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41 °F Forecast | Road Cams Thursday, January 27, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Wellness Connection Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Opportunities Moving to Southern Oregon? MARKETPLACE Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Classifieds Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend December 19, 2004 Shari Woods, 60, has been painting window scenes, like these at the Dairy Queen on Biddle Road, for half a century. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Window artist draws on the season Shari Woods might dress like an elf, but her talent leaves a giant impression By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune Frosted panes may be a customer favorite. But this Rogue River window painter can do a lot more with a brush and a slab of clear glass than paint white snowflakes. From Grants Pass to Rogue River to Central Point to Medford, Shari Woods’ artwork has Rogue Valley windows gleaming with colorful season’s greetings. The Ben Franklin store in the Rogue River Shopping Center sports a panorama of flying Canada geese, browsing deer and snow-topped pines on its 50 feet of windows. A couple in a horse-drawn sleigh approach Wimer’s now famously defunct covered bridge. And there are the obligatory snowflakes, wreaths and holiday greetings. "I try to paint something on each window that reflects the interests of the customers," says Woods, who stands 4-foot-11 and paints in a holiday costume. "I wear an elf hat. My grandkids got me started on that," says the painter. Advertisement Kathy Sturm, owner of the Cowboy Corral on Rogue River Highway, says Woods’ stature and elfin attire draws nearly as many glances as her talents. "You should see her in her elf outfit. One year, she even had the pointy ears," says Sturm. "People stop and take pictures." Sturm has hired Woods to paint her windows for the seven years she’s been in business. Always a horsey theme at the tack shop, Woods once did a mule scene. Last year, Santa got bucked off a horse. "She does fun stuff," says Sturm. "She tries to take something from the owners’ interests. And she did pinup girls for the auto parts store. She made them Santa’s elves." Woods began painting the windows for her 97 happy customers on Nov. 3. It has been one of her busiest years yet. In fact, word of mouth has made Woods so popular that she now has a waiting list of customers — businesses and residences. "To get on my list, somebody has to go out of business or die," she says. While the bulk of her business is doing commercial windows, nine of this year’s windows were in homes. The diminutive artist says she has been painting her seasonal scenes on wintry windows for half a century. "I started when I was 10," says Woods. "I did the windows at my father’s service station. And the guy next door asked if I’d do his, too. That was how I started." Employing no stencils or patterns, Woods uses acrylic paint and years of artistic experience to create her freehand images. She says the images take her between one and 12 hours per window, depending on the design. Her fees range from $25 to $550 accordingly. When she’s not painting windows, Woods raises and trains horses. And she paints commissioned scenes on everything from canvas to saw blades. "All my work is commission," she says. "I do about three a year." And after the season? How does one remove these less permanent works of art? With an ammonia-based cleaner like Windex and an awful lot of elbow grease, says Woods. Just don’t call her. "Oh, no!," she says with a laugh. "I don’t do windows!" Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers