Art Festing

Sunday was a picture-perfect day. A crystalline cloudless sky spread its cerulean blanket overhead. It was unseasonably warm--downright hot; especially for mid-October. After only ten minutes in the sun, I could feel my nose and cheeks glowing with that unmistakable sting of a sunburn. I swear, I'm so fair that I could get a sunburn in the dead of night if there were a full moon out. Luckily, we were gifted a gentle breeze that whispered just loud enough to keep a person comfortable in the shade.

It was a perfect day for a mother-daughter outing.

My mom, aunt, cousin and I all went on a road trip to a tiny town called Edom, Texas to visit their annual art festival. This town (population 358) is a quirky little out-in-the-middle-of-absolutely-nowhere community that has attracted a surprising number of very gifted artisans--potters, jewelry makers, wood workers, painters, quilters, mixed-media artists, glass blowers, photographers, leather crafters and textiles designers. Once a year, they host a festival for artists from around the country to come show/peddle their marvelous creations.

The festival, itself, was configured in a meandering path of little white tents that snaked its way through a closely-shorn (and well-trodden) field. Hay bales were set up periodically along the way to provide seating for weary shoppers. There were three musical groups strategically placed at the event--a rock band at the far end, a Celtic harp duo near the front (I bought one of their CDs), and a folk/country ensemble outside the festival on the main street. The groups were spaced far enough away from each other that they did not compete for your ear. It was really quite an impressive piece of acoustical engineering. 

We wandered the tents and "ooh'd",  "aah'd" and drooled over all the beautiful offerings. I fell in love with a bracelet...with a price tag of $1150. For a second, I thought "Oooh, $11 bucks and change was really an amazing bargain for such a beautiful and unique piece". But, I quickly realized my wishful subconscious mind had placed a decimal point where there should not have been one and I decided for a couple months worth of rent...it wasn't meant to adorn my wrist. My cousin, Heather, was drawn to the fused and blown glass and the wood-working pieces. I liked the dichroic-glass jewelry. My mom liked the bird houses. My aunt, hmmm, I'm not certain what in particular caught her fancy, but I'm certain it had something to do with mermaids or humming birds.

I didn't take pictures of the art pieces. I felt funny doing that--like it was sort of stealing. So, I just took some pics of stuff I saw around the town that I thought was interesting--like the path outside the potter's studio. It was laden with shards of beautifully glazed pieces. There was the skull on a stick...in curlers (it made me giggle). And a cat named "Squeakie" who slept curled up in a bowl on the counter of a pottery studio shop. 

All in all, it was a lovely day and well worth the 2-hour drive each way.