*POSTPONED* We’re sorry, folks but this event has been postponed. We’ll let you know when we have a rescheduled date. Thank you for your understanding.

About HUG:

Paul Alan Bennett’s new book, HUG, is filled with visual images of people hugging one another, themselves, their favorite bathrobes, pillows, pets, etc. It’s about how we use touch to embrace and connect with the world around us.

The book consists of 55 monotypes printed at Studio 6000 in Sisters. You may recognize many of the people featured as most of them are residents of Central Oregon. “I think I asked about 300 people to pose for these pictures,” Paul said. “This project has been a great way for me to get to know my community better during these Covid times.”

The core for the HUG theme came about when the first vaccine came out. We were told we could now hug, shake hands and gather in large crowds again. This initial elated feeling lasted only a short time, but it was the motivating factor for the book. Images evolved from that idea and expanded into self-hugs, hugs of compassion and things and activities we love to hug.

Author Bio:

Paul was born in Bozeman, Montana. Like so many of us, he moved around a lot. After Montana came Colorado, then Baltimore, then Pennsylvania, followed by 6 years in Greece, then Portland and now Sisters.

He has always worked as an artist/art teacher. He has a B.F.A. from the Maryland Institute of Art and an M.A. from the University of La Verne, Athens, Greece. His work has been shown in many one-man and group shows and as greeting cards, magazine and book covers and prints.  In 2006, Pendleton Woolen Mills made 16 of Paul’s paintings into tapestries.

HUG is Paul’s third book after Pandemic Portraits and Night Skies.