Wild Life & Nature Festival & Expo in Blue Ridge, GA
A nice setting between the oaks, good weather – even if a little on the warm side – and a steady flow of people. Add to that good neighbors all around us and you have a perfect way to spend a weekend.
This event was organized by the Blue Ridge Mountain Art Association and it took place at the Downtown City Park this past Saturday and Sunday.
Besides my own :-), I saw some very interesting and unique work. Animal heads, and in some cases the whole animal, made from Sisal fibers by Anne Andersson. They looked real!
In another booth, there were beautiful ceramics in the shape of birds by Helen Harris, from Murphy, NC. I fell in love with a Blue Jay which mysteriously found his way to our house.
Paula van Huss
Chris Boone, a wood carving artist, exhibited his wooden animal sculptures, and in particular, swans and geese. Their graceful forms and the uniqueness of their texture – showing parts of the original bark and even lichen and moss – give his work a very distinctive look.
And talking about birds, Bill and Linda Dealy delighted us with the sound of computerized bird calls, matching well the character of their booth: handcrafted solid wood decoys.
And in the far left corner, our friend Paula van Huss added a brushstroke of color with her Native American watercolors and contemporary collages.
Another carving artist, Frank Dominguez, prominently displayed Santa figurines, in different sizes and clothes, each one an original piece.
Carving and photography were the two main media which is easy to understand due to the nature of the show.
Next to our booth there was a gigantic oak that is 128 years old. Looking up it seemed to go up forever
Our next door neighbors, Tom Zarle and his wife Nancy, told us about Scandinavian carving, which techniques he applies to his own whimsical figures.
Our Flower Portraits on canvas received a lot of compliments – beautiful, serene, clean colors – but the one that touched me was the one from a lady who bought a framed Periwinkle Iris, “It represents the start of my new life”. She made my day.
