Some Unusual Finds at the Decatur Arts Festival

This morning I headed out early to the Decatur Arts Festival. The festival continues though tomorrow (Sunday, May 26) from 11am until 5pm.  This event is a great one for the whole family, and there is plenty of art to purchase in a wide range of prices. I observed pieces from as little as $2 on up to $5,000. There is also a variety of gourmet food trucks in addition to the great restaurants in Decatur.

I am going to share some up close looks at my favorite art pieces.

My first stop was on the plaza where the Atlanta Glass Guild had lots and lots of pieces for sale. This group is a non-profit organization that is dedicated to glass art enthusiasts. There is stained glass, glass mosaics, etched glass, kiln-baked glass and every type of glass you could imagine!

Next I walked down towards the turnaround in front of the plaza. There I was pleased to meet Marlene Hopkins from Woodstock. She and her husband make whimsical metal sculptures from recycled materials. Yes, they re-purpose lots of items that were headed to the junkyard or landfill. Below are photos of some of her art for sale. She can also be reached at creativemetal@yahoo.com

I wandered over to the tents on East Ponce de Leon and met Barry Rhodes, who has a Decatur gallery where his pieces can be viewed by appointment, as he has a PhD in Physics and works for the CDC as well. Barry has been a potter for 30 years. His work has been featured in collections across the country. He has beautiful iPod stands at a very reasonable price. He has larger, more decorative pieces as well as you can see below. He can be reached at: barry@rhodespottery.com  I wonder if his knowledge of physics plays a part in his unique designs. I'm guessing so. 

Just down past Mr. Rhodes, I found Felix Berroa organizing his display. You can find some of his work for sale on this website. Felix was born in the Dominican Republic and has studied art since 1970. His paintings are vibrant and exciting and most feature intriguing faces. He can be contacted via felbere@hotmail.com 

Lucinda Carlstrom has a unique occupation. She is commissioned by companies to create one-of-a-kind commemorative quilts. She uses paper, silk and gold leaf in her designs.You can see some of her creations at www.LucindaCarlstrom.com Currently she is working on a quilt for Rutgers University. This is a photo of her work in progress. She will be sewing the individual buildings onto the quilt as well as further detail.

Lucinda also maintains a corporate rental property in the Lenox/Buckhead area. The home is fully furnished and quite lovely and can be viewed here.

Sergey Cherep is an enthusiastic and friendly artist that was quick to invite me into his shaded tent to chat. Sergey was born in Russia and has an amazing story. When he was just 3 years old, he contracted meningitis and became paralyzed. For years he couldn't walk or speak, but found his peace in painting. Eventually he recovered from the paralysis, but lost hearing in one ear. He went on to attend University. In Russia, art classes and supplies were free for him, but after graduating, he found that he could only sell his oil paintings through organized crime thugs that took 70% of his profit! He was able to obtain a visa and flew directly to Atlanta to find artistic freedom. Sergey was soon hired as a janitor at the IRS. One day he showed his manager some of his work. The manager quickly set up an art show for him in the IRS cafeteria, where he made his first sale. Here is some of his work:

Jamie Calkin also has an interesting background. He earned his doctorate in Science Education from UGA. His dissertation involved using visual arts to teach science in elementary school. Jamie is now a part-time assistant professor at UGA, but art has become more of a full-time job for him. Apparently Jamie can often be found driving around Athens in his "art van" looking for new scenes to paint. I was especially intrigued by his art which uses guitars in place of canvas!

Barbara Rush's display was the last stop on my tour of the Art Festival. Barbara's artwork shouts out her love for animals and nature. Her paintings feature horses, birds, cats and flowers. Each figure is painstakingly filled with shapes, curves or grids that make her paintings spring forward when you gaze at them. Barbara's pieces are featured in two local galleries. She has extensive experience in graphic design as well and can design a custom logo for your company at a very reasonable price!

Finally, if you are able to visit the Decatur Art Festival Sunday, take a few minutes for this free activity at the New York Times sales tent. A lovely young lady took my photo with her iPad, let me pick key words to describe my interests and instantly created a unique Word Cloud Portrait of me (which she emailed to me on the spot). Oh, and she does it for the kiddies as well.