Festival review: ArtFest ‘09 at Fair Park in Dallas

by Travis Bush

Note to self: Charge the camera battery BEFORE you leave the house. I don't think it is luck that I ran into several artists that I have had the pleasure of being next to at other shows, but merely a given. The best always gravitate to the festivals, and that's a good thing. Good for the vendors and good for the festival goers. I begged and got to charge my battery, which gave me the chance to do nothing but walk around and enjoy the artwork while I waited.

Usually a festival report will talk about the food or the musicians that were playing, but sadly there was a definite lack of both. It was fun to listen to the group from Bryan Adams High singing "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and to Annie Dingwall, the keyboardist and recent graduate of the Arts Magnet High School. I also stopped briefly to listen to a gentleman playing the violin, which you can a have a listen to here.

That was the extent of my music listening while at Artfest 2009 at Fair Park in Dallas. The food was a definite turn off. Not too sure about you, but I don't like seeing paste gray hamburgers simmering in a chafing dish before they go on the grill. There also wasn't a great variety, which is what I expected. In fact, Artfest itself was something totally different in my mind. I assumed a large crowd with a ton of food vendors that might have rivaled the myriad of artists to be found. Did I mention the $6 beers? Sobering indeed.

I spent most of my time looking at the art and was there a lot to choose from! Jewelry, glass, mixed media, painting, you name it, it was probably there. Good thing my battery didn't take long to charge, lest you be stuck with the mere rambling of a lunatic without any supporting evidence. So, let's have a look at some of the stuff to be found.

I will start with my buddy Daryoush Ababaf. There are no other words for this man besides "Master Craftsman." He uses a hand saw to create his work, which are mostly wood and resin constructs. Simply beautiful. We have arranged to do an interview next week and I am looking forward to sharing it all with you. Click on Daryoush's name in photo caption for a short video.

My next stop was to see the lady about a fried cat. Carole L. Fleischman loves her cats and so do I! See the little birds on top of the cats? Well, they move and Carole informs me that they're just that way so when she gets bored, she can move them around a bit. Sounds like a cat if you ask me.

Ah yes, my brotha in arms, Fred Gardner, who not only does superb artwork, but also performs in theatrical production all across the city. Don't let the tough guy look fool you. One could not ask for a better neighbor or person to ask advice about doing art shows. I've been lucky enough to exhibit at two shows with Fred and his lovely wife, Glo. No one was at his booth when I got there, but that's because Fred was busy performing for the kiddies inside one of the building. I'm thinking he had the right idea, because it was warming up out there most definitely. Fred labels his work as "Fine art ensconced in wood." I call it cool as all get out!

Next up is Rebecca Guy, who just happens to be the featured artists this year. She was a pleasure to meet and also had advice about art shows for me, which you can never get enough of when just starting out. She was busy when I took the pics, so I'll just let the featured piece and a corner of her booth speak for itself.

More with teh catz! San Antonio artist Jason Rudd had some great pieces he calls Charcoal Expressions. Artfest 09 was his return to the art show scene since a short hiatus. Lost his pic for some reason.. Urgh!

Giclée is a word I saw several times out there today and Jilly's work caught my eye with her vibrant colors and large canvasses.

Can't say enough about art from Endangered Species Studios. Donald Pimpler uses all kinds on boxes and mixed media to create some very interesting, if not haunting artwork. The artist from Cameron, Texas, was not there when I was taking photos, but his lovely assistant, and I assume wife, was.

Never fear, dog lovers! You were well represented by plenty of doggies that attended the show and artist Gregory Arth. He reminded me very much of the cubists from the past.

How could you not love a woman who spends her time painting can can dancers? The art of Bonnie Siebert calls to me. It takes me back to the Kimbell and the Impressionists exhibit last summer. She also had the most rockin' jewelry and was happy to talk shop with me out of the hateful Texas sun.

This next one intimidates me. She welds her own frames and works with a photo before laying down the paint. Austin artist Heather Harris rocks with this style!

One wouldn't want to overlook the glass out there, which gave me the pleasure of meeting Tosha and Jonathan Fischbach from Sherman, Texas.

Suzann Sellers' work also caught my eye. She says that murals are her usual gig, but you could have fooled me.

Illinois artist, S.D. Meadows, is a man after my own heart. His card says it all..."I can't throw anything away."

When I saw this guy's stuff I thought I was reading one of Tony Hillerman's mystery novels that involve a young Navajo police officer and purloined native art. Doug Fountain calls his work "Extraordinary Gourd Art" and you better believe it! He takes inspiration from his Native American heritage and one guesses that his forefathers are very proud.

These are the folks we also had the pleasure of being next to at the Wildflower Festival. Both Davids were so helpful to us and gave great advice about the goings on at art festivals. I wanted to see the lasers cutting David Broussard's work, but I doubt you will find many that allow me to play with such things.

It was nice to get out by myself today. The weather behaved itself and although the crowd was not particularly large, it looked as if the arts were thriving and everyone was having a great time. I would like to see more artists actually working out there though. One realizes it isn't practical for many, but it matters to some of us that people get to watch artists create the things we love.

For more pictures, check out Travis' full post at Sassquatch.com/Artfest09.

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