On Oct. 4, the Berrien County Youth Fairgrounds hosted its annual , and I went for a merry little wander around to see what it was all about. The show utilized the exhibition buildings and took place in the back area of the fairgrounds. The show also included craft vendors and food trucks scattered outside and in between the buildings, although most of the craft vendors were inside. Due to the 85-degree weather, my friends and I weren’t able to meander for very long outside, but we still had a very enjoyable and leisurely afternoon. Here are some of my takeaways from the event, as well as the art pieces that caught my attention.
As we entered at the beginning of the show, I noticed the large number of people in attendance, some were walking around with flowers in their arms, chatting with their friends, sitting in the shade of the awnings, eating food from the many food vendors and trying to stay cool. Before entering the main buildings, we stopped at booth, where I was very glad that I had left my wallet in the car (this wasn’t the only time I felt this) because otherwise I probably would’ve spent money I shouldn’t have. Her work falls more on the simplistic side, yet was still colorful. I noticed a gorgeous print of an “Alice in Wonderland” watercolor. I appreciated how although the figures weren’t clearly defined, due to how watercolor bleeds, I could still recognize the different characters in the story, such as the blue caterpillar and Mad Hatter.
The vendors were selling all kinds of crafts, and as we wandered through, we passed crocheted stuffed animals, decorated picture frames, scented lotions and Christmas ornaments. As I was beginning to sweat profusely, I happened across pencil and ink drawings done by . I really loved how she seems to capture both the serious side of life, yet wraps it in a gracefully whimsical outer layer. This can be seen in her piece , a pencil drawing of a girl painting birds on a brick wall, with the shadow on the wall reflecting back a tree and grass, along with the birds instead of just her outline.
By this point, the sweat was being kicked into high gear, but there was one more building left, and in it, I found a print that even days later I cannot stop thinking about. does wonderful digital illustrations that resemble beloved characters from children’s books in such a playful and whimsical way, almost in a medieval and fantastical style. My absolute favorite piece of art from his portfolio was a gorgeous on display (which you can also find on his Etsy shop).The print featured text from “The Last Battle,” the final book in the series and around it there were images of beloved Narnian characters and scenes. These include Reepicheep the mouse, Tumnus the fawn, and the ship, the Dawn Treader.
As I strolled along through the buildings, I noticed that printed dish towels seemed to be a common theme, as there was more than one vendor selling them. This was slightly confusing to me because these are items that can be bought at your local Walmart and I couldn’t see why they would be at an art fair. One could argue that this is because of the individuality of the designs, however, I could counter by claiming that anyone could go online and design their own dish towel. It almost felt pointless, for lack of a better term. Since when did art become pointless? I also happened to see a box of small, decorative pillows with the words “tooth fairy” printed on them. Now, why on earth would someone need to buy a pillow specifically for a child’s lost tooth? Again, it seemed pointless. But to each their own, I suppose, even if I don’t understand it.
My friends and I stayed for maybe an hour or so, and before leaving, one of them ran back to a vendor and bought us bunches of dried lavender as a memento of the afternoon. I really enjoy walking around art fairs such as this one. It’s a great way to spend some quality time with your friends in a leisurely way.
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