In the spring of 1979, Stev Ominski was checked into a rental cabin on
Mirkwood Lane in Welches.

“I was finally living in the old stomping grounds of my youth,” Ominski said.

“This was an area where I had played in the rivers and creeks as a child and
was eventually drawn back to, on a regular basis, as I began to define myself
as an artist.”

Ominski didn’t know “a human soul” in the area, but was reveling in the
scenes of his early inspirations.

“As fate would have it, I was staying 200 yards up the road from Tom
Rutledge,” he said.

Rutledge, a Mountain icon, passed away in December, 2011. His legendary
status inspired Ominski, and a tribute to Rutledge will be exhibited from 3
p.m. to 7 p.m., Feb. 16 at The Shack, to include Ominski’s paintings and
watercolors, hors’douvres, and a chance to meet the artist.

Eventually, Rutledge’s curiosity got the best of him and he came up the road
to the cabin, introduced himself, and proceeded to make it his personal task
to educate the artist in the way of living on the Mountain.

“I learned to go ‘wild assing,’ which involved driving around in his faded green
Willys Jeep at an amazingly slow pace – you wouldn’t want to miss anything –
a six-pack of Blitz between us on the bench seat,” Ominski said. “Tom would
stop along the way and talk to an assortment of characters. It was quite
entertaining.”

Many adventures ensued, with Tom at the helm and the budding painter at his
side.

Rutledge went on to build his legend on the Mountain. Ominski turned to his
art, and the result of this encounter, coupled with inspiration, is at the core of
the February exhibit.

“These works are of the man who guided me through a wealth of memorable
experiences,” Ominski said. “The pieces presented here are but a kind of tip of
the iceberg, in that Tom has come to represent a pivotal part of my ongoing
imagery of the west slope of the Cascades. There will be more of Tom to
come, as I am far from done with the character named Tom Rutledge.”

The exhibit will remain on display at The Shack from Feb. 16 to March 2, to
include Tom’s birthday, Feb. 27, hosted by Kim Perry-Rutledge, owner of the
bar-restaurant.