Library displays 'People's Choice Awards'

New this year at the annual Friends of the Sisters Library Art Exhibit were the three "People's Choice Awards," sponsored by FOSL Art Committee.

The art committee's artist's reception a week after the opening of the Art Exhibit gave the public a chance to view the artwork, and the three ribbon awards were announced at the reception.

"It was very difficult," Zeta Seiple, chairperson of the FOSL Art Committee, said. "Every piece in the exhibit received votes, so all we could do was tally up the totals, and we had the three pieces that received the People's Choice Awards - no first, second or third - all equal."

Walking into the Community Room of the library, it wasn't difficult to see why Rick Judy's splendid photo of the Pole Creek Fire received so many votes; it will be a long time before Sisters Country people forget that maelstrom.

Rick had this to say about his photo: "At around 10 a.m. Sunday, September 9 - the day the fire broke out - I was sitting in the Sisters Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration looking out the big windows behind the altar and saw a small mushroom smoke-cloud directly in front of us, not far into the mountains. We never thought it would explode.

"I was in town that evening, and could tell the fire had expanded from the view by Patterson's Ranch, but mostly it was lots of smoke. Getting back to Black Butte Ranch around 7:30 p.m. it was obvious the fire was changing fast, so I went to the Lodge area with my D7000 Nikon and started taking pictures. The light was fading fast as sunset had just occurred, and in just 15 minutes the dynamics of the fire became more severe.

"I shot in raw with a Nikkor 18-200mm f3.5 lens. A half-second time release at f4.5, at 48mm, with an ISO of 1600. I had only a two-minute window to get that vertical plume shot, then the smoke collapsed on itself. As usual, it was luck of the draw being in the right place at that short window of time. I guess this explains why I take many shots - if not I would have missed this neat photo."

Just above Rick's splendid fire photo, on the upper-left part of the wall, is a pastel of a wolf, titled "Lobo," by Bonnie Kimmel, of Sisters.

"I have always had a strong interest in art, but never pursued it until the fall of 2005," Kimmel said. "After I retired I needed a hobby. I joined the Sagebrushers Art Society in Bend, where I took classes from Laura Jo Sherman, using pastels.

"I love the vibrant colors that you get with pastels, they complement the high-desert landscapes that we have around Central Oregon. I have painted mainly landscapes, but have ventured into other subjects such as animals and old buildings.

"I want to thank the Sisters Library for giving new artists the opportunity to display their work, and give them a chance to meet other artists in the community."

And last - but not least - is the beautiful scratchboard cougar by Jennifer Hartwig on the opposite side of the community room. Jennifer says she discovered scratchboard art when she was a ninth-grader. "Or," she said, "should I say, it discovered me!

"Recently, with encouragement from many valued friends and family, I started to revisit the medium of scratchboard. My journey began with my first commission in 2007 for a co-worker and then, by word of mouth, two others pieces. The fire had been stoked! I had great pleasure to be asked to contribute a piece to the Canadian Cancer Society for auction and now have many requests for portraits of cherished pets or favorite wildlife.

"Scratch art allows me to express the joy in the life around me. It builds my spirit as I scratch each scratch from the nothingness of black and create light. The work comes alive with each dot and scratch I place on the board. The passion is burning brightly as I pursue my true purpose personally and artistically. I am truly blessed."