Artists donate for fundraiser at BBR

From the watercolor mastery of Don Zylius, to the uniqueness of Jill Neal's "Wild (but tasteful) Women" collection, art of all kinds was on display over the Labor Day weekend at Black Butte Ranch's Art at the Ranch exhibit.

Now in its 25th year, the Art at the Ranch exhibit is a fundraiser for Sisters High School graduates who plan to study art in college. Sponsored by the Black Butte Ranch Art Guild, scholarships of nearly $5,000 are awarded each year to deserving students.

Lynda Sullivan, chair of the Black Butte Ranch Art Guild, explained that, despite the rigorous selection process involving an in-depth portfolio review and interview process, it is very difficult to award scholarships to so many deserving students.

"It's hard every year," she said. "We say we're going to give it all to one student, but every year there ends up being three or four as there are so many deserving kids."

Friday evening a silent auction was held on the tennis courts, just outside the pavilion.

Rosemary Norton, chair of Art at the Ranch said, "The thing is, the artists donate their art and people just bid on it, and the great thing is, 100 percent of those proceeds go toward the scholarships. This year we think we will have raised between $1,500 to $2,000 from just the auction."

The diversity of art on display is one reason this event is so successful. From watercolor, stained glass, jewelry, photography, handcrafted wood art, oils, there was something for everybody. Some of the local artists represented were Curtis Abbott, Paul Allen Bennett, Patricia Rosicky, Michelle Shigemasa, Judy Benson LaNier, and the Sisters Area Photography Club.

"Artists really like this event," commented Sullivan. "We take 20 percent of the artists' proceeds where as other galleries would take 40 percent."

Four Sisters students were awarded scholarships: Hayley Palmer; Jessica (Paige) Bruguier; Tanner Smith; and Victoria (Tori) DeLeone.