Sisters art students excel at competition

Sisters High School (SHS) art students earned top recognition at the first annual Scholastic Arts and Writing Competition held in Bend, January 7.

Twelve Central Oregon schools were represented including all Bend high schools, several Bend middle schools, Redmond IB (International Baccalaureate) School, La Pine and Sisters high schools and middle schools. Three hundred and nine pieces of art work were judged and then first, second and third-place winners displayed their work at Central Oregon Community College at Pence Hall in the Pinckney Gallery.

Sisters students earned four of the five American Vision Awards which, according to SHS art teacher Mike Baynes, are judges' preference and the top awards of the show.

Winners were Drew Herron (painting), Alyssa Eby (jewelry), Tanner Smith (sculpture), and Loryn Cummins (mixed media).

Herron's (senior) painting was an abstract, graphic image that was acrylic on canvas titled The Gilded Greeks.

"Drew is one of the top artists in the school," said Baynes. "I can see him in an art career with his passion for graphics and computers. Graphic design is definitely his strength."

Eby (junior) won the jewelry category for her silver necklace with ebony inlay and a moonstone cabochon (flat-based domed stone) setting.

"Alyssa is a very talented young lady in many aspects of art and her jewelry is no exception," said Baynes.

Smith (sophomore) took top honors with his sculpture of a foot and a hand, made of clay and finished with an iron-oxide stain.

Baynes said, "Tanner is a beginning student and an exceptional artist. He's a creative young man with a great future in the arts."

Cummins' mixed media piece was a play on images, which included a Buddah, Superman and Guadalupe from Mexico.

"Loryn is an expressive, creative, thoughtful artist who is also one of my top students," said Baynes.

Sisters students also earned seven of the 23 Gold Key Awards. The American Vision Award winners, including Eby, Smith, Cummins and Herron were chosen from this category. Herron earned two Gold Key Awards. Zoey Wavrin (sophomore) and Laura Curtis (senior) were also winners of this award.

Curtis won for her recycled art piece.

Baynes said, "The cool thing about Laura winning for her recycled art piece is that she's very passionate about recycling and the environment and she put those feelings into a large-scale, mixed-media piece of art."

Of Wavrin, Baynes said, "Zoey's a very gifted young painter who won for her beautiful, expressionistic piece of art."

All Gold Key and American Vision winners' work will advance to national judging.

Five of the 27 Silver Key Awards went to Hattie Tehan, Chrissy Pullig-Gomez, Tori DeLeone, Drew Herron and Paige Pledger.

"This was the first year of this show and I was a little apprehensive of competing with the bigger Central Oregon schools," said Baynes. "I was very surprised and very proud of our kids. Their work far exceeded my expectations."

Baynes added, "I'd like to say a big thank-you to community volunteer, Steve Matthews, and student teacher Bethany Benhower for their constant help and support in the classroom."