Camp Sherman art show features 'senior artisans'

The first Senior Artisans Show will be held in Camp Sherman next weekend.

The show, which coincides with the Metolius Fly Fishing & Bamboo Rod Fair, showcases the work of several artists making a second career in their craft, ranging from painting to sculpture to the creation of Indian knives and bows.

"These artisans are in an age group between 45 and 85 and are mostly retired," said show organizer Frank Conte, who is hosting the show. "They have now become fully focused on various art forms that (were) delayed due to the earlier needs of their families."

The exception in the group is lifelong professional artist Dan Rickards, whose paintings will be featured at the show.

Other participants include Warren Cooper, 69, who retired from the timber industry, law enforcement and a private roofing business to pursue his passion for crafting knives and bows in the Indian tradition.

Sculptor and painter Don Thompson, 72, also had a career in law enforcement as well as working in sheet metal and as a salmon fisherman in Alaska. Thompson began painting in earnest in 1990, and he began sculpting in wood in 2002/03. The display at the Senior Artisans Show is his first public showing of his carving.

Carol Fourtner, of Eugene, began a painting career after marrying and living in the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a member of the Watercolor Society of Oregon, and she displays regularly at the Chateau Lorane Fine Art & Wine Festival, the Artisans Studio in the Lane County Fair and the Gathering of Gardeners in Cottage Grove.

Camp Sherman resident Frank Conte and the Conte Family Trust will host the Senior Artisans Show at his Metolius Vacation Haven, 13750 Camp Sherman Rd. (across from Blakely Lane) on Saturday and Sunday, July 18-19. For more information call 595-0983.