An Uncommon Beauty: PROJECT DESCRIPTION

WHAT IT'S ABOUT
Oregon is recognized for its beauty and independent spirit. Much of that beauty is found in the farming and ranching areas of Oregon's Klamath Basin and the Diamond and Hood River Valleys. The spirit of independence has its roots in the generations of farmers and ranchers that settled these areas and created a way of life that nurtured not only animals and crops, but families and communities. Through our artwork, we are creating an exhibit that shares the words of people who live in these areas along with our paintings of them and their land.

OUR GOALS
-To create exhibits that give a voice to people in these rural areas both through our images and quotes from them
-To honestly portray the land and its people as we see them
-To celebrate the beauty of these very different parts of Oregon
-To find ways to show how "community" is lived in rural areas
-To develop an educational component to take to schools in which Vicki will lead the students as they create an art project based on their experience of rural living

OUR APPROACH
Since May of 2011, we've made a number of trips to each of these areas, talking to people and taking the photos that are the basis of our paintings. Individuals, farmers, business people and ranchers have all been so generous in their willingness to share about their lives and their work and letting us photograph them.

We have had three exhibits of this project: 2 in the Hood River Valley and one in Bend, Oregon. We are excited about the upcoming exhibit in June and July 2015 at The Favell Museum in Klamath Falls, Oregon. Each exhibit has its own character depending on the geographic area it focuses on.

We will be looking for other venues to show this body of work as it evolves along with other possibilities for extending the conversation between people who's lives are so intertwined with the land and those whose are not.

THE PROJECT IN A NUTSHELL by Vicki Shuck

The seed for this project was planted in 2001 after the water crisis began in earnest in the Klamath Basin. Suddenly seeing how a way of life (rural, agricultural) was on such a precarious ledge, I began thinking that I wanted to somehow document the place I grew up in and valued so much. As an artist, my natural way to do this is through creating images; I particularly love to paint and draw people. Enter an artist/friend, Janice Druian, who is enamored with painting the High Desert Landscape suggesting she paint the land associated with the people. With that, the project has begun to become a reality. We are celebrating our first exhibit of the work coming up in April 2012 and are excited about how it will evolve after that.

Vicki Shuck's Statement about the Project

My goal with this project is to honestly paint life as it is and to be true to the lives of the people who have agreed to let me paint them. I am continually amazed and gratified at the generosity of the people I have talked to for this project and their desire to let their stories and concerns be known by others. Whether the people are working in agriculture of some sort or not, their lives are directly affected by it. And with that, also directly affected is the very existence of the community. Growing up on a farm near Merrill, a small town in southern Oregon, and then living in more "urban" areas during my adult life, I have grown to appreciate how small towns and rural areas embody the meaning of "community". I believe that the health of these areas is integral to the overall health of our state, our nation and our world. It is in that spirit that I celebrate these people, the work they do and the way their lives are interwoven with each other's and the land in which they live.

Janice Druian's Statement about the Project

My goal is to explore and better understand the west, specifically the Oregon farm and ranch lands that are east of the Cascade Mountains--the dry side. I feel incredibly fortunate to live on a cliff overlooking the Deschutes River outside of Terrebonne, Oregon. From most of my windows you have a view of either the Cascades, Mt. Hood, Smith Rock or the Ochoco Mountains to the east. It is this view that nourishes my soul. But I like painting beyond my immediate horizons. Over the years I have developed a passion for the really remote areas of Oregon. It is those locations that inspire me. The opportunity to accompany Vicki as we get to know the people who live and earn their livings on this beautiful and remote land has been extraordinary. I want this project to go on for a long time.

An Uncommon Beauty

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PROJECT DESCRIPTION

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