Over the weekend I had the opportunity to spend the day at the ArtWorks Eau Gallie Art Festival. There was a lot to see and I tried my best to see it all. But it wasn't all pleasure, I was there for photos and as usual in situations like this, I eventually ended up in a manic state. Things got a little blurry, but looking back I am almost certain I had a great time. The photo gallery seems to verify that. (click here to view the full photo gallery)
I entered from the South entrance, passing the giant balloon in the park. It's easy to miss this park as you all speed off the Eau Gallie causeway at double the speed limit and tear your way eastbound with wreckless abandon, but do yourself a favor, and take the time to relax under a shady tree sometime. Also... slow the hell down, eh?
I had my camera around my neck and I was on the hunt for photos, but it was great to stop and chat/annoy some of the artists. The first tent I arrived at was our good buddy Derek Gores. I buzzed around for a few minutes snapping photos of his collage artwork and being somewhat of a pest as he tried to have a conversation with a potential patron (sorry, buddy!). After that I stopped by for a chat with Tom Powers (sporting a very stylish EGAD! Eau Gallie Arts District t-shirt... get them while supplies last!). Down the street, Dave Burton did not disappoint with his usual array of fantastical toy-collage sculpture/painting/awesomeness. Next I swung by Hailey Clark's tent to check out some of her colorful abstract and figure paintings. As a young artist, she said it was her first time participating in an art festival and her enthusiasm was contagious.
Next I was on my way to check out Christopher Maslow's paintings and Deborah Speer's wheel-thrown pottery on St. Claire Ave. As I round the corner, I passed Michelet Innocent playing acoustic guitar and singing French tunes. Wow, this guy is good I thought to myself and I diverted from my mission momentarily to bask in the silky smooth vibe. It made me feel a little bit like I was in a scene from the movie Life Aquatic. Most of you won't get that reference.
As I walked back to the main strip a murmur rose up in the crowd around me and a shadow creeped over me. I looked up to see a 10 foot crossdresser in a blue hoop skirt lumbering ominously towards me. The crowd parted, dragging artwork and small children to safety. The Skirt filled the entire width of the street, forcing the crowd to looked on with a mixture of amusement and befuddlement as the skirted behemoth rolled slowly by on a platform pushed by volunteers. Seemingly oblivious to bizarre nature of the situation, a squad of smiling preteen girls in matching dresses skipped around the hulking figure, handing out flyers for the Space Coast Ballet's performance of the Nutcracker. Slack jawed with wonder, I only collected myself soon enough to get a few shots before the behemoth had lumbered down Highland Ave. and out of view. Moments later, after confirming my presence in the world of the awake, I returned to the tents.
I next met Ed from Ed's Heads Tikis and then "Klammer Dave" Scheimref. In addition to having some of the most glorious beards I have seen in a while, they were both amazing wood sculptures. Ed has been carving tiki sculptures for nearly three decades and just within the past few months he decided to try his hand at abstract painting. Klammer Dave had a tent lined wall to wall with carved, cartoon-style fish of all shapes, sizes, and colors. They weren't exactly conceptual. They were fun. That was the whole point and I was surprisingly okay with that. The art snob in me had been completely neutralized.
It was going so well. I had met a lot of interesting and colorful people. And then it happened. I met "that guy". The curmudgeon. I spotted a potential great photograph and started to line up my shot. "What do you think you're doing," the voice implored from the back of the tent, "Is that how you act at an art show?". "Are you...upset?", I asked. "There's a certain etiquette you know. You don't just go around taking photos of other people's work," he responded. Ah, yes I thought as I walked away dumbfounded, you certainly don't do something like take photos at a weekend street festival. And of course, we all know that artwork is certainly NEVER photographed. No, of course not. Oh wait, yes it is. All the time. Even all the art in the Louvre is well documented photographically, and your tent, sir, is most certainly not the Louvre. What was that guy's name anyway? Does he have a website? Oh no, I seem to have forgotten to write it down. Whoops!
Luckilly, I was saved from leaving in a funk by the art and conversation of Tom Busby. As we chatted and laughed about his pieces and the upcoming Robot Love 2 extravaganza (coming January 2010!), I remembered that the majority of artists had been a true pleasure to spend the day with. Also, special thanks to Link Johnsten for letting me up on the roof of Eau Gallie Florist to get some birds eye shots of the festival.
The thing I took away from this year's festival, in addition to the noticeably high bar set by this batch of artists, was the prevailing sense of enthusiasm for their art and the art community as a whole. Perhaps one of the greatest things about art is that it gives us an acceptable outlet for our childlike imaginations. No matter how much society and adult responsibilities try to crush them out of us over time, we can always express these feelings of childlike wonder and joy through art. Well, most of us anyway, but it was going to take a lot more than just one poopy face curmudgeon to spoil that.
