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About The nugget. (Sisters, Or.) 1994-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 13, 2021)
Wednesday, January 13, 2021 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon BENNETT: Artist has created series of masked portraits Continued from page 3 the portraits and post them to Facebook, where they continued to get positive response and build interest. Bennett always gets a per- son9s permission to take their photo with his cellphone, and after showing examples of the monotypes, they usually agree. <It9s become fun, and when I saw anyone who had a different kind of mask, or hairstyle, or who was doing something where I could include some elements of their work 4 whether in an auto shop or a bicycle repair shop 4 I incorporated that,= he said. Thus, he has portrayed his doctor, May Fan, in her mask alongside a figure of a 17th Century plague doctor with his beaked mask, the beak that was filled with fragrant herbs to filter out the smell of death while protecting the all-important doctor; and his dental hygienist, Melissa, swathed in a halo of PPE. <Every new piece gives me ideas for the next one,= he said. He has introduced ele- ments like wind blowing through the hair, water in the splash pad, flames of wildfire, and hands raised in gratitude by a couple who narrowly escaped from their home in McKenzie Bridge. Animals joined their owners in several portraits: Kimry with her horse, Dhiaa; Hattie with her sister9s chickens; Steve with his penguins; Danae with her sheep. Each portrait led to another, then another, and by the time Paul had made 20, people began to suggest that he should do 40. At that point, the idea of publishing the collection in book form seemed quite possible. There are 88 portraits in the book, but he9s up to a hundred monotypes and still creating. Paul has started a Kickstarter campaign for this new book, <Pandemic Portraits.= You can support Paul9s Kickstarter campaign at www.kck.st/2KQTGfA (see sidebar). <Most of the people I interviewed started tell- ing me how their lives had changed during the pan- demic, and that became as much the subject of the book as the portraits,= he said. The portraits and text, together became the story of Sisters, a microcosm of a small community and how we9ve been affected by the pandemic. <I9ve tried to show visually and in story as many different angles as pos- sible,= he said. Asked if any of his sub- jects objected to the masks, he nodded. One gentleman complained that he9s being Our searching can be a very healthy thing. I know that for me, this has been the most creative time of my life. — Paul Alan Bennett <forced= to wear a mask in order to do his job. Not everyone appreciates the principle of masking up dur- ing this time. On the other hand, another subject told how she9s made and sold thousands of masks, raising enough money for a down payment on a home. The idea of <Pandemic Portraits= is in no way designed to minimize the severity of the novel coro- navirus, or its effects on individuals and society as a whole. <We hear tragic stories every day, so this is a dif- ferent take, from an artis- tic point of view. I hope there9s some optimism in these images,= Bennett said. <While this book is quite specific to Sisters, it9s quite universal in its story, because this is happening in every community around the world. I9m not trying to paint a bleak, depressing por- trait of what9s going on. I9m trying to show a variety of options as to how people are dealing with these times, and there9s tragedy and comedy combined.= Bennett said that rather than becoming overwhelmed or depressed, many artists have used these times to become more expressive. The news, he said, becomes fodder for the imagina- tion. He genuinely feels that whether it9s poetry, song, or visual arts, there will be great creativity as a result of this time, some of which we won9t know for a while. <Our searching can be a very healthy thing,= he said. <I know that for me, this has been the most creative time of my life.= ‘Pandemic Portraits’ at a glance What are the pandemic portraits? Each of the portraits is a monotype, (mono mean- ing one). Paul Alan Bennett created all of the Pandemic Portraits as monotypes on the presses at Studio 6000 in Sisters. <Having the print stu- dio, Studio 6000, here in Sisters is a great asset to the arts community of Sisters,= Bennett said. <It9s a mem- bers9 workshop space, not a retail space. Once the pan- demic is over, Studio 6000 will have special events that will be more open to the public.= The 96-page book, <Pandemic Portraits,= includes 88 of the monotype images, but Bennett contin- ued to create others since the book was sent to the pub- lisher for printing. How can I get a copy of Pandemic Portraits? The best way to get a copy of Paul Alan Bennett9s forthcoming book, Pandemic Portraits, is to support his Kickstarter campaign online at www.kck.st/2KQTGfA. The campaign has a deadline of February 4, with a goal of $12,000. Bennett9s Kickstarter campaign offers several donation options, and most options include at least one copy of the book. One of the options, at $350, will enable the donor to purchase a print, or their original monotype if it9s one that he has included in the book. At higher amounts, you can even commission a monotype of yourself or a loved one. Also on Kickstarter, you can view a video of Bennett explaining his creative pro- cess, and a sampling of some of the portraits. Why Kickstarter? Bennett says, <I need your help with funding. The financial risk is always the biggie. That is why I9m running this Kickstarter campaign. It just takes a big chunk of cash to get a Planning a Home Construction or Renovation Project? Our team believes quality, creativity, and sustainability matter. We want your home to be a work of art worthy of containing your life. — Mike & Jill Dyer, Owners 541-420-8448 dyerconstructionrenovation.com CCB#148365 22 “Pandemic Portraits” is a 96-page book including 88 monotype portraits of people wearing their COVID-19 masks. project like this done. The funds are needed for the fol- lowing: printing and ship- ping costs, internet advertis- ing, layout and design work, video, postcards, paper and envelopes, and framing. I learned a lot from my first book, <Night Skies.= <Mainly, such a proj- ect takes a lot of time and energy but, once finished, it can feel quite satisfying. The Pandemic Portraits book is a very different kind of book for me. It feels like some- thing I9m being called to do. Perhaps it will offer some badly needed healing for these times.= W h e re c a n I s e e Paul Bennett9s original monotypes? Most of the collection of original monotypes will be displayed in February, floor to ceiling, on the west wall of Good Day Café, at Bedouin at 143 E. Hood Ave. and at Sisters Gallery and Frame Shop, 252 W. Hood Ave. The monotypes will be for sale, with the entire purchase price going toward funding the book. When will the book be available? Unlike Bennett9s previ- ous book, Night Skies, this book will be printed in the USA, so he won9t have to wait two months or more to receive them. It will be six-by-nine inches, and soft-cover, but with twice as many illustrations and twice as many pages as Night Skies. The inside front and back covers unfold to reveal the entire collection of images included in the book. Printing, binding, and ship- ping all take time, but this book will be available soon. A partnership beyond expectations Stop by and visit with Shelley Marsh & Tiana Van Landuyt. 220 S. Pine St., Ste. 102 | 541-548-9180