Arts and crafts include a whole host of activities and hobbies that are related to making things with one’s own hands and skill. I always enjoy visiting arts and crafts fairs. It’s interesting to discover what new artistic creations are offered. Even more so to speak with the artisans to learn why they do what they do, and how they got started.
The 11th Early Spring Art andCraft Festival was held at SUNY Stony Brook the last weekend in March. The offerings ranged from the humdrum to the extraordinary.
I like to walk quickly through an exhibition to get a feel for the merchandise, returning later to booths that grabbed my attention. What first caught my eye were the miniature watercolors of Greg Stones. I especially enjoyed the Surreal paintings of this Rhode Island artist, including images of UFOs, zombies, dinosaurs and robots. “Robot Poop” is a 3 by 4 inch opaque watercolor on paper.
“Robot Poop” by Greg Stones
Stones seems to have gauged the market correctly. His exotic miniature paintings attracted a lot of attention. I would return later for a limited edition print of “Goodbye, Sheep”, a picture of a UFO abduction.
Christopher Testa’s sculpted hands of polymer clay were a crowd pleaser. Apparently these objects are hand sculpted from canes of polymer clay. The canes consist of a cylinder of clay that has a design running through it, so each slice of the cane – the cross-section – contains the design. Think of millefiori glassware.
I also enjoyed Judy Vladimir’s framed arrangements of dried pressed flowers and Anet’s handpainted china. Vladimir became interested in flowers after learning about their historical significance. China or porcelain painting is an art that has been declining in popularity. I purchased two delightful ceramic tea bag holders, hand painted with wildflowers.
Support your local artist and patronize local art and craft fairs. You can usually find listings for these in the newspaper and online. These events attract artisans of all kinds. You never know just what treasures you will find.
~TAB
2 Comments
April 12, 2008 at 3:11 am
You changed your theme? I actually like the old one a lot better, but a little experiment here and there isn’t a bad thing.
April 21, 2008 at 1:09 am
I might agree Leafless. But it was time for a change as we celebrate our one-year blog anniversary. WordPress offers an impressive array of themes. Any recommendations how to improve our blog design?