Eagerly returning to this event for the second year, we made our trek to Lancaster with promises of a duck pond, horse and buggy sightings and oatmeal pie to the Munchkin in exchange for her cooperation at the Festival. She came through with flying colors! In fact, I think she enjoyed browsing the artists’ tents, looking at paintings, glass works and sculpture. It pleased me to no end that she asked, “Mommy, can you lift me up to see this painting closer?” or pulled on my arm and said, “Mommy, let’s go look at these artworks.”
Needless to say, “Mommy” enjoyed herself too. Booth after booth of talented, imaginative individuals with artist eye candy perched delicately on pedestals or hanging lightly on felt covered panels. I chose only a few of my favorites to share with you here, but there was truly so much to take in, I would go again tomorrow if I could.
The work above, by Jim and Tori Mullan was my favorite of the day…intricate and fun pieces, table art and jewelry. I would love to add one of their creations to my collection and see this guy perched on my shelf everyday! I especially enjoyed their pieces that featured the bird sitting atop antique binoculars.
Next up is Munchkin’s pick for “Best of the Day”. She spotted these colorful masks by John Flemming, fittingly from New Orleans, from twenty yards…I was surprised when we discovered they were crafted from leather! To add to the booth attraction, the artist was very gracious and allowed her to try on her favorite. Excitement could not be contained! (And Mommy only got a little nervous when the 4-year old was handling the expensive piece of art…) The craftsmanship on the mask was impeccable…I was secretly jealous that I couldn’t try one!
Favorite Moment of the Day – I am grateful to this artist for being so gracious and humoring my little creative sprite.
I believe we set our theme for the day early on, gravitating to the more sculptural artists and more specifically, those who incorporated a drop or two of whimsy into their work. We visited the booth of Jef Raasch & The J.A.R. Studio. Sitting just at the edge was this piece:
After grabbing some lunch at the Sculpture Garden/Bistro Courtyard, I was given the chance to wander a bit by myself while the Munchkin and her Grammy headed to the playground. By the way, the Orzo Salad from Plum Street Gourmet was too delicious! After snacking on some goodies, I caught a live demonstration by Marti Mocahbee:
Live demonstration by Marti Mocahbee, Clay Artist
Ahh, the sweet smell of damp clay and the hum of the wheel…I zoned out for a bit watching her! From the mound of clay thrown on the wheel, she creates these stunning, intricately designed and perfectly glazed pieces:
Marti Mocahbee, Clay Artist
I highly recommend visiting her website to view more of her work. Her play with color and contrast is captivating.
There were many, many other artists with equally impressive work…the metalwork and jewelry almost demand another visit! This is now an annual event for us and I must go now to collect my pennies for the new art wish list resulting from our field trip today. The Festival is still on tomorrow…if you can, make the trip! More info here: http://www.longspark.org/art.html Enjoy your evening! ~Beth www.bcmnotes.com
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