Artwalk in Sisters the day after Thanksgiving

It’s happening – the day after Thanksgiving. Some call it Black Friday and if we get snow, it may be a White Friday, but Sisters Arts Association still calls it The 4th Friday Artwalk. This month’s Artwalk offers excitement and variety. Put away your leftover turkey and trimmings, and walk through the galleries of Sisters. Maps are available in all gallery locations.

Toriizaka Art welcomes two soulful artists – both working equally with their head, hands, and heart. Lawrence Stoller is a world-renowned crystal-and-bronze sculptor.

His quest for finding beauty in natural crystals has taken him to all corners of the world in search of amazing and unique stones.

Once the stones are in his possession, he and the artisans who work with him study the stones over an extended period to determine how to best cut and present them to reveal their inner secrets.

Stoller’s mega-crystal and bronze sculptures have been featured in galleries from Fifth Avenue to Rodeo Drive and museums around the world.

AJ Evansen is a ceramicist specializing in delicate porcelain vessels finished with crystalline glazes.

All of Evansen’s vessels are thrown on a potter’s wheel and high-fired for an extended period to enable the crystals to form in the glaze.

The process is arduous and results in a significant number of lost pieces.

The result for the surviving pieces is unique and stunning, with unpredictable crystalline shapes in iridescent hues.

Both artists live and work in Central Oregon, and both artists will be featured through mid-December.

The She Show at the Cindy and Duncan Campbell Gallery aims to raise money for Saving Grace of Oregon, a local women’s shelter and support center. The organization helps survivors of domestic and sexual violence find safety and healing. Under the direction of Kit Stafford, local artists have created artwork with titles including an uplifting phrase or sentence that begins with “she” or “her,” to send a message of hope to women who need it. All pieces are $40, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to Saving Grace. Some pieces are still available for purchase.

Sisters Gallery & Frame Shop’s focus is on photography, with late-fall and early-winter images by Greg Davidge, Dennis Schmidling, Gary Albertson, and Steve Giardini, and “Reciprocity,” a display of photography depicting wildlife and daily life of the Turkana and other tribes from Kenya, by Wendy Birnbaum.

Birnbaum realized a 50-year dream last June when she went to Africa on a photo safari.

She met the Turkana, semi-nomadic tribes who live in a very remote area of the Northern Kenya Rift Valley not far from Ethiopia.

They rarely interact with the Western World.

Currently, they are suffering from a major drought, which threatens their health, food, and livelihood.

Their cattle, goats, sheep, animals, and people are becoming ill and dying from the severe lack of food and water.

In a spirit of reciprocity, a percentage from the sale of her photographs will be sent back to these tribes.

Hood Avenue Art celebrates its one-year expansion anniversary. The added space allows for more local artists, including Glen Corbett, Barbara Cella, Diane L. Farquhar Hallstrom, Gary Cooley, K.C. Snider, Ruth Carroll, and Lyne Cook. In celebration, a gallery-wide group show explores the theme “Peace’d Together.” Some artists pieced together their art or added on, while others together contemplated peace for all, families, or just a sense of peace in a place.

Featured at Clearwater Gallery is local jewelry artist Wendy Vernon. Vernon meticulously hand-makes each piece using a variety of fine gemstones and crystals, including druzy agate, labradorite, and geode slices. Every creation is unique, with distinctive characteristics. Wine and light appetizers will be served from 4 to 6 p.m. on 4th Friday.

Opening on Friday and running through Christmas is the Stitchin’ Post staff’s Handcrafted Gift Boutique. Selections range from quilts and stuffed animals through everyday items, as well as ornaments and holiday decorations and do-it-yourself kits.

Raven Makes Gallery is open again. The gallery’s ever-growing range of fine art and jewelry from the Southwest, Plains, First Nations, and Alaska Native artists range from museum-quality masters to innovative new talent. They continue to offer positive energy and beauty to art lovers worldwide.

Wildflower Studio welcomes the holiday season with love and gratitude for all things that bring us appreciation for life, family, and the beauty around us. The shop features local art prints, handmade leather bags, stained and fused glass, cards, candles, diffusers, and more. Stop by for your holiday gifts this season. Celebrate Artwalk from 12 to 4 at Wildflower.

Every fourth Friday, Sisters Arts Association gives away two $50 gift certificates toward purchases from each gallery that participates in the Artwalk. This is called “Quick Draw.” But in order to win, you have to sign up. The Quick Draw is funded by Coldwell Banker Bain in Sisters. Even if you don’t live in Sisters, you can enter to win. SAA, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, does not share or sell personal information, so you can enter to win without any worries. They will keep you posted, via occasional email, about the arts in our community.

Sisters Arts Association wishes everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving and a wonderful holiday season to come. Please shop locally.