© 2016 Gary N. Miller, Sisters Country Photography

The 2016 Sisters Rodeo poster is now available at several locations in Sisters and Bend.

This year, the rodeo chose to highlight JJ Harrison, the extremely popular barrelman and clown, whose antics have entertained rodeo fans since 2007.

A former teacher, Harrison said he has learned that you can accomplish a lot through wit, humor and antics. His rodeo act is always high-energy, keeping rodeo fans of all ages entertained throughout the events.

Sisters rodeo was Harrison’s first contract in the PRCA.

The rodeo commissioned local artist Dennis McGregor for this year’s painting. McGregor has become a premier poster artist in Central Oregon, using detail and acuracy in his depictions that capture the essense of his subjects.

In this year’s rodeo poster featuring Harrison, McGregor tapped into his creative side and added a bull charging toward the rodeo star, depicting the predicament of a barrelman and clown when a bull wants more action even after he has finished bucking and taking the cowboy on his back for a wild ride. Though the poster art captures Harrison’s humor, it also reflects the serious side of his job — to get the attention of a bull so a cowboy is able to get safely out of the arena after a ride.

There is no mistaking the face of JJ Harrison, who has become an annual treat for Sisters Elementary School children, and at the rodeo where his PRCA career began. The depiction is photo-realistic, with JJ’s mouth wide open to add to the thrill of the chase.

McGregor has painted a dozen posters for Sisters Rodeo. He is an extremely well-known artist whose use of vivid color mixes impressionism with reality.

The poster is available at Sisters Rodeo ticket office, Open Range and Dixie’s in Sisters, and at The Boot Barn and High Desert Feed in Bend.

— Courtesy of Bonnie Malone, Sisters Rodeo