Creative variety at Art in the Park

Perfectly sunny skies Saturday had scores of folks flocking to the annual Sisters Art in the Park event at Creekside Park.

Many new vendors offered imaginative and unique goods for sale.

New vendor Horse Hair Pottery by Peter Roussel had his handmade ceramics on display.

Roussel has been a ceramic artist for over 40 years. After getting a degree in fine arts in 1966 he went to Mendocino, California, where he set up an art program for Clearwater Ranch. He introduced a ceramics program for 200 autistic children who were wards of the state.

"My experience with their wonderful creative expression changed my entire direction," recalled Roussel. "I started experimenting with alternative methods of firing my pottery."

He puts his pots one at a time back into a kiln and heats them up to 1,500 degrees, takes them out and starts adding horsehair.

"I'm an old mud potter, I like to throw it on the wheel," added Roussel.

On Saturday, visitors and vendors tapped their feet to Cajun fiddler Kelly Thibodeaux and his enjoyable Etouffe Band.

Jomi Decoupage Designs by Joyce Ackerman is a new vendor from Idaho.

"Decoupage is a very old art," Ackerman said. "It originated in the 16th century; it's a gluing process. The secret of decoupage is the number of coats of glue. We work on a basket with fabric and handmade paper and mix them together for a single design. The end result is that it looks painted. We use decoupage on wicker, wood, ceramics and glass."

A highlight this year for the kids was the very colorful "Bouncing off the Wall" bounce house. The kids had loads of fun. The little folks didn't mind tagging along to the art show at all.

Andy Hill, owner of freeborn metal art, described his work:

"I make metal art from gas cans, washers/dryers, air compressors etc. Any metal that's available,"

Hill hand-cuts home and garden sculptures, from large-size metal owls to garden flowers that can stick in the ground.

Another highlight that drew attention was Mugsy, the 8-year-old Chihuahua dressed in a red bandana, a cowboy hat and sunglasses. He lazily sat atop the shoulder of Eric Anderson, owner of Bite Me Pet Products.

"He's really a sweet, mellow dog," said Anderson.

Anderson hand-makes all the doggie harness clothes in a wide variety of sizes.

"I have 244 different fabrics to choose from," he said.

This was event organizer Richard Esterman's 13th Art in the Park, with a silent auction benefitting the Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Oregon.

"Art in the Park only gets better with each passing year," he said.