Beloved Sisters art teacher is retiring

It's a room full of paints, pastels, scissors, masking tape, paper, and glue - all the accouterments of a typical high school art class. Add to that potters wheels, jewelry making equipment, professional art portfolios, and pieces you'd only expect to see in a gallery.

The schools halls and entryway are covered with art, not just 16-by-22-inch canvases, but giant posters that reach the ceiling. With so many young fresh minds coming together, it is no surprise their works are exceptional. One teacher stands at the helm - "facilitating," as he calls it - of all this art.

It's Mike Baynes' 33rd year of teaching, his 18th year with Sisters High School, and he's finally ready to retire.

Baynes started when the middle school building was the high school. Prior to coming to Sisters, he taught art for 15 years in Jefferson, Oregon.

"I'm so fortunate to teach," he said. "It's so evident what goes on in the (art) room. There's no hiding what we do."

Baynes' art room is a refuge and a place of solace for many students. Baynes can relate to that.

"That's what got me started," he said. "A teacher put up a painting in the library. He made me feel better about myself. When you're in high school, to feel better about yourself is important. That's why I spend so much time making people feel good about their art."

He has an enviable rapport with his students.

"He is mostly the kind of guy you could talk with about everything," said senior Courtney Satko, "He's good at helping you find your inner inspiration. He relates to everyone very well. He watches what everyone does, even outside of class, like sports. He's never let me settle for something that wasn't great. He's never afraid to critique. He's good at showing shortcuts, easy ways to get perfection. He understands approaches to stuff."

Baynes talked about how things are different today, compared to when he was growing up.

"I came from a farm community," he said. "It's hard to get kids involved and keep them involved because there weren't jobs in the arts. Now kids do art for a living."

Many of Baynes' students have gone on to careers in the arts.

"One kid does silk screening in Portland. Lea Jensen became an Art Director for the Children's Division and is now a Publishing Director for Simon and Schuster. She went to Rhode Island School of Design. We went to her office when we went to Carnegie Hall in New York."

Last year, Tanner Smith was selected to exhibit at Carnegie Hall.

"When you have students like Tanner Smith who are so talented, you want to see them go in all kinds of directions. But I have a lot of talented folks," he said.

Baynes has a very clear idea of his role as a teacher.

"I try not to be too much of a burden on what these guys can do," he said. "I'm basically a facilitator. I give the materials, some guidance, and pretty soon they're telling me how they do it. I really think I let kids teach kids. They learn from each other."

SHS is unique in offering jewelry crafting as part of the course work.

"Some students have no fear," Baynes said. "One student started setting faceted stones and casting gold. They took it to the next level. I don't teach faceting because it's too hard, but they taught themselves."

Baynes talked about the valuable contributors to his art students. The Black Butte Ranch Art Guild donates scholarships of $3,000 a year to graduating seniors from SHS as well as $1,000 to the middle school and $1,000 to the elementary school art programs. The art program also receives donations from the My Own Two Hands fundraiser in the spring.

"He is so gifted in so many areas of art. These kids are doing so many forms from silversmithing to ceramics," Lynda Sullivan, BBR guild chairman said. "Especially in a small school, arts and music are generally cut. Every year there's new stuff coming out of that school. A lot of kids don't come into an art class thinking I'm an artist. He draws it out of them somehow."

Baynes plans to focus on his own work a bit more once he retires.

"I want to pick up my pottery a little bit. Do some volunteer work," he said.