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Take a new look By Vickie Aldous Ashland Daily Tidings GREEN SPRINGS - Scattered clouds shrouded and then revealed Pilot Rock and distant mountains as local artists worked to capture aspects of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. The pale aqua of sagebrush, yellow of wildflowers, dark green of pines and junipers and deep blue of the mountains filled Virginia Govedare's watercolor. Goly Ostovar paints a picture of what the U.S. Forest Service called one of the oldest juniper trees in Oregon. She worked on private property off Soda Mountain Road Wednesday for the art-based benefit for the Friends group. "I like the up-close growth of wildflowers and sage with the rocks, and the tremendous view of Mount Ashland - which has been in and out all day," Govedare said while painting from her vantage point near the Green Springs summit. Sage and juniper, more commonly found in the dry lands to the east, make their home in the monument along with species from the west, north and south. The monument marks the convergence of the old Siskiyou Mountains, of which Mount Ashland is a part, and the younger, volcanic Cascades that include Pilot Rock, the lava plug remaining from an eroded volcano. The geological and biological diversity of the monument became a source of inspiration to more than a dozen artists who dispersed through the area on Wednesday, intent on creating works to benefit the Friends of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument. Pieces donated by the artists will be reproduced as greeting cards and other material to be sold, while the original works will be auctioned next year, according to FCSNM members. The group is planning another field day in the fall for artists to draw, paint and photograph the monument, according to FCSNM Chair Teresa Giacomini. In cooperation with the Medford District Bureau of Land Management, FCSNM operates a visitors' center next to the Green Springs Inn where maps, brochures and trail guides are available. Group members also hope to sponsor an educational lecture series about the monument, Giacomini said. "We think the best way to get people to support the monument is to help them understand what it is and why it was formed," she said. Amid intense controversy, the monument was designated in June 2000 by former President Bill Clinton in recognition of its biological diversity. The designation covers BLM lands north of Highway 66 south to the Oregon-California border, and from just west of Interstate 5 near the Siskiyou Summit to Jenny Creek about 20 miles to the east. The monument does not include Mount Ashland, which is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Forest Service, or private lands intermixed with federal lands. Private property owners in support of the monument opened up their lands to the visiting artists for the day-long art event, with Buckhorn Springs Resort owners Leslie and Bruce Sargent providing meals. For artist Betty LaDuke, painting in the area offered a new way to appreciate the monument. "I've been here to picnic and to hike, but not really to observe closely," she said. LaDuke filled several pages of her sketchpad with expressive ink interpretations of gnarled junipers, the panoramic landscape, a rhythmic swirl of leaves and the spikes of pine needles. She plans to work the sketches into finished ink drawings. Giacomini said the art day not only produced works that can benefit FCSNM, but the artists who participated developed an even stronger commitment to supporting and promoting the monument. That view was shared by Govedare. "We will all be ambassadors," she said. For more information on artworks or the fall field day, contact Giacomini at 482-0724. Take a new look LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -