10/1/2012 - Myrna Melzer

The Sherman County Historical Museum at Moro, Oregon, is proud to feature Moro resident and long-term museum volunteer Myrna Melzer as our "Local Artist of the Month" for October. Myrna's wonderful art in pencil, colored pencil, and oils, titled "The New Kids on the Block" features parenting in the 'animal world'. This is the last of the Sherman County artist exhibits for our 2012 season which ends October 31.

8/27/2012 - Pat Jacobsen

Sherman County Historical Museum’s Sherman County Artist Series features Pat Jacobsen’s work, A Heart for Art, September 1-30. 
 
Patricia Coats Jacobsen is an artist, mother, daughter, grandmother, mother-in-law, wife, sister, friend, patient, Baha’i, Sherman County native and world citizen – not necessarily in that order. Pat and her husband Erling live in Rufus now, but she grew up on a wheat farm east of Wasco. From an early age she was inspired by the beauty surrounding her, and has always expressed the love of that beauty through her art.
 
Pat studied art at the University of Oregon and Western Oregon University. Later she took hand-lettering classes at Portland Community College. Thus began her career as a sign artist, later practicing computerized sign-design and sign-making. 
 
According to Myrna Melzer, the Museum’s exhibit team leader, visitors will see her work in exhibits and in vinyl lettering, in the Oregon Trail map and the overhead-quotes in the new exhibit, Sherman County Journal: Paper, Ink and Presses. 

Over the years Pat has taken classes from various artists in the Mid-Columbia area. In ’06 she took a weekend class from pastel artist Judith Cunningham. She found her passion! Many of the paintings in this show stem from that period.
 
In recent years Pat has become interested in photography and has incorporated photos into her paintings. In this show, an example of that is the black and white painting of Celilo Falls. 
 
Most recently, Pat’s art has taken an unusual direction, painting on old, corrugated metal roofing. These paintings are inspired by photographs taken by her late father, Chet Coats. The example in this show represents harvest at the Liberty Place, circa 1948, the year Pat was born. It was a “bumper crop.” 
 
Most of Pat’s artwork reflects something in Sherman County. It’s in her heart and soul. 

9/27/2011 - Myrna Melzer

Next up in the Sherman County Historical Museum’s Sherman County Artist Series through October is Myrna Melzer’s Colored Pencil Therapy: It’s All in the Eyes.
 
Myrna’s artistic expertise is visible in the mural, hand-drawn maps and illustrations in the award-winning interpretive exhibit, Oregon Trails, Rails and Roads. A volunteer since 1992, she serves as a museum host during the summer season, chairs the exhibit team, and recently prepared and mounted quilts for storage.
 
Oregon Days of Culture, October 1-8, honors the role of the arts, humanities, and heritage in our everyday lives. Celebrate by visiting the Museum in Moro where the work of local artists and artisans is displayed in quilts, paintings, illustrations, embroidery, maps, murals, garments, carpentry and photography. 

7/31/2011 - Karolyn Kaseberg

Fourth in the Sherman County Historical Museum’s summer artist series is the colorful work of Sherman High School student Karolyn Kaseberg, 14. Her work with abstract acrylics and photography is on display through August. There is no fee for viewing this display in the Museum lobby.
 
Visitors are invited to view the mural on the Museum exterior, a summer 2010 youth project during which Courtney, Jenna, Karolyn, Rebekah, Paige and Tyler worked with artist-in-residence Janet Essley of Columbia Gorge Arts in Education in planning, sketching and painting elements of the exhibits in the museum. 

7/28/2010 - Carole MacKenzie

Sherman County Historical Museum’s Artist Series features photographs of Sherman County Barns by amateur photographer Carol MacKenzie during the month of August.  
 
MacKenzie preserves a record of twenty 100-year-old barns used for the care and feeding of draft horses and mules used to power farm machinery. Barns and sheds sheltered cattle, milk cows and hogs, as well. Some settlers built their homestead cabins and substantial barns before constructing permanent family homes. 
 
Orren Avery Ramsey built the Pinkerton, Experiment Station, Moore, DeMoss and Walker barns and a number of houses. Milon Van Gilder built several barns and the Locust Grove United Brethren Church.
 
Coming from the Willamette Valley eleven years ago, Carol and her husband, Bill, knew little about old-time wheat production. Carol began to photograph barns and other interesting structures in the county in 2009. She is gathering oral histories in the process of collecting the history of the barns and outbuildings. 
 
These 20 photographs will be on display in the lobby of the Museum August 1-31 to remind us of barns and simpler times, farmers milking and feeding cows, sturdy lofts and mangers of sweet smelling hay, farm tools, barn cats and horse tail hair in the crevices of the stalls, all solid reminders of sturdy, hard-working farmers and ranchers. 
 
MacKenzie reminds viewers that barns and other outbuildings are on private property, solemn relics of earlier days, so honestly built that they’re still standing in spite of barn wood scavengers, fires, wind and weather.

6/5/2010 - Brett King

Sherman County Historical Museum’s Sherman County Artist Series features the work of Brett King during the month of June. Brett’s artistic talent developed at an early age. A self-taught and diverse artist, his work includes Sharpie art, custom tattoos, pencil drawings, graphic art and mirror etchings. 
 
Brett grew up in Sherman County, the son of Jeff and Paula King, and enjoys hunting, fishing, four-wheelers, his show truck, and helping his dad on the farm. He works from his studio at 341 N.E. Greenwood in Bend, King Dezines, making drawings of a favorite dog, buck deer, elk, flowers and more in response to the needs of his clients. He applies Sharpie art to helmets and jet skis, and designs logos and graphics for paint jobs on motor homes and trucks, including his own show truck.

9/23/2008 - Historical Woolen Quilts and Garments

Woolen quilts and garments from the Sherman County Historical Museum collections will be featured during October's Sherman County Artist Series at the Museum in Moro. 

Long preserved by Sherman County families and, now in the museum, heavy woolen quilts serve as stark reminders of long-ago winters without central heating systems, according to the museum's exhibit chair, Myrna Melzer. 
 

6/26/2008 - Cameron Kaseberg

Growing up in Sherman County, Kaseberg was involved in the creative world, with crayons, finger-painting, stitchery and his first camera, which developed to a life-long fascination with art, photography, digital imagery and design.
 
Encouragement and education from artist and instructor Shirley Fritts at Sherman Union High School was a launching platform that led to a job at Mel O's Camera Shop in The Dalles copying old photographs in the darkroom and a photography class with his dad as a teenager. He went on to photography and printmaking classes at the University of Minnesota and a stint as staff photographer at Lewis and Clark College. It was at Portland State University where he discovered a new creative experience, the solvent transfer process, combining his background in photographic imagery with his desire for artistic expression. 

The solvent transfer process uses a variety of solvents to loosen ink from printed pages from magazines, photocopies and inkjet prints. Using images captured by his own camera, as well as those collected in print matter, his current work continues exploration of the transfer process. The images are combined to create both complex and simple works, always with reason, whether a personal statement, exploration of the medium, or simply a record of thought and feeling. His solvent transfer work as well as photographic, graphic and web design work may be seen at www.kaseberg.com.

A Bachelor of Science degree in Graphic Design/Applied Design at Portland State University led to work in the museum exhibit and tradeshow industry. Between 1992 and 2002, Kaseberg designed the Museum's three interpretive exhibits, Oregon Trails, Rails and Roads in Sherman CountyWheat Through The Ages, and Cultivation, Conservation and Clothespins, and in 2008 designed the Museum's new logo and signs.

9/2/2002 - Orice Klaas

Fifth in the Sherman County Artist-Artisan Series at the Sherman County Historical Museum in Moro during September is Orice Klaas, a local cloth doll artist. Many of her dolls are original, emerging directly from her own lively and colorful imagination, and some from patterns produced by other artists.

Klaas' unique doll-making style involves sewing and crafting skills, painting, needle-felting, beading and clay sculpting. Each doll's face is made from cloth or polymer clay that is baked in the oven. Facial features are applied by pens, pencils, brushes, and acrylic paints. Yarn, mohair and variety trims are used for hair. Each costume is embellished with hand-made, found or purchased objects.

Ms. Klaas shares her joy in cloth dollmaking by teaching classes and selling her dolls and patterns. Her work and class schedule are available at Lisa's in Stitches in downtown Moro.

7/1/2002 - Mary Thompson

Sherman County Historical Museum's Artist of the Month Series features an exhibition of wood engravings, Great Expectations, by Mary Thompson. These wood engravings are based on Mary’s maternal grandparents' Great Depression-era photographs made on a farm near Grass Valley, Oregon, that was theirs for a while.

The young couple, a farmer and a former school teacher, bought the farm from the local banker intending to raise sheep. There was more sagebrush than grass, more wind than rain on this farm. Even the resident barn cat was thin and wary. They started with a small flock of sheep. Soon a daughter was born. With some of the proceeds from the first sale of spring lambs, they bought a puppy from some neighbor boys and trained her to herd sheep. For a time, the farm prospered. The flock grew ever larger, wool was abundant, market lambs filled the loading chutes for sale in the city, and their little daughter flourished.  The young couple were caught in the poor market conditions of the Great Depression and were  forced to sell their lambs and fleeces at a loss. Disease and drought took a toll. Despite dearly bought wagon loads of turnips for feed, the flock declined. The sheep dog was idle. Rob paced. The little girl watched her mother pack their belongings for the family lost the farm to the bank and they would leave.

Wood engraving is a relief-printmaking process related to wood cut, and these engravings are made with end cut blocks of red maple, and cut with a variety of small specialized tools. To make a print, ink is rolled onto the cut block and then transferred to paper by use of a press or by hand by rubbing with the back of a wooden spoon. The parts of the block that have been removed will be white, while the uncut portions will print black. Wood engraving is unique in printmaking because of the possibility of making prints that combine extreme detail with areas of deepest black. These engravings were hand-rubbed onto Sekishu White paper in an edition of ten.

6/10/2002 - Sherman High School Artists

Sherman High School art students are the June featured Artists of the Month at the Sherman County Historical Museum in Moro. Jeanney McArthur, Art Coordinator, and Barbara Weedman, teacher, proudly present the work of their students.

Work in pen and ink is shown by Bob Danielson, Donna Browning, Frankie Welk, KC Lissman and Codi Stroud. Colored pencil is a medium of choice for Katie Ketchum, Amanda Justesen, Brandi von Borstel, Breanne Miller, Megan Fritts, Taylor Morris, Bryce Olsen, George Grigsby, Anna Moore, Frankie Welk, Codi Stroud, Kayla Mace and Donna Browning. Megan Stone, Marci Bird and Jenna Bird created block prints.

Jenna Mersy produced a cut paper design, and Cassie Parker a charcoal drawing. Megan Stone, Suzi Fritts, Cassie Parker and Kolby Burnett worked with collage.Water colors by Amanda Justesen, Katie Ketchum and Jenna Mersy is exhibited. Work in pencil is displayed by Kit Hill, Taylor Morris and Andy Thompson.

Marci Bird, Devin Wooderson, Amanda Justesen and Codi Stroud worked in pastels. Ceramic masks were created by Jerika Helgeson, Kit Hill, Andy Thompson, Kayla Mace, Cassie Parker, Bryce Olsen, Codi Stroud and Jenna Bird.  

7/5/2001 - Beryl Schantz Wilcox

The Sherman County Artists Series at the Sherman County Historical Museum in Moro features an August exhibition of oil paintings by Beryl Schantz Wilcox of The Dalles. Her interest in portraits is demonstrated in this exhibit, and her own children and grandchildren, whose roots go deep into the soil of Sherman County, serve as her models. Relying on richly textured color while abjuring line, Beryl constantly seeks to evoke an effervescent mystery that imbues her view of subject, time and place, including works titled Mother and Daughter, Sleeping House, Sunspots, Augustine, Melon Seeds, Wet and Lonely, Veronica, Avalon, Lea and End of a Perfect Day.

 

Born and reared in Bismark, ND, Beryl pursued her vocation first in college at St. Catharine's in Minneapolis. When her family moved to Salem in the late 1940s, she continued at Marylhurst College in Lake Oswego. She met and married Dean Wilcox, son of Sherman County farmers, George and Marie Morrison Wilcox, and attended Pacific University at Forest Grove. After the birth of their first child, Beryl directed all of her creative energy toward rearing their seven children. She returned to Portland State University and later received her Bachelor of Arts from Marylhurst in 1975.