Saturday, October 22, 2016

RiverArts Fest



This weather though! Couldn't order up a better day for RiverArts Fest 2016 on historic South Main Street in Memphis. Mid-70s, not a cloud in the sky, low humidity, and enough tickets to buy lemonade. The life-size balloons were a big hit, and there was a guy with a typewriter who, for $10, would craft a poem just for you.


I love art. I love art festivals. I love when I wander into a booth and the pieces really speak to me. Paintings, photography, metal works, sculpture, mixed media, I'm pretty much a fan of it all. Today, I saw so many things I wanted to bring home that I was wishing for more wall space and practically reworking my entire setup in my head. That's how good it all was.

I didn't go overboard, but snagged a couple of things I felt were pretty unique. The first purchase came in the booth for artist Lester Jones. Jones is a sculptor and has some pretty incredible pieces, but it was a few small items that caught my eye. The little guitars came in a few different shades and didn't vary in size much. My eye was immediately drawn to the green glitter, and I knew this one was coming home with me.


I love this little guy for being so charming and moderately gritty. Not only does the guitar shine in my favorite color, it represents several things to me: my own personal love (and lack of talent) for music, and being back in Memphis, the birthplace of rock and roll.

Next stop, the booth of B. Eugene Bauer, a photographer with an eye for both urban and rural American, and as he states on his website, he's trying to bridge the gap between the two with his art. It was interesting to hear Bauer talk about the photos he had taken as my friends and I flipped through the box of standing prints. The most fascinating were the photos of elixirs and remedies from the 1800s, each seemingly more absurd in this day and age than the last.


This one is mine. Of all the bottles, I am most amused by the tonic for freckles. I didn't like my freckles when I was little, but as I got older, I loved them. I felt like they were unique, something not everyone had. And I loved how they would get darker in the summer and fade in the winter.

So now I need to get this one framed and figure out where to put it. Feels like bathroom art to me... Good thing I have two of those.

The festival continues Sunday from 10am-5pm. Don't miss it!

BONUS PICS FROM SOUTH MAIN:

That's so Memphis: Elvis keeping an eye on the outdoor seating
Exposed tile floor where a building once stood
Earnestine & Hazel's
Look familiar?
Dawn getting silly with the succulents at 387 

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