High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon

Upcoming Artist Receptions at High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon

Artist Reception - Lillian Pitt -- High Desert Gallery -- Sisters Oregon
Saturday, May 24, 2008  4 – 7:30pm
Location: High Desert Gallery, 281 W Cascade Avenue, Sisters Oregon 97759
Contact: www.highdesertgallery.com or 541-388-8964.  The event is free and open to the public

High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon is proud and honored to feature work by Nationally known artist, Lillian Pitt.  The exhibition and sales of Lillian's work is scheduled from May 1 through May 31 with an artist in attendance reception on Saturday, May 24 from 4:00pm to 7:30pm. Please join us live music by Jacob French, great art, lively conversation and meet and chat with Lillian!

Artist Reception -- Rowdy Barry -- High Desert Gallery -- Sisters Oregon
Thursday, June 12, 2008    5 – 8:30pm
Location: High Desert Gallery, 281 W Cascade Avenue, Sisters Oregon 97759
Contact:  www.highdesertgallery.com or 541-388-8964.  The Event is free and open to the public

Special Exhibition of artist and nationally known rodeo bullfighter! Rowdy has created the 2008 Sisters Rodeo Poster and we are honored host Rowdy and his original paintings in the gallery from June 1 to June 15th. A special Artist in Attendance reception will be held at High Desert Gallery in Sisters Oregon on Thursday, June 12th. Plan on attending the reception and the world famous Sisters Rodeo. For more information on Rowdy please visit: www.rowdybarry.com and www.sistersrodeo.com

A Hoot For Sure!

Artist Reception -- Kathy Deggendorfer -- High Desert Gallery -- Sisters Oregon
Saturday, June 21, 2008  4 – 7pm
Location: High Desert Gallery, 281 W Cascade Avenue, Sisters Oregon 97759
Contact:  www.highdesertgallery.com or 541-388-8964.  The Event is free and open to the public

Join Us for a wonderful month of new work by Kathy Deggendorfer! Nationally collected and regionally acclaimed the work of Kathy is bright, fun and often with a bit of humor!

A special Artist in Attendance reception for Kathy on Saturday, June 21, 2008 -- Meet Kathy -- View new work and enjoy lively conversation, great art, live music by Bellavia and refreshments!

Artist Reception - Kimry Jelen - High Desert Gallery -- Redmond Oregon
Friday, June 27, 2008   5 – 8pm
Location: High Desert Gallery, 453 SW 6th Street, Redmond, Oregon 97756
Contact:  www.highdesertgallery.com or 541-388-8964.  The Event is free and open to the public

Join us for an Artist in Attendance Reception on Friday, June 27th from 5-8pm in Redmond Oregon. Meet Kimry, view great art, enjoy lively conversation, live music and refreshments.  Join us for Kimry's artist reception and Walk The Art Beat, a Redmond Oregon community arts event.  A Hoot For Sure!

Save the Date for other “Walk The Art Beat” community art events in downtown Redmond Oregon!

Friday September 12th 5-8pm – Artist Reception for Grace Bishko
Friday November28th 5-8pm – Artist Reception for Danae Bennett-Miller, Ingrid Lustig and Glen Corbett.

For additional information about the artists and the gallery please visit: www.highdesertgallery.com or call 541-388-8964 and toll free 1-866-549-6250. High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award winning fine art gallery with retail locations in Bend (Opening December 2008), Redmond and Sisters Oregon specializing in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz .

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Press Release -- Artist Reception for Internationally Known Artist, Lillian Pitt

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Artist Reception for Internationally Known Oregon Artist, Lillian Pitt.

High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon is honored to host an artist reception for Native American Oregon Artist, Lillian Pitt on Saturday, May 24th at High Desert Gallery's Sisters Oregon Art Gallery.  The event is free and open to the public.

Press Release File: Download PR-HDG-LillianPitt-Recp-04152008.pdf (166.3K)

Bend, Oregon – April 15, 2008.    High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon is pleased to announce an artist reception with Oregon Native American artist Lillian Pitt.  The Artist-In-Attendance Reception at High Desert Gallery in Sisters Oregon on Saturday, May 24, 2008 from 4pm to 7:30pm will include an extensive collection of new work including work with images from Lillian's "Crow Takes Leave of the Family"; original anagama masks and sculptures; limited edition bronzes, images and forms of "She Who Watches," raku masks, sterling silver jewelry and more.    High Desert Gallery is located in downtown Sisters, Oregon at 281 W Cascade Avenue at Oak Street.  The event is free and  open to the public.  The artist reception is a rare opportunity to meet Internationally known Artist, Lillian Pitt while enjoying great art, lively conversation, refreshments, live music and more! 

The special exhibition and sale will be featured in the gallery from May 1 through May 31, 2008.  For more information on the artist visit:  www.highdesertgallery.com or call toll free 1-866-549-6250.  High Desert Gallery is honored to represent Lillian Pitt in Central Oregon.

About Lillian Pitt:  Lillian Pitt is an accomplished artist who has been exhibiting her contemporary sculpture, carvings, masks, wearable art, and works on paper for over twenty years. One of the indigenous people of the Columbia River Gorge, she is called by her Indian name, Wak'amu (Strongly Rooted), by elders of the Warm Springs/Wasco and Yakama tribes. The term might also describe her art, for although her approach to form and materials is eclectic and contemporary, her intriguing metaphors are always rooted in her Native American tradition.

She says this about her work: “I use the ancient stories of my ancestors as a basis for the imagery I create. By doing this I maintain the memory of an ancient culture and keep the beliefs of my people alive. We have forgotten how to live in harmony with nature. Accessing this vast reservoir of traditional information and translating it into contemporary terms jogs our memories and provides points of reference to achieving balance within ourselves, our community and the world. My ancestors have a 10,000-year history in the Columbia River Gorge. Much of my work has to do with the preservation and care of the environment along this ancient waterway.”

2007 Earle A. Chiles Award recipient and recipient of the Governor's Award for the Arts, Oregon, in 1990, which declared that she had made, "significant contributions to the growth and development of the cultural life of Oregon.”  She is known nationally and internationally for her Raku and Anagama fired ceramic and bronze masks and "Shadow Spirit" totem images based on traditional symbols and spirits of her Columbia River ancestors. Her repertoire has expanded to include monumental bronze sculpture, sometimes reflecting the theme of Salmon migration. One recurring image, "She Who Watches," is based on a Columbia River petroglyph which represents the last of the Woman Chiefs.

Her art has been exhibited and reviewed in the U.S., Europe, New Zealand, and Japan. Her work has been commissioned by numerous museums and organizations and is in several collections, including the University of Washington's Burke Museum, the Sapporo City Hall, Sapporo, Japan and the prestigious Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ. A traveling retrospective of her work, "Spirits Keep Whistling Me Home," was launched in 1999 at the Museum at Warm Springs on her native reservation in Oregon and has been exhibited at other museums nationwide.

With the turn of the millennium, Lillian's art took on an even larger dimension, as she and a team of Native American artists were commissioned by the city of Portland, OR, the Oregon Convention Center, Portland State University, and a variety of other municipalities, cultural institutions, and corporations to create public art projects. She welcomes these opportunities to share her Native American heritage and her ecological commitment with an expanded audience.

High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon is honored to represent Lillian Pitt in Central Oregon.

About High Desert Gallery: High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award winning fine art and custom picture framing gallery with retail locations in Bend, Oregon (Opening December 2008), Redmond and Sisters Oregon specializing in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing. High Desert Gallery honored in 2005, 2006 and 2007 by Decor Magazine as a “Top 100 Art and Frame Gallery in America” and voted "Best Art Gallery" in Redmond, Oregon (2006 & 2007) and Sisters, Oregon (2005, 2006).  In February 2008, High Desert Gallery was awarded Top Honors in the Professional Picture Framing Association 2007-2008 International Open Framing Competition. For more information please visit: www.highdesertgallery.com or call toll free 1-866-549-6250.  The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ and Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ are trademarks of High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon.

Press Release Contact: T Dow
High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon
PO BOX 519 Bend, OR 97709-0519   Phone: 541-388-8964.
Web Site:  www.highdesertgallery.com

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Save The Date -- Lillian Pitt Artist Reception Saturday, May 24th -- Sisters Oregon

Save the date and plan on attending Lillian Pitt's Central Oregon Artist Reception.  New Work and More -- Saturday, May 24^th at High Desert Gallery in Sisters Oregon.

Lillian Pitt, Artist-In-Attendance Reception
High Desert Gallery – 281 W Cascade Avenue at Oak
Sisters Oregon
Saturday, May 24, 2008  4:00 – 7:30pm
Meet Internationally known Artist, Lillian Pitt!
Enjoy great art, lively conversation, refreshments, live music and more!

To receive an invitation by mail please call the gallery at 1-866-549-6250 or email your contact information to www.email.highdesertgallery.com.

About Lillian Pitt:  Lillian Pitt is an accomplished artist who has been exhibiting her contemporary sculpture, carvings, masks, wearable art, and works on paper for over twenty years. One of the indigenous people of the Columbia River Gorge, she is called by her Indian name, Wak'amu (Strongly Rooted), by elders of the Warm Springs/Wasco and Yakama tribes. The term might also describe her art, for although her approach to form and materials is eclectic and contemporary, her intriguing metaphors are always rooted in her Native American tradition.

She says this about her work: “I use the ancient stories of my ancestors as a basis for the imagery I create. By doing this I maintain the memory of an ancient culture and keep the beliefs of my people alive. We have forgotten how to live in harmony with nature. Accessing this vast reservoir of traditional information and translating it into contemporary terms jogs our memories and provides points of reference to achieving balance within ourselves, our community and the world. My ancestors have a 10,000-year history in the Columbia River Gorge. Much of my work has to do with the preservation and care of the environment along this ancient waterway.”

2007 Earle A. Chiles Award recipient and recipient of the Governor's Award for the Arts, Oregon, in 1990, which declared that she had made, "significant contributions to the growth and development of the cultural life of Oregon.”  She is known nationally and internationally for her Raku and Anagama fired ceramic and bronze masks and "Shadow Spirit" totem images based on traditional symbols and spirits of her Columbia River ancestors. Her repertoire has expanded to include monumental bronze sculpture, sometimes reflecting the theme of Salmon migration. One recurring image, "She Who Watches," is based on a Columbia River petroglyph which represents the last of the Woman Chiefs.

Her art has been exhibited and reviewed in the U.S., Europe, New Zealand, and Japan. Her work has been commissioned by numerous museums and organizations and is in several collections, including the University of Washington's Burke Museum, the Sapporo City Hall, Sapporo, Japan and the prestigious Heard Museum in Phoenix, AZ. A traveling retrospective of her work, "Spirits Keep Whistling Me Home," was launched in 1999 at the Museum at Warm Springs on her native reservation in Oregon and has been exhibited at other museums nationwide.

With the turn of the millennium, Lillian's art took on an even larger dimension, as she and a team of Native American artists were commissioned by the city of Portland, OR, the Oregon Convention Center, Portland State University, and a variety of other municipalities, cultural institutions, and corporations to create public art projects. She welcomes these opportunities to share her Native American heritage and her ecological commitment with an expanded audience.

High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon is honored to represent Lillian Pitt in Central Oregon.

For more information or to request an mailed invitation please call toll free 866-549-6250, visit our art gallery events calendar at www.events.highdesertgallery.com  or better yet  ... subscribed to the following: Twitter, subscribe to our blog, RSS, or our events calendar.

High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award winning fine art gallery with retail locations in Bend (Opening December 2008), Redmond Oregon and Sisters Oregon specializing in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Art Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz.

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High Desert Gallery Guide Now Available

The High Desert Art Gallery Guide is hot off the press and available for your online viewing!

If you would like a full color printed copy mailed to you please let us know by calling the gallery at 1-866-549-6250 or visiting:  Email High Desert Gallery.  Make sure to include your contact information and mailing address and we'll get one to you in the mail about mid April.

The guide includes our 2008 events, artist bio's, images and some great information on the gallery and our services.  To view a PDF version of our High Desert Gallery Guide online visit:    Download HDG-2008GalleryGuide-Web.pdf (897.4K)

Looking to keep in touch with High Desert Gallery?  To stay in touch and not miss new events and gallery activities we suggest that you follow us by one of many available means:  Call toll free 866-549-6250 x 3, visit our art gallery events calendar at www.events.highdesertgallery.com or subscribed to the following: Twitter, subscribe to our blog, RSS, or our events calendar.

High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award winning fine art gallery with retail locations in Bend (Opening December 2008), Redmond Oregon and Sisters Oregon specializing in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Art Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz.

Save The Date: High Desert Gallery 2008 Events Calendar Online

Save The Date – Don't Miss A Thing – Plan Ahead – Make Your Hotel Reservations Now!

2008 looks to be a stellar year for events, functions and artist in attendance receptions at High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon.  A boat load of great activities including the Sisters Outdoor Quilt Show Poster Preview Party with Paul Alan Bennett, Patrick Horsley artist reception in Redmond Oregon, Lillian Pitt's solo show on May 24^th in our Sisters Oregon Art Gallery  and many many other great events – We have it all.

Artist Receptions:  Paul Alan Bennett and Patrick Horsley in April, Lillian Pitt in May, Kathy Deggendorfer, Rowdy Barry and Kimry Jelen in June, Trisha Hassler, Paul Alan Bennett and Libby Lehman in July, “Where Rivers Meet” with John Simpkins, Paul Alan Bennett and Cary Weigand on July 26, Glen Corbett, Nye Bennett-Miller, Ingrid Lustig, Grace Bishko, Group Shows and many more!  And don't forget that High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing in Redmond Oregon celebrates “National Art & Framing Month” each October – Some not-to-miss great events are scheduled.  To print the complete events calendar visit: High Desert Gallery's 2008 Event Calendar (64 Kb PDF)

The printable pdf file is ready for your refrigerator magnet  -- Print and stick it to your Amana (or Sub-Zero) so you don't miss an event!

You can always find up-to-date gallery events online at www.events.highdesertgallery.com or you can download our printable events calendar at: High Desert Gallery's 2008 Event Calendar (64 Kb PDF)

Plan on attending!  Meet the Artists, enjoy lively conversation, refreshments, cheer and live music!  To stay in touch and not miss new events and gallery activities we suggest that you follow us by one of many available means:  Call 866-549-6250 x 3, visit our art gallery events calendar at www.events.highdesertgallery.com or subscribed to the following: Twitter, subscribe to our blog, RSS, or our events calendar.

Thank you for supporting the arts in Central Oregon!

For additional information about the artists and High Desert Art Gallery please visit: www.highdesertgallery.com or call 541-388-8964 and toll free 1-866-549-6250. High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award winning fine art gallery with retail locations in Bend (Opening Fall of 2008), Redmond and Sisters Oregon specializing in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing. High Desert Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz .

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New Arrival -- "Spirits Keep Whistling me Home," The works of Lillian Pitt

In a previous post we announced the representation of Lillian Pitt.  To be real honest – It has been a blast.  Lillian is a wonderful person, a great artist and she has her heart truly in the right place.  Honoring the arts and culture are pivotal to her approach in her art and her life.   As was mentioned in the previous post – Lillian was recently honored by The High Desert Museum with the Earle Chiles award.   It was a wonderful evening and so many of her friends, patrons and supporters participated in the evening.

We are making every effort to upload her inventory to our online art gallery (www.highdesertgallery.biz) but with the holiday season it has been a bit crazy.  We do have her wonderful 1999 soft cover book, “Spirits Keep Whistling Me Home” available online.  The book with shipping is $17.25.  If you have any questions, please call the gallery at 1-866-549-6250 x 3 or stop by our Sisters Oregon art gallery and you can thumb through our sample book.

About Lillian Pitt: In her book "Spirits Keep Whistling Me Home", Lillian writes, "My early work began as a playful interaction with clay...I felt that I needed to make work that represented my own culture and who I am (knowing) that my people had a 10,000 year history of living in the Columbia River Gorge...I felt privileged to begin making images in clay of the pictographs, petroglyphs, and legendary beings of my ancestral homeland".

Born in 1943 of Warm Spring/Yakima/Wasco heritage, Lillian often features Stick Indians in her masks, sculpture, and jewelry. "Growing up on the Warm Springs Reservation, we were told Stick Indians living in the mountains would whistle to guide a good person to safety if lost in the woods, and would lead a bad person deeper into the forest. Because my life has been enriched by so many good people, I picture the Stick Indian  I make whistling people to good fortune and well being".  Lillian Pitt is represented in Central Oregon by High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon.

About High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing: High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award winning fine art and custom picture framing gallery with retail locations in Bend, Oregon (Opening Fall of 2008), Redmond and Sisters Oregon specializing in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Gallery has been honored in 2005, 2006 and 2007 by Decor Magazine as one of the top 100 Art and Frame Galleries in America and voted “Best Art Gallery” in Redmond, Oregon (2006 & 2007) and Sisters, Oregon (2005, 2006).  High Desert Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz .  For more information please visit: www.highdesertgallery.com or call toll free 1-866-549-6250.   High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon content copyright 2007.  The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ and Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ are trademarks of High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon.

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Press Release: Lillian Pitt represented by High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon

For Immediate Release

Lillian Pitt represented by High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon

High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon is pleased to announce the representation of Oregon Native American artist Lillian Pitt .   An artist feature showcasing Lillian Pitt's recent works will be open to the public through December 31 at the High Desert Gallery, 281 W. Cascade, Sisters, Oregon.   Work on display includes "Crow Takes Leave of the Family" a limited edition Pendleton Tapestry; original anagama masks and sculptures; limited edition bronzes "Dreamer", "She Who Watches" , and "Wasco Coyote"; raku masks and jewelry; and sterling silver jewelry. For more information including hours of operations, please call High Desert Gallery at 866-549-6250 x 3.

2007 Earle A. Chiles Award recipient and recipient of the Governor's Award for the Arts, Oregon, in 1990, Lillian's work is both nationally and internationally recognized from Germany to Canada to New Zealand to Siberia to Japan!  Most identified with Lillian are her Shadow Spirits and Petroglyph Series, including "She Who Watches". Lillian writes, "I have continued to use shells, cones, and other natural objects to create textural surfaces on the pieces in my Shadow Spirit Series, again a collaboration with Nature.  The petroglyph and rock paintings of the Columbia River Gorge inspire the form and energy of these works".

Lillian's most recent recognition, The 2007 Earle A. Chiles Award, will be presented on December 4, 2007 at the Benson Hotel in Portland Oregon. The Earle A. Chiles Award, established in 1983, is a cash award given annually by the High Desert Museum.  This years recipient, Lillian Pitt is acknowledged for creating images that sustain ancient Columbia Plateau cultures and beliefs, and promoting harmony within people, communities, and nature.  The award is funded by the Chiles Foundation.

Using traditional images and non traditional art techniques, Lillian Pitt's work shares emotion and energy with people who find "spirits keep whistling me home" their own journey.  Lillian's work is now on permanent display and sale at the High Desert Gallery for all to visit.  Gallery Director, Myrna Dow,  says:"We are truly honored to work with Lillian and are pleased that through our representational partnership her work will continue to be showcased in a professional gallery setting here in Central Oregon.”

About Lillian Pitt:  In her book "Spirits Keep Whistling Me Home", Lillian writes, "My early work began as a playful interaction with clay...I felt that I needed to make work that represented my own culture and who I am (knowing) that my people had a 10,000 year history of living in the Columbia River Gorge...I felt privileged to begin making images in clay of the pictographs, petroglyphs, and legendary beings of my ancestral homeland".

Born in 1943 of Warm Spring/Yakima/Wasco heritage, Lillian often features Stick Indians in her masks, sculpture, and jewelry. "Growing up on the Warm Springs Reservation, we were told Stick Indians living in the mountains would whistle to guide a good person to safety if lost in the woods, and would lead a bad person deeper into the forest.  Because my life has been enriched by so many good people, I picture the Stick Indian  I make whistling people to good fortune and well being".  Lillian Pitt is represented in Central Oregon by High Desert Gallery of Central Oregon.

About High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing: High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing, The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ is an award winning fine art and custom picture framing gallery with retail locations in Bend, Oregon (Opening Fall of 2008), Redmond and Sisters Oregon specializing in Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ and Stellar Custom Framing.  High Desert Gallery has been honored in 2005, 2006 and 2007 by Decor Magazine as one of the top 100 Art and Frame Galleries in America and voted “Best Art Gallery” in Redmond, Oregon (2006 & 2007) and Sisters, Oregon (2005, 2006).  High Desert Gallery's online sales gallery can be found at www.highdesertgallery.biz .  For more information please visit: www.highdesertgallery.com or call toll free 1-866-549-6250.   High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon content copyright 2007.  The Art & Soul of Central Oregon™ and Central Oregon Artists & Beyond™ are trademarks of High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon.

Press Release Contact:
T Dow, High Desert Gallery & Custom Framing of Central Oregon
PO BOX 519 Bend, OR 97709-0519  Gallery Phone: 541-388-8964.
Web Site: www.highdesertgallery.com Gallery Blog: www.highdesertgallery.info

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