Centered

Story Summary

Centered was created in partnership with the Bend Central District to invite community members into a shared commitment: “What is YOUR commitment to community?” Over four events, people contributed words and drawings tied to stewardship, development, and love for Bend’s unique access to nature. In the studio, I layered deep texture, vibrant color “lanes,” and a final calming, nature-inspired treatment. The completed creation reflects history, future vision, and the reminder to stay centered in both community and creation care.

Story

At a “What’s Brewing in Bend” event held by the Bend Chamber of Commerce in 2023, I learned about the Bend Central District and their focus. Kurt Alexander, the President of the BCD, shared a statistic that there are 192 undeveloped acres right in the heart of Bend. After hearing his opening statement of “Whether you have been in Bend for a month, a year, ten years, or a lifetime, we can all appreciate the nature that surrounds us.” That comment got me to approach Kurt after and say, “I LOVED that comment and LOVE that we are focused on not taking over nature so we can keep that beauty intact.” It is truly amazing that we can drive 10 minutes outside of town and be in heart of nature. During a meeting with Kurt several weeks later, we discussed the interactive experience of my art, and he invited me to a BCD board meeting in September to share how committed I was to the cause. In the meeting, I proposed bringing a collective canvas to a series of events in an effort to raise awareness and funds and invite the community to contribute to the canvas. In preparation for the events, I reflected on what so many appreciate about Bend, nature, all the outdoor activities, and the strong sense of community. When I meet someone that has been in Bend for over 10 years, I often say “thank you,” thank you for cultivating the community we enjoy. Community takes intentional commitment. The intentional prompt that invites the community to contribute was more of a call to action, inviting each person a chance to be intentional on what commitment they are willing to make to their community. After the prompt was decided, I brought the branded BCD collective canvas to a sunny September evening for a quarterly BCD meeting held at Movement Mortgage. Kurt handed me the microphone to explain what we would be doing over a series of events around town, and the prompt for the canvas that I shared was: “What is YOUR commitment to community?” In April 2024, the next event to contribute was held at the Bend Village Merchant, a space that carries wonderfully built, beautiful items that have stood the test of time. Each time you frequent, you can get a glimpse of simpler times, and it felt like a good metaphor of what the BCD is attempting to do, breathe new life into formerly unused spaces. Cascade School of Music held the third event during a wonderful and warm summer evening in July thanks to the shades of the vendor tents, food vendors, and the music performed by the school. The BCD has a commitment to the arts and selected locations that express elements of what that mission looks like in action. Almost a year to the day, the canvas traveled to its fourth and final collective contribution stop at Open Space Event Studios. During that evening, future developments planned in the BCD were on display from the City of Bend along with several local developers. Over the four separate events, it was fantastic meeting people from our town who came out to learn and share their passion projects and visions for what is possible in the BCD. During the evening of September 2024, I snapped a pic of all the collective canvas contributions captured. My goal in doing that is so that I can read the words and remember snippets from conversations of what different members of the community and what their contributions mean. The work was started in November 2024 with a deep texture that captured the BCD logo at the “center.” Symbolic of each person's commitment to the community being bridged through this “Central” corridor. Interestingly enough, that texture can still be discovered through close inspection even after the fourth and final treatment. The second treatment of colors selected were vibrantly different colors. Those colors and individualized lanes would be carried through and overlapped with texture in the third treatment to reflect how the community, despite different boundaries, could all work collectively as a community. Layers of texture represent some of the more historical developments overlapping with new developments. The fourth treatment turned into the true reflection, quite literally, of the calm and centeredness that we can feel when heading into nature. After the final strokes of the fourth and final treatment, I was taken back to those initial words that Kurt spoke about our proximity to nature and what I heard was the true BCD mission. Art really does reflect life, and upon reflection years later, I see the real reason why I felt called to approach Kurt after his talk. I wanted to offer this painting to raise awareness, funds, and community commitment. My goal is to make art approachable, interactive, and understandable. Throughout this story, I hope we hear that while treatments change and buildings come and go, we remain committed to our community, including the nature that surrounds our wonderful town. How can our commitment to community be preserved as good stewards of our land for generations to come? The Bend Central District is focused on buildings where development has been happening for decades. Let’s focus together on finding unique solutions to support the ever-growing need for development without eroding away our truly amazing access to nature right outside of town. I remember smiling as I was blending the last bit of green into the canvas, seeing the muted color palette. After the paint dried and I was talking through the naming of the creation with my assistant Emily, we talked about the calming effect it had upon viewing. Calm and centered came through. Upon hearing “Centered” was selected. As I was completing this story, a famous quote by John Muir came to mind. ""In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks."" This painting is a reminder of the simple gifts that nature can give. This is our reminder to stay centered AND connect with nature. Enjoy “Centered.”