Call her sheepish, but painter Doris McGurrin isn't one to talk up her artwork. The 62-year-old Sanbornton artist was willing to make an exception, however, in the name of a good cause. McGurrin has been contributing pieces to The Friends Program's charity auction for nearly a decade, and this year, she's one of 15 artists whose work is featured on an authentic Shaker blanket chest. We asked her about her contribution, “Sheep in the Pasture”:
Why did you settle on sheep?
I think sheep are kind of cute. It's kind of a step away from what I normally do. . . . This year has a Shaker blanket chest theme, so naturally I thought of blankets and wool. A theme with sheep seemed like a good fit. . . . . There's usually an animal in my work. One year I did a piece of my cat called “Siobhan's Dream.” That's my cat's name. It had a big snow goose and my cat was sleeping on its back and it was flying through the air.
How much time did you put into this year's work?
It's hard to say. I work 40 hours a week and I'm not a real fast artist. I really have to think, 'What's going to make this thing go, what's going to make it special?' This was a box, and it was pretty easy to do. It didn't need a whole lot of extra work. . . . There are some really creative artists that do these things. It's not just painting, there's a lot of work involved, like sanding and priming.
Why is this cause important to you?
The Friends Program just does a lot of good things for the community. They help seniors and have mentoring programs and provide emergency housing. . . . People coming and buying a piece will really support these programs . . . which help people help themselves. That's the most important thing.
Your husband is also an artist. Can you tell us what he's contributing to the auction?
Tom is actually a goldsmith/silversmith. He usually donates a piece of jewelry, earrings or a necklace. . . . A lot of his work is sterling silver jewelry and has a lot of gold jewels, either 18 or 22 karats. He's been doing that since 1972.
So you must have a great jewelry collection?
Yeah, it's fun. But I'm like the shoemaker's wife. I don't even wear a wedding ring, but he does make nice stuff.
