Exhibit focuses on art of teaching art

Gathering up all her art pieces, those of her students and teacher helpers, and getting them to Sisters Library for the monthly art exhibit is something just short of a miracle - but throughout November Annie Painter will have it all there.

In addition to producing art of her own, she also finds time to conduct color and design workshops ranging from a 90-minute color wheel presentation to a full three-credit course and everything in between.

November's exhibit for the Sisters Library community room is loosely organized around "The Art of Teaching Art." Rather than showing only final products from children and adults, the exhibit features more than 30 framed photos, including process pictures, demonstrating ways teachers and parents help students be more skillful and creative.

Viewers will see how hand-made paint-chips, "guess-and-go" mosaics, and a plaster vizsla dog have helped Annie and her colleagues from all over the world release the students' muse.

Wearable paper art, shell observation drawings, and photos of five-foot-long paper mosaic panels by fourth graders and folk-inspired headdresses are included. Painter has also included framed text in journal form, explaining her inspiration and approach. Another example she will have on display are colorful face paintings from nature, created by children and adults in parts of Africa.

Free downloads of most of the basic skills posters and 14 videos showing many of the techniques in the November exhibit can be viewed at Annie's website,

http://www.anniepainter.com.

Annie lives in Sisters with husband Bob Bridgeford (former Portland Children's Museum Director) and two handsome vizsla dogs, Alexander and Theo.

Annie has written and illustrated "Vincent and Jake Learn Color Mixing," a story of two bored Hungarian vizsla dogs who join Annie's Art Institute and learn an artist's life isn't easy. With hard work, finicky Jake and free-spirited Vincent mix color and make wonderful wheels. As they drift off to sleep, they wonder, "Why don't more dogs paint?"

As the viewers drift through the community room and soak up Annie and her students' and helpers' work, the thought may come alive in the viewer's mind, "Why don't I put more color into my life...?"