BBR Art Guild visits Sisters Art Works

The Black Butte Ranch Art Guild organized a fun and informative event at Sisters Art Works as part of their visits with artists series held 10 a.m. on the third Monday of each month. The lively and entertaining owner Kathy Deggendorfer waxed poetic about art and writing.

With everything from conference rooms and performance space large enough to hold a hundred attendees to offices used by artists as well as many non-profits, Sisters Art Works has become a well-rounded center with many offerings for both artists and their patrons.

Deggendorfer was joined by "tenant artist" Tonye Belinda Phillips, quilter. They first worked together 2-1/2 years ago while working on the My Own Two Hands project.

The idea of combining their work into one framed piece came from the National Wildlife Federation's combining of a painting with a tied fly in the corner. Indeed, many of Deggendorfer's paintings remind one of a quilt while Phillip's quilts remind one of a painting. It takes close scrutiny of their combined projects to determine which part is quilt and which part is watercolor.

Yello the Dog is an oft-featured character in her paintings and her planned books. Both she and Phillips have yellow labs and including the lab in a blue truck in their paintings and quilts was natural for their joint projects.

Deggendorfer will soon "go to the ball" for the White House Christmas. Senator Gordon Smith discovered Deggendorfer's art and extended the invitation to create this year's Christmas Tree ornament representing the State of Oregon in 2008. A White House reception for all the contributing artists will be held on December 2.

The excitement began immediately after the announcement. Another appointee, an architect, called her saying, "I'm an architect. What do I do?" Before offering advice, Deggendorfer herself had to experiment with watercolor techniques, not being accustomed to painting with watercolors on round shiny surfaces when she normally uses a flat surface paper to get more vivid colors.

"It was plastic, silver, round and watercolor rolls right off it," Deggendorfer said.

Because of her recent travels to Oregon's farmland she has chosen to include farmland pictures on her Christmas decoration.

"Oregon farmers are special and try to maintain the old produce," she said. Deggendorfer felt she wanted to portray them as they represent the spirit of Oregon - a spirit she feels may not last forever.

Her farm journeys began with travels to farms in and around Polo, Illinois, to areas where corporations bought several farms. She and other artists were there to portray Art in Agriculture. It was devastating to see the collapsed, abandoned buildings and to know that the locals left their farms to work in department stores. She plans to write about the experience as well as paint.

Amongst all the devastation, she noted, she met a farmer who had bred cows to match the color of the hills.

Deggendorfer has done a lot of work for Columbia Sportswear, founded by her grandparents. Columbia is run by her brother Tim Boyle and her 84-year-old mother Gert Boyle, famous for her "tough mother" persona in the company's marketing. Locally, she has also done a quilt show poster and a piece for the Camp Sherman Store.

Sisters Art Works currently has 28 tenants at the 204 W. Adams Ave. location. The Black Butte Ranch Art Guild was given a grand tour after speakers Deggendorfer and Phillips finished their presentation.

One Art Guild member commented that it was her first time there and she was impressed to see the hall filled with masks made by middle school students with the aid of potter Ken Merrill who the Art Guild visited last month.

Sisters Art Works will host a Holiday Open House and Craft Fair on Saturday, December 6 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The next BBR Art Guild visit with an artist will be on January 19. Call chairman Lynda Sullivan at 595-2387 for more information.