In Memoriam
Here we remember the amazing artists who have left us.
Carla Rajnus (1949-2025)
During her time in Oakhurst, Carla was the proprietor of a bed and breakfast in the mountain community. She participated several times in the annual Sierra Art Trails open studio tour and in showings at the Yosemite Gateway Art Center in Oakhurst. Carla specialized in photography and collage pieces which reflected her interest in social justice issues. Her political collage pieces were exhibited at a special showing in 2019 entitled, “Public and Private,” with her friend and artist, Deboray Say Lawrence, at the art center.
Always a devoted caretaker of her dog and cat family, Carla also volunteered one day a week at the Eastern Madera County SPCA Thrift Store in Oakhurst, a source of funding for the EMC SPCA Animal Care and Adoption Center in Oakhurst. When her grandson, Ryan, was born in St. Helens in 2018, Carla decided to move back to be closer to her son and grandson.
Carla was a long-time member of Yosemite Sierra Artists and served as Treasurer and a board member.
Norma Rogers (1932-2023)
Norma was born in Pleasant Hill Michigan, and graduated from the University of Michigan where she met and married her husband, John Rogers. In the late 1980’s Norma took a bronze casting class at Fresno City College, and she fell in love with sculpting. She started taking more classes at Fresno State University and at age 74 she graduated with a master’s degree in Art. Although her true passion was bronze casting, she worked in rock, acrylic, metals, ceramic, plaster, wood as well as many natural materials. She showed and sold her work in Fresno, Madera and locally in Oakhurst.
Norma was a long-time member of Yosemite Western Artists/Yosemite Sierra Artists served as President and resided on the board for many years.
Eliede “Lee” Pounds (1948-2023)
Ally Benbrook (1951-2019)
Ally Benbrook spent her childhood outdoors riding horses, playing with dogs, and hiking; she never once picked up a paintbrush. Adulthood was spent running her family business, raising a daughter, and competing in equine events; again, no paintbrush in sight. Although her mother, grandmother, and aunts were very accomplished artists, Ally never felt the urge to paint until well past her fiftieth birthday.
The “paint what you love” philosophy for Ally has resulted in a multitude of animal-related pieces, and now has evolved into her Last Connection series. These paintings depict the incredible devotion that dogs offer to their homeless owners. Most of these people have lost the ability to connect with other human beings, and their dogs give them the emotional connection that all humans need.
Ally says: In all my research into this subject, I have never seen a mistreated dog. Instead I’ve seen people who will feed their dogs first, while they themselves go hungry. In many cases, and for many reasons, their dog is the only source of love and acceptance. Though these paintings may be full of conflicting emotions and painful to look at, to me they are a celebration of our canine companions at their finest.
When Ally and her husband Mike moved to Oakhurst, Ally opened her studio on Highway 41, joined Yosemite Sierra Artists, and created a female painter’s collective for education and cameraderie.
