The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

Bryant Lasken loves to sculpt. So does his mother Deb Sether. An eighth grader at Sisters Middle School, Bryant has been fascinated with clay as long as he can remember. His passion is forming monsters - cute monsters.

He appoints them holding catchy signs like "Drink a lot of Coffee" or "Shop 'til you Drop."

Bryant's monsters are currently being exhibited at Mirror Pond Gallery in Bend. He says he might consider a career as a professional artist.

"If I sell a few pieces then I just might continue thinking I could do well, but, if not, then, I'd probably still make pieces ... but probably get another job to make money," he said.

Bryant sold one monster the first night his creations were exhibited at Mirror Pond.

"Everyone was always commenting pretty much on that piece. They liked it. The sign said, 'Want more Caffeine.' It was kind of a monster sitting down - kind of big bellied," Bryant said.

"It was the cutest looking one," said Sether.

This was the first piece of art Bryant has ever sold. It sold for $35.

"They (Mirror Pond Gallery) take half of the money for showing it.... Then, I get the rest, but I'm going to have to pay my mom for supplies," Bryant said.

While Bryant created his pieces for Mirror Pond his mother was busy sculpting her offering for this year's "My Own Two Hands" art auction on April 14.

My Own Two Hands is the annual fund-raising event that supports the Sisters Folk Festival's Americana Project. The Americana Project is the folk festival's educational outreach program.

My Own Two Hands theme this year is "Gather Round." Sether molded her 48-inch-tall, salt-fired clay sculpture around this theme. She calls it "Gather Round Mother Earth." Her inspiration came from her previous work based on Native American animal totems where the turtle is often used as a symbol for Mother Earth.

About her son's ability as a sculptor Sether says, "I tell everybody he's better than I am with clay. He just has this great imagination. He does things that I couldn't even begin to do ... that are just so imaginative and creative and unique."

For aspiring artists Bryant has advice: "Go with any idea that you think may come easy to you. Don't usually trust the ideas of very successful artists. They don't want other artists trying to interfere with them selling pieces."

Sether has been an active contributor to My Own Two Hands since its second year when the theme was "Kite Strings." This year she was hired by Kit Stafford to help students create shields and a ceramic bowl that will be featured at the auction at Ponderosa Forge on April 14.

"Every year in order to supplement the project, we don't just rely upon the high school art class, but we do some additional programming that is usually done by Kit Stafford, and she hires different artists around town to come and work with the students on a separate basis.... This year she hired Deb Sether," said Kathy Deggendorfer, My Own Two Hands chairperson.

About 150 pieces, 10 of which were donated by students, will be auctioned on Saturday night, April 14. According to Deggendorfer, between $90,000 and $100,000 should be raised.

"The past three years we've raised about $100,000," she said.

The funds raised at the auction go into various forms of programming sponsored by the Americana Project.

"We kind of go hand in glove with the Sisters Schools Foundation because often times they will provide funds for art materials for the elementary school, but there are no art teachers. So what we provide is funding to bring in outside artists and mentors to either teach the teachers or come in and teach the classes to use the materials," Deggendorfer said.

Scholarships are provided for graduating students, for students who are still in school who want to take an outside art or music class and for teachers who want to take art or music classes. Kit Stafford's salary is paid through the funds raised. Professional artists and musicians are brought into the schools. New instruments are purchased, and old ones are repaired.

"We make it possible to have supplemental art and music education in all of the schools and to bring people in or send people out to get more education," Deggendorfer said.

This year approximately 600 pieces created by students from all three Sisters schools will be on display the night of the auction as "exhibit only" items. All 600 works have been created around the theme "Gather Round."