BRUSH WITH SUCCESS

Oct 14, 2023

Jewelry was a hot seller at the Redlands Festival of the Arts. Below left, jug band The Smudge Pot performed Saturday. Below right, "Soulless" by Redlands East Valley student Mia Altenbach won best in show in the youth competition.

Mixed media artist KC Klug told visitors to his booth that his mixed media work is all about angles and light. Klug was one of more than a hundred artists participating in the 11th Redlands Festival of Arts over the weekend in Smiley Park.

Double glazed ceramic platters, colorful wall hangings and live music were among the features of the juried show and sale.

Artwork ranged from smaller items, such as jewelry, to 6-foot sculptures made of tile, glass and natural objects.

Festival of Arts president Lynn Whitmer said the crowd may have been the largest ever.

"After the show opened at 10 a.m., the crowds just kept coming, and continued over the weekend," she said. "I’m sure we were helped by the beautiful Redlands weather."

Rings, bracelets and earrings sold well, created from beads, silver or heated copper.

Media included ceramics, fiber, glass, oil and acrylic paintings, and designs made from items found in nature.

Many artists say they started their craft in one medium and added more over time.

The Smudge Pot's a local Jug Band, one of the many performers during the festival.

Artist Susan Priest says she started with abstract paintings and then became interested in metalwork. She works with a blow torch to heat the copper, leaving each piece with a unique design.

Ecologist by day, abstract artist by night, Priest has participated in shows since the early 2000s. Photographer Robert Outwater turned his day job as a food photojournalist into a second career as a landscape photographer, his work showing detail and precision in pictures he's captured from France and Taos. Beachgoers will also recognize locations closer to home.

Steven Makransky said he found his inspiration in a much more mundane situation, while doing laundry. He folded his shirts just so, the designs lined up, he took a picture and "the rest is history."

He collects vintage sports T-shirts, folds them to create new designs and takes pictures.

Ming Chu-Oye has blended flowers into her art.

David Schepps was this year's featured artist.

Volunteers from Redlands East Valley, Redlands High School, Redlands Assisteens and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, under the coordination of Nancy O’Connor, helped set up displays, welcome visitors to the festival, and work with young artists doing hands-on creative activities.

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