CORVALLIS, Ore. - Jennifer Lommers didn't attend Oregon State University and, in fact, has only lived in Corvallis for a little more than a year. But she already feels strongly associated with Oregon State, not only because her husband works on campus.

Lommers captured some of the essence of Beaver Nation when she submitted an entry in a recent "Fan Chosen" T-shirt design competition on campus. Lommers is a painter with a fine arts degree from University of Washington who has been supporting herself with her art for the last five years. But the T-shirt design was the first graphic arts-type creation she's made.

Her work paid off. Nearly 70 designs were submitted to the competition and Oregon State students, staff and fans cast 2,300 votes for their favorites. From those, Lommers' design took first place. Her image of a log that has been chewed by beavers into the shape of a football will now adorn T-shirts that will be available at the OSU Bookstore starting this weekend, just in time for Mom's Weekend and the spring football game.

Lommers came up with the design while bouncing ideas off her husband, a huge football fan. Some of her original ideas were a bit more straightforward interpretations of Beaver football, including a stadium filled with a crowd of cheering beavers. But Lommers, who focuses on the outdoors and nature in her paintings, finally settled on something more organic, combining football with beavers' favorite food source, logs.

She's so excited about winning the competition that she's decided to enter her work in other design competitions.

Some of Lommers' paintings will be available at the arts fair during Mom's Weekend in the Memorial Union Quad. And her T-shirt design will be available in the OSU Bookstore through the fall football season.

Now Lommers, a Washington grad, has become an Oregon State advocate. "It's a great school," she said. "I've loved all our experiences here. We're encouraging our kids to come here."

The competition was sponsored by Vote for Art.

Source: 

Carson Dunlap, 541-737-5052

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