Sping Art Festivals

A couple of weekends ago, Nick and I headed to the local dollar store to buy some Easter decorations for his store. We stumbled upon an Art Show going on at the same shopping plaza. I couldn't go home without first walking through it. It has been a while since Nick and I have bought any art since we try to live on a lean budget. However, I just told myself we would just look around and go home.

Instead, I was surprised to see very unique pieces of art and instantly I knew this was going to be a day of impulse buys. My first buy was a fused glass necklace. I'm not one to like or buy "fancy" jewelry but this piece was very unique. I knew if I didn't buy it I would keep thinking about it and regret not buying it. I have seen fused glass before but I've never seen it so "shapely". Ms. Kapfer from Kapfer Studio said she is the only one she's ever seen turn fused glass into different shapes. She had martini glasses, fish, starfish, and only one guitar! Now you understand why I couldn't walk away without it.

As we made our way through the line of tents, we found an artist, Dale Bartlett, who we had seen before and loved but had never bought from. That day, one of his "bonsai trees" got to us and we just couldn't stop staring at it. The trees are made from different types of wires shaped like roots and branches. The canopies are made from recycled grounded dyed tires (the type used for children's playground floors). After about 45 minutes of talking to the artist, looking at every tree, and figuring out where it would go, we decided on the one that originally caught our eye. Our tree is made of copper wires, yellow pieces of tires, and it sits on a piece of Bald Cypress ("recycled" from a local swamp, torn down for construction). The base and the tree are held together by a mixture of gravel, sand, and Elmer's glue.

Each piece of art evokes a feeling. I am in love with this tree! I can stare at it all day long and it gives me a sense of tranquility. When Nick and I find a piece we like, we ask ourselves two questions: 1. If I walk away, will I still think about this piece? and 2. Can I stare at it "forever" and not get tired of it? If the answer is yes to both then we buy it. So far, no regrets!

On Sunday of that same weekend, we drove to Cocoa to meet up with Nick's family for breakfast. We were super late and ended up ordering to go because everyone was done eating by the time we got there. However, Nick's parents told us there was an art festival going on in Cocoa village so we headed there after eating our breakfast. Since we had bought a few things the day before, we didn't buy anything this time but we did see some unique things. We walked by this lady who was stealing the show with her little pups. I just couldn't help but ask her if I could take a picture of her and her dogs. She was very nice and even allowed, Nick's mom to "hold" one of the dogs. If you look at the picture, yes you're seeing that right....the dog is carried like a PURSE! I would think that this is cruel but the dogs seemed to be very happy with their owner. The "dog lady" said her dogs have been photographed with people all over the world...they're celebrities and they know it!

After walking through Cocoa village, we went for a walk through the boardwalk by the edge of the river. It was there that we saw a couple of manatees! I don't think I have ever seen manatees in the wild so this was pretty cool. I was able to catch a picture of one of them coming up for air.

This was a great Spring weekend. Today, I'm actually headed towards another art festival in Orlando. I don't think I'll buy anything but I'm looking forward to "festival" food (kettle corn, arepas, lemonade, etc.).