The Sisters Arts Association started to plan its fourth annual Artist Studio Tour way back in January. Artists began the year filled with creativity and passion. Then came the coronavirus and the pandemic, with closures of shops and galleries. Monthly Fourth Friday Artwalks through the Galleries of Sisters came to a halt. Still, artists continued, with creativity and passion, to do what their gifts and talents demanded, that is, create art.

The Arts Association decided, early on, to move the Artist Studio Tour from the last weekend in June to the last weekend in September, with high hopes that artists would eagerly participate, and that art lovers would safely be able to visit individual studios.

The Studio Tour is still happening, Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26 and 27, albeit using appropriate safety measures. Between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. both days, studios will be open to visitors, who will be able to arrive by car, bike, or on foot, depending on studio location. Masks are required, artists may limit the number of indoor visitors at any time based on studio size, and everyone must use hand sanitizing and six-foot social distancing.

The number of artists participating is 36, and they will demonstrate and show their art in 26 studio locations in and around Sisters Country. That’s correct – several artists will share studio space to make it easier on visitors to get around to speaking with more of them.

Mel Archer, The Association’s Creative Encourager and events co-chair, notes that about half of the artists participating in Studio Tour 2020 have done so in previous years; the other half are completely new to the event.

This year’s new tour artists include Art Blumenkron (woodworking and furniture making), Scott Cordner (fine art photography), David Hough and Marianne Fellner (ceramics and clay), Jean Wells Keenan and June Jaeger (quilting), Kaia Sieffert (jewelry), and Kelly Salber (book arts).

Also new this year are Kim Chavez, Bill Hunt, Anne Hunter, and Linda Peck (sculpture), Len Babb, Jim Horsley, Scott McAllister, Janice Druian, and Terry Solini (oil painting), and pencil artist Stephen Gasior.

Crowd favorites returning on this year’s tour include Mel Archer and Susie Zeitner (glass art), Danae Miller, J. Chester Armstrong, and Gary Cooley (sculpture), Mitch and Michelle Deaderick and Mary Moore (pottery and clay sculpture), Kay Baker, Clarke Berryman, Chris Nelson, Sandy Melchiori (acrylic and oil painting), JoAnn Burgess (pastel), Winnie Givot and Terri Dill-Simpson (watercolor), Steve Mathews (colored pencil and ink), Sandy Dutko (mixed media), Paul Bennett (painting and printmaking), and Jennifer Hartwig (scratchboard).

Both artists and visitors will be required to wear masks and observe social distancing. Each artist’s station will have hand sanitizer, also required. Visitors will generally arrive either alone or in small family groups, spend a short amount of time visiting with the artist, and have the opportunity to purchase art before they leave. The nature of the Studio Tour is such that the numbers of people visiting studios are dispersed over a two-day period, never exceeding the current recommendations for gatherings.

Be on the lookout for printed Studio Tour Guides in local galleries and elsewhere, by the first weekend in September. These guides will list and describe each of the artists and their studio location. Roadside signs will be posted on the days of the tour, but visitors are encouraged to use their mapping devices in conjunction with the Studio Tour Guide for directions to each studio. A PDF of the Tour Guide is available at the website (https://www.sistersartsassociation.org/sistersstudiotour). Further details about the tour and descriptions of the artists are posted on the Sisters Arts Association website.

O'Neill Butte

Homage

Sunset

Nat Geo Odyssey

More than 250 art lovers streamed through the doors of the Sisters Library Friday night view 141 original works of art and to meet the artists and cast final votes for the People’s Choice Awards. There were a total of five winners, unranked in near equal standing with voters.

Austin James Jackson’s “Afternoon Radiance,” shows the often-photographed Koosah Falls on the McKenzie River, from a different perspective. The late afternoon, springtime shot captures the filtered sun, penetrating the forest. The angle allows the viewer to see water cascade out, away from the 70-foot-tall cataract, rather than straight down. “It’s a scramble to get to that point, but it was worth it,” Jackson said.

Donald Wilson is a first-time winner for his watercolor, “O’Neill Butte.” He painted the sunrise scene with its russet canyon walls, vivid green foliage, and a cloud-filled blue sky, based on a photograph he shot at Yaki Point on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. “We took a 5 a.m. shuttle to be at that point when the sun came up,” Wilson said. This is his fifth year he’s participated in the Annual Exhibit, and it was fun for him to be part of the award group. “I consider myself an amateur, but I did sell the painting,” Wilson said.

Steve Mathews, whose entry entitled “Homage,” depicts Native American figureheads, wolves, salmon, and feathers rendered in ink and colored pencil on a on a 5 foot tall Juniper slab. This was not Steve’s first win with this kind of unusual pallet for pencil art.

Wendy Birnbaum’s “Sunset” profiles three horses, printed on aluminum and offset against an angular sheet of rusted steel. Shot in the hills around Paso Robles, CA, the low light renders the horses almost as abstract lines. “Light is what you see, and the rest is in its own shadow,” Birnbaum said. This is her second People’s Choice Award. Two years ago, she shared an award for a collaborative work done with glass artist Susie Zeitner. “It’s such an honor,” she said. “It feels nice to know that people really appreciate your work.”

Dennis Schmidling’s “Nat Geo Odyssey” is a product of his vivid imagination and an online journey through a National Geographic photo contest. “Several images jumped off the screen and into my head,” he said. “Suddenly a story was revealed that did not really exist. But it moved me, so I composed what had come to me so unexpectedly.” His photomontage suggests relationships that are entirely imaginary. “My favorite comment came from a woman who asked me when she could expect to read the novel,” Schmidling said.

“The whole community loves this event,” Birnbaum said. “You get to see such a wide variety of work,” Donald Wilson added. Volunteers from the Art Committee, Friends of Sisters Library and the library’s staff all participated in setup, serving refreshments, greeting visitors, counting votes, and handing out awards, all in the spirit of celebrating art and community.

Before presenting the awards, Zeta Seiple, chair of the Sisters Library Art Committee, thanked Deschutes County Library Executive Director Tod Dunkelberg, Sisters Library Superintendent Zoe Schumacher, and all of the artists who submitted work. “People look forward to this every year,” Seiple said. Schumacher reports an uptick in visitors to this year’s show, which opened on January 8th..

During the evening, Seiple discussed the future of the Sisters Library Annual Art Exhibit with Todd Dunkleberg, director of the Dechutes County Library. Despite the dissolution of the countywide Friends of the Library groups, “Todd said he would like to see this event continue,” Seiple said. “No matter what happens, we will continue to have an Art Committee,” she said.

The exhibit will continue through February 28 in the Sisters Library, which is open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Many of the items are still available for purchase.