New multi-artist gallery will enhance Sisters’ arts scene

Brad Earl was in the midst of a successful 46-year career as an architect when his wife Dale McCullough encouraged him to take up painting. That was 26 years ago, when his daughter Sloane was young.

Sloane had already shown a knack for the visual arts.

“She’s been a sketcher since she was two years old,” Brad recalled.

He told his daughter, “OK, I’ll paint if you paint.”

Photo by Jim Cornelius

Sloane Earl, Dale McCullough, and Brad Earl are opening Flying Horse Gallery in Sisters this week.

Brad recalls that he has a photograph of himself painting his first piece – a portrait of a rower on Lake Placid – while Sloane is sitting at a Playskool table “covered in paint, painting away.”

Twenty-six years later, and a continent away, Brad and Sloane Earl are both accomplished painters – with very different approaches and subject matter – and they are sharing a new gallery in Sisters.

Flying Horse Gallery, which showcases the work of both artists, in addition to a planned rotation of visiting artists, opens at 161 S. Elm St. in Sisters on Friday, October 25, with a party from 4 to 7 p.m., coinciding with the Sisters Arts Association 4th Friday Art Walk.

Brad’s work focuses on paintings of unique buildings. He has a particular interest in vintage movie theaters, and has painted iconic – and nostalgic-buildings across the country. He’s also depicted many of Sisters’ landmark buildings in paintings that have proven very popular in local galleries and shows. He has a fascination with vintage typewriters, which feature frequently in his work.

Sloane’s paintings have a fantastical bent, perhaps a product of an upbringing in a house in the Pennsylvania woods, an atmosphere that felt to her like a “faerie forest.”

“I always grew up with magic around me – the belief that magic was real,” she recalled. “I started drawing. I would draw creatures, fantasy creatures, so that actually led me to want to do creature design for the video game industry. That was like my dream.”

Sloane ended up going into the business side of the video game industry. It’s a profession that has sent her all over the world – and which now allows her to work remotely and live in Sisters.

In recent years, she has actively pursued her painting, enjoying success in shows and Renaissance Faires. She cites the legendary artist and illustrator of fantastical and adventure fiction, N.C. Wyeth, as her main inspiration.

The notion of father and daughter sharing a gallery is not new to the Earls.

“It’s been our dream to have a gallery for as long as I can remember,” Sloane said. “And now, we found the perfect space in this amazing art town…”

With both artists relocating to Sisters in recent years, and Brad becoming immersed in the local arts scene, the time seemed right to act. Brad’s wife Dale made the key move, inquiring about potential space in the building on Elm Street. The timing was fortuitous, and Flying Horse Gallery was born.

The name and the Pegasus “winged horse” logo seek to evoke the lodestars of the Earls’ artistic vision: fantasy, nostalgia, and whimsy. It was important to them that the gallery be located near Hood Avenue, which has become an “arts district” in Sisters.

The gallery is very spacious, and the Earls plan to share wall space with a rotating roster of visiting artists. They also plan to host art classes, activities, and community gatherings.

Dale noted that Sisters has been most welcoming to the family – as artists and now as business owners.

“Everyone is so friendly, and they embrace you right away,” she said.

The artists are looking for ways to contribute to the community and are open to ideas from local folks for uses for the gallery space.

For more information, email info@flyinghorsegallery.com, visit http://www.flyinghorsegallery.com or call 484-437-9711.