Marietta Art in the Park

There are many Labor Day weekend festivals in the greater Atlanta area.  We went to two of them.  On Saturday August 31, 2013, we went to Decatur, Georgia to the Book Festival - and I'll have a post on it soon.  Yesterday, Sunday September 1, 2013, we went to the Marietta Square Art in the Park.  I wrote two posts on this art festival already, one in 2010, explaining about Marietta and the area, click here to read it, and one in 2012 - click here to read it.

But first, thank you to all those who read my last post and gave their opinion on whether a movie "based on a true story" should be more than half true or not.  There were different viewpoints and I like that.  I do respect everyone's opinion and feel good that my blogging friends felt they could agree or disagree freely on my blog.  Now back to the festival.  We arrived at the park before it opened at 10 am.  There were few people then.  By the time we left around 12:30 pm there was a good crowd of people, children and dogs.  (Click on collage twice to embiggen.)

As I mentioned in my earlier post the Art in the Park festival in Marietta has been an annual event each Labor Day weekend for 27 years now.  The first festival included 32 artists and now there are 175 artists chosen from many areas of the US as well as from Marietta and greater Atlanta.  All the pieces exhibited are handmade originals  It is a pleasure to walk in all the booths and look at the extremely varied art and talk with the artists.  First my husband stopped at a wood carver, Lee Smith from Landrum, South Carolina, and admired the toothpick holders with the bearded old man hand carved on them.  I purchased one for him.

Some handsome rocking chairs were shown with the proceeds of the sale supporting charities.  The chopping blocks shown on the bottom right hand side picture below are handcrafted by Roger Grimes of the Kennesaw Woodpecker.

I talked for a while to a professional photographer but forgot to take pictures of his booth - many artists actually forbid picture taking.  There were several outstanding art photographs on display like the Mississippi Delta & Blues Collection by Ron Anton Rocz.

 Different styles of painting were shown - abstract, landscape, animal, fantasy, etc.

So many art pieces to enjoy!  Entering the booths the eyes don't know where to look ...

When we arrived at the square most people were still eating breakfast in the restaurants facing the square.  But after a while the ladies started coming into the clothing booths

and the jewelry booths.

I stopped and admired the work of a husband and wife team of glass artists from Waynesboro, Georgia - Mickey and Madeline Art Glass.  Their glass pendants are unique in shape and color.  I talked with Madeline - she told me her husband is the glass blower.  They craft their pieces in rural Georgia among their goats, chickens, dogs and garden.

Oriental art was exhibited too - in watercolor as well as in nature with gorgeous Bonsai trees.

It was quite sunny and light reflected through the beautiful stained glass pieces hanging in several booths.

 

We were certainly short of eyes to look at all this wondrous and varied art festival.

Lovely pottery dishes, bowls and mugs were tempting - but we already have so many pieces at home.

Tom Chambers brought his unique wood creations using material in nature, see vertical tree below on the bottom left.  (Don't forget to click twice to enlarge and see better.)

In the distance I could hear a strange low and vibrating sound - such as the wind instruments from Australia.  I approached and listened to a gentleman demonstrating his didgeridoo.  Afterwards he explained that he was using a special breathing technique to blow into his instrument and obtain the continuous sound.  Deborah Martin and Preston Scott from Carrollton, Georgia, is a team cutting, harvesting the raw material and handcrafting flutes, didgeridoos and keyboards.  They use traditional methods working with native bamboo and agave cactus.  Each handmade didgeridoo is individually decorated and hand-tuned.

Last year I took a picture of some bicycle prints.  One of my blogging friends, Jeanie, asked if I knew the artist who made the prints, but I did not.  As I was walking I saw a booth with painting of various sports.  I stopped and talked with Michael L. Lee of Alpharetta, Georgia.  He is a former illustrator and graphic designer who works in fine arts.  I noted his name and took pictures of some of his paintings which can be purchased as individual art design or prints.  Click here for a link to his web page (michaelleedesign.net.)

Then as I walked a bit further I saw another booth with bicycle prints, some of the same I saw last year.  I stopped and chatted with the artist - Sally Evans.  She was born in Chiswick, England, studied at the Amersham College of Art and also lived in Italy.  Now in Alpharetta, Georgia, for the last several years she was elected President of the Georgia Watercolor Society in 2009.  She sells her original art work and also prints of the same size.  In addition she offers Christmas cards and other prints on her website.  Click here for a link to it (artpainted.com.)

After seeing most of the art shown in the festival we walked to the Chalkfest which is held in conjunction with the art festival.  I'll show the photos I took at the Chalkfest in a future post as I believe eyes need to rest after so many colorful pictures.