Participation.

i'm not doing a very good job blogging these days. work is very busy with many deadlines approaching, but in honor of the art-filled sunday i had, i wanted to write a little bit.

this weekend was the Des Moines Arts Festival... under clear skies and sun, throngs descended upon des moines to celebrate and participate in art. the picture above is an "interactive" work of art. people created a piece of the van gogh paintings and they were put together to create larger than life collaborative creations. i spent hours weaving in and out of the artists' booths, longing to spend my entire paycheck on their wares. there were so many inspired pieces...i just had to share the links of a few i particularly enjoyed:

Michael Baxley won best in show and for good reason. his works are SO organic...and the mix of ceramics (which i constantly admire and cannot create) and "painting" is fresh, energetic and simply perfect. i spent a long time gauking over his bottle sets and the mixed media stuff.

i also really liked Steven and Cheryl Ward's booth...a husband and wife duo with a variety of creative talent. i was in awe of their prairie grass art. i honestly was entraced by it! hand painted cattail reeds laid side-by-side to create a spectrum unlike anything else at the art fest. Take a look and see for yourselves, but i must say- they are much more intriguing in person.

after a creative surge from new artists, i went to visit the old. the des moines art center has a Rothko i tend to visit occasionally, so after a warm day of art festing, i ducked into the air conditioning and admired the fields. (of color.)