The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

It’s not just Black Friday in Sisters, it’s the Sisters Arts Association’s Fourth Friday Artwalk this week. What’s out there to supplement your holiday décor, fulfill a gift wish, or create that special element for your home? Gather the family, the visiting friends, and the kids for some fun and good treats between 4 and 7 p.m., in the galleries of Sisters. Most galleries will be open all day, with QuickDraw tickets available. Sign up for the monthly drawing one time in each gallery. Two $50 gift certificates will be awarded, thanks to a generous donation from Coldwell Banker Bain in Sisters.

Raku After Dark is the draw at Canyon Creek Pottery, 310 N. Cedar St. Master Potter Ken Merrill will be pulling pots from the raku kiln, starting at 5 p.m. Raku is a type of low-firing process inspired by the Japanese. Western-style raku involves removing pottery from the kiln while red-hot and placing it into a container with combustible materials. Once the materials ignite, the container is closed, producing an intense reduction atmosphere, which creates the colors in glazes and produces deliberate crackling.

The Stitchin’ Post staff’s Handcraft Boutique opens from 4 to 6 p.m., with a variety of fiber arts and handmade crafts for sale – everything from holiday décor like Christmas ornaments, gnome bottle toppers, and embroidered tea towels, to great gifts like quilts, little wallets, zippered bags, and earrings. Also featured are block printed panels and other items by Valori Wells.

The show of colorful work by Jill Neal continues all month at the Campbell Gallery in the Sisters Art Works building.

Hood Avenue Art Gallery’s focus will be on jewelry artists during the holiday season, from November through the end of February. The jewelry artists are: Alisa Looney, enamel jewelry; Karen Evans, fine handwoven beaded bracelets and necklaces; Danica Curtright, glass beads using a century-old process; Sharon Reed, handwrought items; Sunstone Store earrings, necklaces and rings; and Zantana Design, dichroic glass jewelry. Below are Sharon Reed’s jewelry pieces. She is a studio artist living in Bend, who creates one-of-a-kind jewelry and contemporary abstract paintings.

Raven Makes Gallery is stocked with new Hopi Kachina dolls, Navajo jewelry, and weavings acquired during late summer buys from Native artists. The gallery will be open regular hours during Fourth Friday. Please see the website for hours and new arrivals.

Toriizaka Art will not participate in this Fourth Friday event, but will be available by appointment during December. The gallery, featuring contemporary Asian art and works by local artists, has a lovely selection of affordable items, perfect for the holiday season. Call 650-580-6551 or email [email protected] to make an appointment.

Wildflower Studio is ready for the gift-giving season. Small batch candles, diffusers, linen sprays, and lotion collections are made in-house and boast unique seasonal blends. The studio is also stocked with new products from Rough Cut Soap Co. handcrafted artisan soaps, felted soap, soap bars and shampoo bars. Shop local art, prints, original paintings, and handmade works by local artisans. Art, consumables, and locally made products make unique and affordable gifts.

At Space in Common, Taylor Manoles will display a series of paintings inspired by “October Skies.” This moody collection reflects the colors of late autumn and the vastness of the Central Oregon skies. Manoles is an oil painter whose work explores themes of faith and the human experience through contemporary landscapes. Space in Common will hold a Small Business Saturday sale all weekend. Purchases over $60 will get a $10 gift card; purchase over $100, a $15 gift card, and over $200 will get a $30 gift card.

The Rickards Gallery’s Wendy Vernon has been designing and making jewelry for decades, and her jewelry has been a fixture there for many years. Color, line, stones, and gems – including their healing properties – are all part of Vernon’s design story. More than 50 new pieces have been added for this show, and Vernon will be in house to help select just the right piece for you or your special someone.

Sisters Gallery & Frame Shop welcomes the colorful work of Sandy Melchiori, an oil painter and landscape designer who paints bold canvases and boards with liberal brushstrokes. This show features mostly Pacific Northwest landscapes with some colorful still life for good measure. Also new are hats, cowls, and scarves to keep you warm or gift to a friend. They are all made by owner Helen Schmidling. During Artwalk, pick out a hat and then draw a ticket for $2 to $22 off the price of your item, in celebration of our new gallery location at 222 W. Hood Ave.