Artists paint against the clock for a cause

Thirty-seven adult and eight youth artists beat the clock in a plein air "paint-out" at Black Butte Ranch on Saturday, creating landscape paintings that will be used to raise public awareness of the projects of the National Forest Foundation (NFF).

The event is an annual celebration of art and beautiful places. Paint-outs have been held at the Camp Polk Meadow Preserve, along the Metolius and on the banks of Whychus Creek.

The idea, says Sisters Ranger District Biologist Maret Pajutee, is to "give people an opportunity to interpret the beauty of Central Oregon in different spots."

Black Butte Ranch offers a variety of opportunities itself, from mountain landscapes to aspen groves to lakes and meadows. One artist eschewed landscape for a portrait of a ranch cow.

Plein air painting offers challenges as well as inspiration to the artist. First, there is the light.

"It changes as you go," said artist Chris Nelson.

The artists have a four-hour time frame in which to work, so the sun's angle shifts considerably between start and finish. And the glare can adversely affect the artist.

"After hours in the sun, you can't see color," said Beryl Foust-Hovey. "It's a phenomenon. It happens to everybody."

Then there's the clock itself. The time limit creates pressure, but it also allows an artist to just plunge in and let the work take them where it will.

"With the time limit, you do have a different decision-making process," Nelson said.

JoAnn Burgess said she usually leaves a painting for a while and comes back to it. The ability to do that is compressed by the deadline, which also requires

framing.

"Part of the plein air tradition is that it has to be framed," Pajutee noted.

The Ranch hosted a reception on the lawn from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon, where artists and patrons mingled to view the art, most of which was available for purchase. The gathering is part of the attraction for the artists.

"We get to see each other," said Foust-Hovey. "We haven't seen each other in months."

The Ranch was an apt location for the gathering, under the shadow of Black Butte.

Black Butte is the site of recent trail restoration as part of the NFF's Treasured Landscapes conservation campaign on the Deschutes National Forest. A segment of the historic Black Butte Trail was reopened with on-the-ground help from local partners Friends of the Metolius, local volunteers, and the U.S. Forest Service. Hikers can now climb the iconic landmark from bottom to top.

Select paintings from the paint-out are used in outreach materials for the National Forest Foundation, U.S. Forest Service, and partners to communicate the importance of National Forests and Scenic Rivers.

Paintings will decorate presentations, documents, posters, volunteer outreach materials and more.

The National Forest Foundation, chartered by Congress, engages Americans in community-based and national programs that promote the health and public enjoyment of the 193-million-acre National Forest System, and administers private gifts of funds and land for the benefit of the national forests. For more information on the National Forest Foundation, visit www.nationalforests.org.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

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