Artist is sprucing up windows in Sisters

Have paints, will travel is local artist Cristina Acosta's new motto. Acosta is busy mixing paints and dabbing her palette for a colorful array of services creating nostalgic hand-painted images on glass.

The talented painter has been doing fine art for over 30 years and started as a young child who always received paints as presents and just kept painting. She's been a dynamic fixture on the local arts scene since moving to Bend back in 1983.

"I did some Bend and Sisters window painting years ago in the early '90s and got back into it after recently becoming an empty-nester," she said, applying a dab of red on a snowman's hat. "I'm about to embark on a road trip next year along the West Coast and down to Mexico, and was looking for a way to help fund it. It's all about throwing a little art into the world that's fun and casual, and it's a great way to meet people, too."

From dancing snowmen and jolly Santas, to frosted fir trees and green garland wreaths, Acosta specializes in applying a very merry overlay to business windows throughout Central Oregon.

"I love Sisters and have strong ties to the community," she said. "Back in the '80s I used to stop and paint at the old Whitney's Sporting Goods, Sisters Bakery, Sno Cap and others. So now I'm coming back and would love to help decorate the town again."

Zipping around in her festively painted mini-van boldly displaying her art, Acosta can be seen on sidewalks, shopping malls and city streets with her cans of paint, ladder and brushes, coloring plate glass with winter scenes and yuletide greetings.

"I used to be a billboard painter, so I can do lettering and most any kind of image. Right now I'm doing a snowmobile with a snowman on it," she said. "And it's not just for Christmastime, but all the holidays and practicing a great kind of retro, free-hand style of decorating. It's fun to share my art and the entire process with employees and their customers. Plus, it's something that puts a smile on people's faces and that's a nice thing about it."

Acosta finds people stopping to watch as she conjures up whimsical scenes.

"There's a big tradition of holiday window painting and advertising. I grew up in Southern California where you'd see a lot it and I love designing a window on the fly. I never use stencils or sketches and prefer to be creative and spontaneous. I enjoy the challenge of painting directly on the bare glass. It keeps it fresh and interesting to me."

Acosta will be available for Sisters artwork through the holiday season. For information call 541-389-5711 or email [email protected]