News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Sue Purcell is an artist and a gallery owner.
Sue Purcell has been an artist for the past three decades. She specializes in exquisite beading - loom beading, peyote stitch.
"I bead around everything," she says. She's done knife handles, walking sticks, and created framed pictures, all with beads. She also creates beaded dream catchers.
Purcell will host a grand opening at her shop at the corner of Hood Avenue and Elm Street on October 10-11 during the Sisters Harvest Faire.
The idea for a consignment gallery came to Purcell through her experience as an artist.
"I was in galleries, and they wanted all my money," she said.
She's had plenty of experience trying to get her work out in front of people, and she's bringing that experience to her brand new gallery, Spirit of Sisters.
She designs her consignment rates to be as fair as possible to the artist, and she'll also do co-op. She also offers space for classes.
A recent arrival in Sisters, Sue is pursuing a lifelong dream.
"I always wanted my own place," she says. "I'm my own boss. That's the best thing about it; I get to make the decisions."
Purcell lived most of her life in Berkeley, California. She started her art career young. An elementary school toy-making project captivated her and she gravitated toward art as a career.
She was drawn to beading because of the challenge of planning how a work will lay out and then executing it. And she loves the response of her clients.
Purcell feels almost fated to be in Sisters. After living in Reno, Nevada, for a spell, she decided she wanted to find a new, soul-fulfilling place to live. She didn't want to return to the Bay Area, so she and her daughter headed up the coast. She found many beautiful spots, but nothing really clicked.
Then she drove over Santiam Pass:
"I got to Suttle Lake, and three red-tailed hawks flew over me and I thought, 'Whoa! Maybe this is where I'm supposed to be,'" she said.
Purcell explored downtown Sisters with an eye toward opening her gallery and found all the merchants she talked to extraordinarily welcoming and encouraging.
Twenty-seven artists, working in a variety of media, have found a home at Spirit of Sisters. There's room for more. Purcell welcomes artists' inquiries at 549-8580.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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