Finds at the Norcross Art Festival

The first weekend in October we spent a few hours walking around the Norcross Art Festival. It was fun to look at the array of booths and vendors, and the best part was that everything, including the parking, was entirely free. It was a fun way to spend a fall afternoon. I thought I'd showcase two artists whom I especially appreciated here on our blog.

Painting














One of the first things to catch my attention were a series of large, whimsical animal portraits by Kay Odell. Her color choices and compositions were amazing! Some of her canvases were round, which added to her playful style. So charming! Wouldn't our little dog-relatives Zoe or Cody or Zeke love to be immortalized like this? The artist will do custom orders for $300-350 from a photograph of your pet. (Although, her art did give me inspiration for
a painting that has been long overdue to be transferred from my head to a canvas... perhaps I will do the honors for our canine friends some day soon!) Still, since you really don't want to wait on me, check out her other artwork at her website. I saw some adorable note cards and 2008 calendars for sale at the festival. Fun stuff!

Wood Crafts

Another artist's works I found exciting were some large wood pieces from a craftsman named Lee Chesson, including unique cutting boards and lazy susans. I was surprised to learn that the striped sections are all unstained, natural woods from Africa and South America, like paduak and purpleheart. The one I saw at the festival (pictured to the left) was entirely striped, but I think having only two stripes (at right, pictured upside-down) adds a contemporary flair that I find striking. I'd love to have one sitting on our dining room table! The color combinations are richly arranged. Check out more of his work, including chess sets, albums, cutting boards and other, smaller pieces, at his website. Free shipping in the US!

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