Bookstore Makes Sweet Music During Painted Strings Art Project

Musicians who played during the Guitar Stroll at Paulina Springs Book Company included many local customers and friends. Paulina Springs owner Dick Sandvik (center) with banjo; and longtime employee Jim Cornelius (far right, kneeling).

Twenty-four old guitars, retrieved from pawnshops, became the canvases for original art in Sisters, Oregon, as local high school art students, professional artists, and country music star Hal Ketchum all followed the instruction to "turn this piece of junk into a work of art" for Painted Strings 2002 -- The Americana Guitar Art Project.

Paulina Springs Book Company (www.paulinasprings.com), one of the sponsors of the event, and other Sisters’ merchants and individuals, made a contribution to have the guitars displayed in town. On March 1, a "Guitar Stroll" allowed people to walk from location to location inspecting the guitars and listening to live music. The guitars remained on display until March 8.

The Painted Strings auction brochure

On March 9, the transformed guitars were auctioned for the benefit of the Americana Project, an educational outreach effort, netting about $20,000 for the organization.