Community gathers to enjoy fine art

"How old do you have to be to have something in the Library Art Exhibit?" 10-year-old Sedona Baer asked Cathy Ehlers, co-chair of the Friends of the Sisters Library Art Committee.

"If you can walk, you can exhibit," Cathy answered, giving Sedona a big smile.

"Oh, that's wonderful," she replied, smiling back at Cathy, "I have a painting at home I would like to bring in."

So it was that Miss Baer and her dad brought her lovely watercolor and pencil painting, "Sunrise" to the Sisters Library, and Sedona became the youngest person to join over 70 artists displaying hundreds of items at the Third Annual Sisters Library Art Exhibit.

Over 200 attendees "oohed" and "ahhed" over a myriad of hand-painted fabrics, quilts, hand-crafted woodwork, watercolors, photographs, jewelry, sculpture, metal and many other art forms that filled the library last Friday evening.

Mary Smith, a local quilter and photographer, blended her talents in two remarkable quilts. One is titled "Outback Owl." It began with photos she took of an owl out back of her home in Plainview. The other is "Valley River Geese," taken from a photo she shot several years ago.

Jean Stark displayed her beautifully worked pine needle baskets and gourds. Art lovers can see further examples of Stark's work at Soda Creek Gallery.

Laurence Dyer, a woodworker who has been working with wood since he was a small child, displayed four beautifully crafted wood boxes: one a jewelry box made from red Chatee Koc and Black Walnut; a dresser valet of Milo; an exquisite band saw wave box of Mango and Milo; and an intricate Asian box.

While talking to one of the patrons interested in his work, Dyer said: "Everyone should have something to keep their minds working. I look forward each day to do something constructive with my mind and hands. At 79 I am lucky to be able to do the things I enjoy."

On display is a photograph by Brent McGregor, a piece so artful that many patrons found it difficult to distinguish whether it was a photograph or a painting. McGregor hiked up Mt. Bachelor on snowshoes in the dark, arriving at the summit before dawn to capture the enchanting moment of early morning light on a majestic snow-covered tree and the Three Sisters. He printed the image on canvas and then stretched it over a frame, giving the finished product a "painted" look.

The art will be on display until February 28.