Stephanie Barrow

"Wherever I've lived, I'm always drawing and painting," says Stephanie Barrow, who grew up in Twin Falls, Idaho, got married out of high school, then lived, worked, and studied art in locations from rural Texas to New York City. After a divorce, she and her two kids, then 14 and 11, moved to Alaska, where she worked as an editor at the Anchorage Daily News and earned a BFA degree at UA-Anchorage. "I did freelance art work for the paper and other clients," she says. In the mid-90s, Barrow and her daughter followed her son to the Oregon Coast. After a few years at the Daily Astorian, she moved to Eugene and spent seven years as an illustrator at the Register-Guard. Five years ago, she began volunteering at Committed Partners for Youth. "I've mentored two teen-age girls," says Barrow, who left the R-G in 2007 in favor of a low-key job at Gray's Garden Center and more time for painting and volunteer activities. Early in 2010, she resolved to make and sell 200 paintings at $25 each before year's end, donating the proceeds to CPY. Paintings can be seen and purchased online at claimyourpainting.posterous.com. "I encourage people to mentor. It's great," says Barrow. "These kids haven't had people show up for them."