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ENLARGE
Tami Sanders spray paints one of her Tuscan paintings with grapes and wine glasses at her Roseburg home recently.
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ENLARGE
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Tami Sanders files down spackle she shaped into grapes
for one of her Tuscan paintings with grapes and wine glasses.
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ENLARGE
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Tami Sanders with an elephant she created with her putty painting technique.
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Tami Sanders has a birthday coming up April 1— her 50th, to be exact. Her mother died three years ago, Sanders is divorced and her youngest child left for college last June, leaving her with empty-nest syndrome.
During this difficult time, the former Miss Oregon of 1979 launched into a cleaning/remodeling frenzy to prevent herself from slipping into depression. That activity led Sanders to stumble upon her artistic adeptness.
Sanders’ personality is genuinely larger than life. She is the kind of person who hugs on a first meeting. Her arms are anywhere but at her sides when she talks. She’s funny, a prankster and talks a mile a minute, a habit probably stemming from her days as a broadcast journalist — she won three Emmy Awards in ’86,’87 and ’88 before officially leaving the news business in 2000.
But the strong and confident woman has a soft spot, too. Sanders’ eyes well with tears as she talks about lying next to her mother and absolute best friend as the older woman’s body failed from lung cancer.
“When she died, it was the most excruciating feeling in the world, but the only word I can use to describe it is ‘glorious,’” Sanders said. “It changes you. ”
In a way, Sanders’ art evolved from death. After cleaning out 30 years of memories at her mother’s house, Sanders turned to her own house in Roseburg. She stripped four layers of wallpaper out of her kitchen; she sanded, textured and molded. She painted every surface in the house to conceal the glaring white underneath.
During this difficult time, the former Miss Oregon of 1979 launched into a cleaning/remodeling frenzy to prevent herself from slipping into depression. That activity led Sanders to stumble upon her artistic adeptness.
Sanders’ personality is genuinely larger than life. She is the kind of person who hugs on a first meeting. Her arms are anywhere but at her sides when she talks. She’s funny, a prankster and talks a mile a minute, a habit probably stemming from her days as a broadcast journalist — she won three Emmy Awards in ’86,’87 and ’88 before officially leaving the news business in 2000.
But the strong and confident woman has a soft spot, too. Sanders’ eyes well with tears as she talks about lying next to her mother and absolute best friend as the older woman’s body failed from lung cancer.
“When she died, it was the most excruciating feeling in the world, but the only word I can use to describe it is ‘glorious,’” Sanders said. “It changes you. ”
In a way, Sanders’ art evolved from death. After cleaning out 30 years of memories at her mother’s house, Sanders turned to her own house in Roseburg. She stripped four layers of wallpaper out of her kitchen; she sanded, textured and molded. She painted every surface in the house to conceal the glaring white underneath.
After transforming a wall in her kitchen to a pretty, fern green, she took a gold pen to it, creating scattered accents. Directly in the center she hung a favorite floral oil painting given to her by her mother, also an artist. But Sanders then decided the art and wall didn’t match.
Instead of repainting, Sanders wanted to create her own masterpiece to hang in place of her mother’s. She went to the store, bought a canvas, sat down on her kitchen floor and started the process that day. She incorporated jade green and terra-cotta paints, swirling them around on the canvas.
“A friend came over and looked at the painting on the floor and laughed,” she said, and then the friend let Sanders in on a secret: putty painting.
Spackle is a mixture used to fill nail holes in walls, with a putty-like texture, and it dries and hardens. Sanders’ first spackle painting was a plain, white, floral piece, with the petals of the flowers popping off the canvas. Sanders described her novel art form as sculpting with putty.
On her way to an arts and crafts store, seeking a professional opinion of what she should do with her newfound talent, Sanders ran into Aleta McGee, gallery manager of the Umpqua Valley Arts Center in Roseburg.
Instead of repainting, Sanders wanted to create her own masterpiece to hang in place of her mother’s. She went to the store, bought a canvas, sat down on her kitchen floor and started the process that day. She incorporated jade green and terra-cotta paints, swirling them around on the canvas.
“A friend came over and looked at the painting on the floor and laughed,” she said, and then the friend let Sanders in on a secret: putty painting.
Spackle is a mixture used to fill nail holes in walls, with a putty-like texture, and it dries and hardens. Sanders’ first spackle painting was a plain, white, floral piece, with the petals of the flowers popping off the canvas. Sanders described her novel art form as sculpting with putty.
On her way to an arts and crafts store, seeking a professional opinion of what she should do with her newfound talent, Sanders ran into Aleta McGee, gallery manager of the Umpqua Valley Arts Center in Roseburg.
McGee asked Sanders if she would like to show some of her pieces in the center’s seasonal gift shop. Since she was holding the only piece she had created, the artist immediately got to work.
Soon, Sanders had about 10 pieces at the Arts Center and numerous paintings at Casa Bella Interiors in Roseburg.
“It’s at an experimental stage for her,” said McGee about Sanders’ art. “She’s using unusual products and she’s having fun.”
Sanders started sculpting various household objects— a glass angel, a statue of an elephant— showering them with spray paint and then using a metal and patina glaze to give the work a rustic, antique look. Her greatest idea, though, was to create Tuscan paintings with grapes and wine glasses, quick-sellers because of the wineries in the area.
“My friends come over and no one is surprised at what I’m doing now,” said Sanders. “They usually expect something odd from me.”
When she isn’t sculpting in her living room, Sanders takes care of her father, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1983. She also makes video keepsakes— producing has always been her love and passion— and, “Oh yeah, I play Guitar Hero,” she added, referring to a popular music video game.
As for her mother’s painting in the kitchen, Sanders said she’ll probably just repaint the wall. The artwork is as it should be.
“My mom would be tickled,” Sanders said. “Especially with the spackle stuff. She’d get a huge kick out of it and would probably be up to her elbows in spackle with me.”
• You can reach reporter Cara Pallone at 957-4208 or by e-mail at cpallone@newsreview.info.
Soon, Sanders had about 10 pieces at the Arts Center and numerous paintings at Casa Bella Interiors in Roseburg.
“It’s at an experimental stage for her,” said McGee about Sanders’ art. “She’s using unusual products and she’s having fun.”
Sanders started sculpting various household objects— a glass angel, a statue of an elephant— showering them with spray paint and then using a metal and patina glaze to give the work a rustic, antique look. Her greatest idea, though, was to create Tuscan paintings with grapes and wine glasses, quick-sellers because of the wineries in the area.
“My friends come over and no one is surprised at what I’m doing now,” said Sanders. “They usually expect something odd from me.”
When she isn’t sculpting in her living room, Sanders takes care of her father, who was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1983. She also makes video keepsakes— producing has always been her love and passion— and, “Oh yeah, I play Guitar Hero,” she added, referring to a popular music video game.
As for her mother’s painting in the kitchen, Sanders said she’ll probably just repaint the wall. The artwork is as it should be.
“My mom would be tickled,” Sanders said. “Especially with the spackle stuff. She’d get a huge kick out of it and would probably be up to her elbows in spackle with me.”
• You can reach reporter Cara Pallone at 957-4208 or by e-mail at cpallone@newsreview.info.
