Sean C. Morgan
Sweet Home High School Art Club members’ work will be part of the Pastega Family Christmas Display in Corvallis later this month.
The annual display features tens of thousands of colored lights that illuminate an elaborate drive-through Christmas display at the Benton County Fairgrounds in Corvallis. The tradition was launched in 1981 by Mario Pastega at his Pepsi bottling plant. After his death in 2012, Pastega’s children and more than 150 community volunteers revitalized the display and moved it to the fairgrounds.
Autumn Almanza, art teacher at Sweet Home High School, said Dana Strowbridge, a volunteer with the display effort, reached out to the Sweet Home art program, as well as other art departments around the valley at the end of last year. She asked if the Art Club would be interested in painting characters for the annual Christmas display at the Benton County fairgrounds.
The club has grown from a tight-knit group of about seven last year when Almanza took over the art program, she said. It grew by 10 this year with a half dozen part-time members, who are also busy with other programs.
The club most recently participated in the Sweet Home’s Harvest Festival with a raffle and taking donations for artwork the club has produced. They had a project for children planned, but that fell through due to rain.
When the Christmas Display opportunity presented itself, knowing her students, Almanza selected two characters, Dory and Squirt, from “Finding Nemo” for them to work on, she said.
“They came to us cut out in shapes and primed,” Almanza said. While transparencies were available, the Sweet Home students painted the figures free-hand in house paint and acrylic.
Event organizers provided paint, Almanza said, but it wasn’t everything the club needed. Club members mixed paints to create the shades they needed.
The blue for Dory and purple for Dory’s eyes were the majority of the required mixing, Almanza said.
“We all took turns painting them,” Almanza said. “I put the finishing touches on.”
Strowbridge brought along an extra character, a life-size police officer, when she dropped off the other two; and the club agreed to take that one on as well.
Abby Stone, a senior, drew the features on the officer, including “his killer mustache,” Stone said, chuckling.
He has something of “a Village People vibe,” added Anny Naiman, a junior.
Almanza said painting the policeman went quicker than the first two characters, and it was more “cartoony.”
The club has grown and the project gave veteran members a chance to see what the newcomers could do, Naiman said.
“I like that we got to work as a group on it,” Naiman said. “And it kind of showed what we could do as a group.”
And she had fun working on characters everyone knows and loves, she said.
Liz Adams, a sophomore, is a new member, she said.
“And it was the first thing I did. She had me sketch out this turtle (Squirt).”
She said doing it freehand stressed her out. She didn’t want to make even a small mistake that everyone else would have to fix.
“I was fine though,” Adams said. “And they made me feel like everything was great.”
She enjoyed making “beautiful things we’re putting out to the community,” she said.
The project was a big deal, Almanza said, and Adams had every reason to be nervous, but Almanza said she knew her student could handle it.
“She had all the hallmarks of being successful,” Almanza said, and she did it well.
Their work will join the lighted displays from Nov. 24 to Jan. 2 at the fairgrounds, 110 SW 53rd St. Corvallis. Admission is free and non-commercial, although donations of cans of food for the needy in the community are encouraged.
Last year, “the kids really wanted to do some community outreach work to show we’re not just artists but care about the place we live,” Almanza said, so they were happy to take on the project.
It also helps promote the fine arts, and it gets the Art Club’s name out there, Almanza said.
“We’ve got such talented people that it’s wise to have a group project where it shows off all their skills.”
The club is working on more plans to be involved in community projects, she said.
“We want to be invited to do things. I’m still so new, let us know if we can help your community organization.”
To contact the Art Club and Almanza, call the school at (541) 367-7142.