. He loved camping, backpacking, and biking trips. When he moved to the West as a young man, David fell in love with its raw beauty. He has worked professionally as an architect and a camp director. He has been certified as a white-water rafting guide and at one time was a talented pole vaulter. As an artist, he draws on his life experiences, and feels the importance of compelling designs and details relating to every aspect of the presentation of his art. Even his titles reflect the character and spiritual basis of his work. David and his wife Tina live in Sisters with their three children.
Many of the galleries in Sisters will be featuring an artist onsite for every Fourth Friday Artwalk. Visitors will have ample opportunity to get to know more about the artists and their work, see demonstrations, participate in learning and otherwise become more engaged with the art community in Sisters.
SAA is also bringing back its very popular Quick Draw, which gives away two $50 Gift Certificates each month, good in any of the participating galleries. Visitors can register once per gallery, during their stroll. The tickets are collected after the Art Walk, and two winning tickets are drawn. Winners can exchange their Gift Certificate for $50 worth of art or other merchandise in any one of the participating and supporting galleries. Thanks to Cascade Sotheby’s International Realty in Sisters for underwriting this year’s Quick Draw.
The Art Walk season will run from the May through September, concluding with SAA’s Fifth Annual Artist Studio Tour at the end of September.
Participating and supporting galleries on Hood, Cascade, and Main include: Hood Avenue Art, Gary Cooley Collection Gallery, Marigold & True, The Clearwater Gallery, Beacham’s Clock Company, The Stitchin’ Post, Sisters Gallery and Frame Shop, Ken Scott’s Imagination Gallery, Metals Studio Gallery, Wildflower Studio, Dyrk Godby Gallery, Cindy and Duncan Campbell Gallery at Sisters Art Works, Grizzly Ridge Makers Market, Antler Arts Gallery, and Raven Makes Gallery.
Gallery Maps will be available on the website in May. They will also be available at businesses and galleries throughout Sisters and or our website HERE..
Art Events Are Beginning to Happen Again
We have high hopes for the arts in 2021 and have been busy scouting for local events that are being scheduled for this year. It has been a long time since we could enjoy art events in public settings, so it is good news that things are starting to happen.
While some of the listings we’ve found are not SAA sponsored we remain committed to letting our member artists know about opportunities to show and sell their art. We encourage everyone to look into the possibilities to show your art and stay connected with art lovers. It is important to stay active and look for ways to share what you do. Staying passionate about your creative gifts is so important in times like this where isolation and separation from daily routines has been so severely affected.
We have posted a list of upcoming events that we know about HERE. Some of them require early registration and art delivery, so we encourage everyone to start planning now. We will continue to post more information as details become available. If you know about an event and would like to let us know, please email us HERE with current information.
SAA Members Gather Virtually
Over 40 people joined together in a Zoom gathering for the 2021 Annual Meeting.
As with most everything these days, the Sisters Arts Association (SAA) annual member meeting was done virtually this year. About 40 participants logged into ZOOM on Tuesday morning, January 26 amid comments like, “I’ve missed you all so much”; “Look at all the faces!” The meeting was facilitated by several board members and Secretary, Jennifer Hartwig, served as the MC. Association member and artist Kelley Salber kicked off the information-packed gathering with a poem to encourage artists, because without them, life would be a blank canvas.
The agenda included a plethora of information about collaborative projects, a calendar of events for the coming year, and opportunities to help our members promote their work and the Sisters Arts Association.
COLLABORATION
Sisters Country Community Connects
Sisters Country Community Connects (SCCC) is a collaborative project of local community-building organizations and the Citizens4Community nonprofit organization. A member of the SCCC website design team reported on the launch of this new, free online tool which is a communication and resource hub for all residents of Sisters Country to learn more about their neighbors and neighboring communities, foster greater community involvement, encourage local economic activity, and promote greater self-reliance. To learn more about this community website and how it might benefit you, visit HERE.
Historic Mural Project
Helen Schmidling, board member in charge of publicity, announced a new mural project for downtown Sisters. An anonymous developer will fund this project and has already specified the muralist. The theme will be historical, and the design committee will work with the Three Sisters Historical Society to develop the design and content. Sisters Arts Association will provide project management support. If you have any questions or ideas regarding this project, please email Helen (helen@sistersartsassociation.org). This project could be a springboard for other public art projects in Sisters. Contact SAA’s liaison for public art, with questions and/or ideas.
EVENTS
Studio Tour
Last fall there was record attendance and record sales for the 2020 Artist Studio Tour, in spite of the Covid-19 restrictions. Thirty-six artists displayed their work at 26 host artist studios, which turned out to be a very successful formula for artists to maximize their exposure, and for visitors to see more art with fewer stops. Plans are already underway for a 2021 Artist Studio Tour, currently scheduled for the weekend of September 25-26. We are considering the addition of an artist reception at the Sisters Firehouse on Friday, September 24. Registration will start in May or June. Stay tuned for more information.
Other Tour and Exhibition Opportunities
We are exploring other ideas raised by our association members for 2021. They could include several Open Studio receptions for SAA members only, so artists can gather socially and visit each other’s studios. We have talked about hosting special pop-up art exhibits in conjunction with special showings of films about art and artists at the Sisters Movie House. Check out some recently identified opportunities to show art by visiting our 2021 Calendar of Art Shows HERE.
4th Friday Art Walk
Michelle Deaderick of Hood Avenue Art Gallery and others are working hard to reinstate the 4th Friday Art Walk during the months of May through at least September. Galleries are looking at ways to un-crowd 4th Friday gatherings by making it a day-long event focusing on meeting featured artists, shared theme shows between galleries, and art demonstrations and more. Everyone looks forward to these events but it is important to ensure as much public safety as possible.
ASSOCIATION BUSINESS
Social Media & Grant-Writing
SAA’s Board Chair encouraged members to be mindful of how we all benefit when we work together to make the arts stronger in our community. Artists, galleries and supporters can help the organization, and themselves, by regularly posting news, events, and activities on their own social media outlets and linking them back to SAA’s website and social media pages. SAA does the same with all artists, galleries and supporting members. It was also emphasized how important grants are for growth and art community development. It takes funding to host public initiatives and events. If you are interested in helping with grant writing or grant review, contact us by email HERE.
New Board Candidates
SAA announced that it is expanding the board. Two new board members were elected in April and there are more positions open for interested candidates. An application is available HERE. The selection committee is looking for new, innovative ideas for growing and improving the organization.
Financial Report
The SAA treasurer reported that we began 2020 with a balance of $13,549 and ended it with a balance of $20,373.47.
· Quarterly Meeting
The next general membership meeting will be held in late Spring Early Summer.
Sisters artist creates “Pandemic Portraits”
When the world went into lockdown in mid-March of last year, people, when they did venture out of their homes, could be seen wearing masks of various kinds, and the masks caught the eye of Sisters artist Paul Alan Bennett. “My eye was drawn to the variety of masks, and in as much as they were awkward, there was both a strangeness and a sense of humor about them,” he said.
After much careful thought, Paul, a painter and a printmaker, decided to create portraits of people wearing their masks. And though he’s traditionally been known for creating colorful gouache paintings using a “knit stitch,” starry night skies, and mythology (as in his 2018 book, “Night Skies,”), and repurposing his art as clothing and Pendleton tapestries, this time Paul limited himself to one color – black – and one format, monotype. He created all of the images on the presses at Studio 6000, here in Sisters.
Paul’s first portrait was of a clerk at Ray’s Grocery. “When I posted it on Facebook, it got a lot of response, and I thought I’d do some more,” he said. “At first, I just did portraits of my fellow artists at Studio 6000 and then I expanded to the nearby coffeehouse Fika, the employees there, and people who would stop there for coffee.” Paul continued to make the portraits and post them to Facebook, where they continued to get positive response and build interest.
Paul always gets a person’s permission to take their photo with his cellphone, and after showing examples of the monotypes, they usually agree. “It’s become fun, and when I saw anyone who had a different kind of mask, or hairstyle, or who was doing something where I could include some elements of their work – whether in an auto shop or a bicycle repair shop – I incorporated that,” he said. Thus he has portrayed his doctor, May Fan, in her mask alongside a figure of a 17th Century plague doctor with his beaked mask, the beak that was filled with fragrant herbs to filter out the smell of death while protecting the all-important doctor; and his dental hygienist, Melissa, swathed in a halo of PPE.
“Every new piece gives me ideas for the next one,” he said. He has introduce elements like wind blowing through the hair, water in the splash pad, flames of wildfire, and hands raised in gratitude by a couple who narrowly escaped from their home in McKenzie Bridge. Animals joined their owners in several portraits: Kimry with her horse Dhiaa, Hattie with her sister’s chickens, Steve with his penguins, Danae with her sheep.
Each portrait led to another, then another, and by the time Paul had made 20, people began to suggest that he should do 40. At that point, the idea of publishing the collection in book form seemed quite possible. There are 88 portraits in the book, but he’s up to a hundred monotypes and still creating.
Paul has started a Kickstarter Campaign for this new book, Pandemic Portraits. You can support Paul’s Kickstarter Campaign at: kck.st/2KQTGfA (See Sidebar)
“Most of the people I interviewed started telling me how their lives had changed during the pandemic, and that became as much the subject of the book as the portraits,” he said. The portraits and text, together became the story of Sisters, a microcosm of a small community and how we’ve been affected by the pandemic. “I’ve tried to show visually and in story as many different angles as possible,” he said.
Asked if any of his subjects objected to the masks, he nodded. One gentleman complained that he’s being “forced” to wear a mask in order to do his job. Not everyone appreciates the principle of masking up during this time. On the other hand, another subject told how she’s made and sold thousands of masks, raising enough money for a down payment on a home.
The idea of Pandemic Portraits is in no way designed to minimize the severity of the Novel Coronavirus, or its effects on individuals and society as a whole. “We hear tragic stories every day, so this is a different take, from an artistic point of view. I hope there’s some optimism in these images,” Paul said. As weeks of 2020 became months, Paul gave his imagination plenty of room, and allowed his subconscious to come up with ideas, sometimes surreal, in how he’s portrayed these people.
“While this book is quite specific to Sisters, it’s quite universal in its story, because this is happening in every community around the world. I’m not trying to paint a bleak, depressing portrait of what’s going on. I’m trying to show a variety of options as to how people are dealing with these times, and there’s tragedy and comedy combined,” Paul said.
Paul said that rather than becoming overwhelmed or depressed, many artists have used these times to become more expressive. The news, Paul said, becomes fodder for the imagination. He genuinely feels that whether it’s poetry, song, or visual arts, there will be great creativity as a result of this time, some of which we won’t know for a while. “Our searching can be a very healthy thing,” he said.
Pandemic Portraits is one story of our times. Paul says, “What I’m trying to do is see the story of these times, knowing this will pass soon. I want to capture it now. The masks are a kind of tribal unity that can be a bonding opportunity. Perhaps it’s like one of those science fiction movies,” he said.
“I know that for me, this has been the most creative time of my life,” he concluded.