Sheri Foster

Sheri grew up in Los Angles, California, during the turbulent ’60s and ’70s. Sheri and her sister, Cindy, loved art and would spend all day (and all night) drawing together. Their first paying art gig was painting graphics on the windows of their father’s gas station. Since then, both have gone on to have successful careers as professional art ists. Sheri has executed projects in California, North Carolina, Oregon, Washington, Alaska and Hawaii.

In 1987, Sheri moved to the Big Island of Hawaii and started a commercial window painting business. She would fly from island to island with a suitcase full of paint and brushes, painting all types of graphics for all types of businesses – from car dealerships to wall murals to food carts.

In addition to being an artist, Sheri is a traveler and amateur athlete. She completed a half Iron Man triathlon on the Big Island. In 1992, she traveled to Alaska for a bike trip on the Denali Highway. There, she met her partner, Curtis. They settled in Central Oregon and have been together ever since.

In 2000, Sheri and Curtis traveled to India, where they became involved in supporting and building a school near Bodhgaya, in the state of Bihar, one of the poorest states in the country. To raise money for this project , Sheri originated a fundraiser called “Art for India,” where ar tists came together to paint 30 feet of canvas. The canvas was then sold, piece by piece, at the fundraiser. The fun part about this event was that it turned everybody into artists! Donors were given a frame with which to find their own composition on the canvas; they then purchased that piece. With the support of the community, the first event raised $17,000 for the construction and operation of the school.

In 2004, Sheri joined the family of McMenamins’ artists. Recruited as a local artist in Bend, she participated in the refurbishment of the Old St. Francis School. She found the artist team inspiring and was honored to participate in recreating a local landmark. Sheri truly enjoys preserving history through art.

Sheri is also involved in Rise Up, a local nonprofit organization whose mission is “Creating community through art and music.” She teaches kids art and ukulele, and is coordinator for Ukes 4 Youth, a ukulele lending program in the local schools. Sheri is also a leader at the Bend Ukulele Group, bringing together up to 100 people weekly for music and song.

Sheri still loves to travel and her motto is , “Have brush, will travel.”