Art Walk- June 2011

      Our family has been attending Art Walk on the square in Marietta, GA since the first one.  I grew up with Arts in Park in Elmira, NY- a river front occasion that seemed a mile long to my child legs. As an adult, I always look forward to first Friday for an evening out. I have never made it to every booth. There is way too much to see around the Square in one Art Walk. We have realized there is copious parking a block north of the Square. Our first peek in is always with pop in to Rita at Fit For a Queen just to let her know we're there and will be stopping back. The store is so full of amazing things, we would not get the chance to see any of the artists if we stopped first thing. Fit For a Queen is packed chock full of vintage clothing, hats, shoes, and a million other antiques. You need to dedicate some time to her collected selection. Sales and special occasions are on her Facebook page.
      Rita sponsors an artist or two every month. We met Erin and Ercan Kutsal of E2Creations and talked about their handmade jewelry. I'm in a copper phase right now, and leaf motifs make me happy. It was even better that E2 Creation's copper leaves are made from re-purposed copper plumbing from a renovation project. Jewelry is even prettier when there is a story to it.
       Despite many many places to stop on the way, the all important coffee stop took precedence. Backtracking is not a problem. A quick turn onto Mill Street, and we were placing our order at Cool Beans Coffee Roasters while admiring the changing art display. The courtyard is a wonderful place to relax before heading to DuPree's Antique Market on Whitlock Ave. where the majority of the artists show their labors of love. The right half of the huge store is dedicated to the artists, the left half to antique dealers. The main area is a continuous display and sales area that includes captivity macro photography of insects and  florals, Lew Hagood's abstracts in acrylics, and Toni Hoffman of I Love Glass with one of a kind stained glass works. The ware house room has a changing display of artists. I like it back here- more of the artists are present to talk about their work. Back here is  Dominique Chaponot  of Douglasville blends her photography with Photoshop effects for a haunting and beautiful effect. Ginger Malone caught my eye. The multilayer, and textured swirls first make me think of  quilts blowing in the wind, then of M C Escher. I kept looking for reflected images on the metallic surfaces like in Escher's "Dewdrop" or "Hand with Reflecting Sphere". Ginger said Escher was a favorite of her's too and another influence were the black hole specials her husband watched on tv. There are so many artists in Dupree's, I can't name and describe them all. There is only enough time to talk to 2 or 3. There is more to see.
      Jenny King at  The Studio showcases her own wares, and she has a 
Friends Wall- a rotating display for new artists to get their skills noticed. The streets are lined with artists like Marta Suarez. The image of a cast net fisherman got us talking about the grace and beauty of how these men move with their nets, the sea, and their bodies. It's important to walk the back alleys and side streets to the little shops and studios. Down Old Powder Springs Street, past the Marietta Pizza Company is  GemTiques.

          Ford Smith creates so many delicate and functional pieces based on the historic and vintage pieces in his cases.  Room two of Gemtiques is full of vintage clothing, hats, patterns, and accessories like glasses.
Ford has just acquired a full suit of tails circa 1904. The suit of pants, vets, and coat are in wonderful condition. He has another suit coat from the same man- the one he wore to walk his daughter down the aisle. Another recent prize is a 1934 satin wedding gown with long sleeves and a voluminous train. My desire to continue study in textiles and textile restoration peaks when I see pieces like these.

      Time is running out, and there is still so much to see. Options Designs merchants clothing, jewelry, and purses as well as custom designs window treatments. We always poke our head in to Linda Kirby at Lady and Son Antiques to see her ever changing sales floor. A quick stop back to Fit For a Queen, and our last stop of Art Walk was to The Brickyard to see Justin Hadley's project called The Road Trip. A huge map of the USA had been chalked out on the floor. Visitors were encouraged to write a road trip story to hang on the wall, then have Justin take of picture of them standing on the state their story took place in.

      The artistic spirit is on every street corner. Musicians add their craft. I look forward to going again because I am fully aware I have only experienced a fraction of the art being shown. I know how I feel about any piece or artist may change from visit to visit. I have plans every First Friday from now until October.

(I don't have many pictures to post because the artist's retain copyright to their works. Please follow their links to view)