News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
Paige Bruguier has returned to Sisters to pursue her art. This tipi will be auctioned at My Own Two Hands.
Paige Bruguier is contributing one of the more unique art pieces to the My Own Two Hands (MOTH) art festival in May. The event is the primary fundraiser for the outreach programs of Sisters Folk Festival - programs Bruguier says helped launch her on her path as an artist.
Last week, the Sisters artist was completing a full-size tipi, painted in the traditional manner, at her studio in the Sisters Industrial Park. The finishing touch was hand-prints from various members of the community whom Bruguier wanted to honor for their contributions to the arts.
The handprints represent the theme of MOTH 2016: Connections.
"For me, connections are the people who make up the community," Bruguier said. "I just wanted to bring people in and honor them. It's kind of a thank-you to them for pushing me in the direction of being creative."
Paige's first push in that direction came early.
"I was born on the Fort Peck Indian Reservation in northeast Montana," she recalled. "My dad, John Bruguier, who has taught me this skill, was inspired by Chief Robert Fourstar of the Redbottom Clan. Before I could walk, I would literally hang out with my dad in his canvas shop - bouncing in my Johnny Jump Up - as he sewed the yards and yards of canvas that would make one of these tipis."
Paige graduated from Sisters High School in 2006, after delving into the arts and participating in Sisters Folk Festival's Americana Project. After traveling Europe and living and working in Portland, she decided to return to Sisters, where she is devoting her considerable artistic skills to crafting tipis, premium leather bags and home décor items.
For more information email Paige Bruguier at [email protected]
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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