It has been a while since I have written anything - not because I have not thought about it - it is more that I have not just wanted to chatter - so here I am chattering.
We are approaching the 23rd Nova Scotia Folk Art Festival - if you look up the Festival website you will find all sorts of information about the event and the artists. This is my eighth year of being on the Festival committee and participation continues to be much fun with interesting challenges. Such as this year - should visitors be allowed to bring their pooches into the arena. There have been some complaints that these little souls mistake carvings for fire hydrants - much to the chagrin of the artists and oblivion of the owners.
Each year new artists are added to the list of participants and unfortunately some do not return because of ill health and other personal reasons. It saddens me when some of the long time participants no longer find it possible to attend. We always hope that they will be back the following year and sometimes they do return.
Now for my gallery. This is my tenth year of working, living with and loving folk art. It has become such an integral part of my life that sometimes I think that I would like to reclaim my summers and not work. Then each year I recoil at the notion of not driving around the Province picking up a colourful assortment of folk art figures, critters and paintings. What I look forward to the most is seeing the artists again. Their honest, genuine connection to their work touches my heart and I feel the artists presence in each of the pieces.
While ten years ago, I thought that I would sell only Nova Scotia folk art and I have mostly kept that integrity; a few years ago I met a New Brunswick painter Pat Melanson whose work really appealed to me. He is an optimistic and joyful person whose paintings are colourful, humorous and well executed maritime scenes. His paintings have brought joy to those people who have been introduced to his work. Then there is John Boorman from Ontario who is a tall, friendly and curious person who loves searching his mind for new creative ideas. His carvings are humorous, more contemporary in style than most of the work that I carry and also well executed. For those of you who are familiar with my gallery you will recognize him as the "sardines in a can" artist.
This year I stretched my boundaries a little further. I am selling a signed print of a seagull, painted by Craig Rubadoux who is a renown Florida/Nova Scotia artist. In meeting him you would not get the impression that his paintings are in many corporate and Museum collections. He has a quiet presence and is much more interested in hearing your story than in talking about his own. I have chosen to sell this print because it fits in wonderfully with anyone's folk art collection. Also the price of Craig's original paintings is out of reach for most people so this is one way of owning a Rubadoux piece.
Then there is Kate Church, a Rhode Island School of Design graduate. A warm unassuming creator who travels extensively to teach and generously share her skills. Kate's figures are created out of tinted clay and her drinking vessels are made out of hand rolled porcelain. For many years now she has produced prototypes and figures for Cirque du Soleil.
I could say lots more about each of these artists and their artistic style but for now this will suffice. By the end of August I am hoping to have some of their work on display on my website in addition to more works by some of the folk artists whose work I carry. Thank you for taking so much interest in my website. Enjoy the joy of summer and all that it offers you. Inge
