Artists, students will be featured in 'Dog Show'

When Kathy Deggendorfer asked artist Carolyn Platt to be one of the featured artists at Sisters Arts Works in the annual Dog Show, along with her two students, Platt felt privileged and excited that she and her students were going to be a part of the celebration of "The Dog Show: A Fetching Display of Canine Imagery."

Sisters Art Works will host The Dog Show from August 15 through September 30.

"Kathy believes in the power of art to bring people together, and this year she wanted to include more sculptures so both of my eighth-grade students made dog art sculptures out of paper mache," said Platt. "Bridget Huni's 'Dog Madness' is really unique; she went through the pet ads in the newspaper and cut out dog photos from the ads and glued them on her paper mache dog. And it's a whimsical "Playful Puppy" for Abi Manley. They will both be on display at Sisters Art Works during the artist's reception on August 22, from 4 to 7 p.m."

Last year at The Dog Show, Platt sold a monoprint of a dog, and because it seemed to be so popular, she's back again with a different one.

"A monoprint is a form of printmaking," said Platt. "I paint black ink onto a plexiglass plate, and then worked negatively by removing the ink with my hands into the design of a dog. I put down a rag type paper on top and run it through a press."

The directness of painting directly on the plate requires the skills of drawing and painting as well as a sure hand and a considerable degree of spontaneity.

Platt's main focus has always been on drawing. She remembers drawing in elementary school so she could win an award and impress her father, since she was one of six children.

"With five other siblings it wasn't that easy to get noticed by my dad," said Platt. "I ended up graduating from the Utah State University with an art degree."

After college, one of her jobs kept her busy drawing through the night.

"Back in 1975, I was a calf-sitter for the University of Utah Division of Artificial Organs, an interesting job to say the least. I would watch over the calves after they had undergone surgery for artificial hearts and I kept myself busy drawing the calves or anything else I could think of," Platt said.

Platt jumped head-on into a linguistics program in 1976 and graduated with her master's degree from the University of Utah and taught English as a second language (ESL) for 11 years.

In 1985 she drove from Washington down to Sisters to house-sit for an old friend.

"I was supposed to stay for just over two months, but I never left," recalled Platt. "After settling in Sisters, I worked three jobs at once, designing T-shirts, hosting at Black Butte (Ranch) and teaching ESL at COCC."

In 1990 Platt applied to the Arts in Education Program (AIE) and taught art in different locations throughout Oregon. AIE is now run through Arts Central in

Bend.

"That's where I learned my Oregon geography and met my husband, Paul Alan Bennett. He was in the same art program. I also received a job teaching a drawing and design class at COCC around the same time."

Through the AIE program Platt found that she really enjoyed teaching art to kids and was an art teacher for Sisters Middle School for nine years.

"Recently Paul and I have painted huge murals in the Old Mill District in Bend, one of the murals is of 16 different dogs, and the other is images of the Old Mill District," said Platt. "I find that the exploration of art is endless, and I am ready for all of life's possibilities."

An artists' reception is set for August 22, from 4 to 7 p.m. at Sisters Art Works, 204 W. Adams Ave.

Other artists include Mary Medrano; Brian Vegter; Kim Luckini; Paul Alan Bennett; Karen Bandy; Dawn Boone; Barbara Ferguson; Anita Maze; Shannon Phifer; Nicole Samples; Susie Zietner; John Simpkins; Shannon Weber; Tonye Philllips and Kathy Deggendorfer.