Hot Town, Summer in the City….

July 1, 2015

When summer rolls around you are sure to find me strolling through art fairs throughout the Chicago area.

When summer rolls around you are sure to find me strollingthrough art fairs throughout the Chicago area. It’s a wonderful excuse forenjoying the outdoors while searching out talented artists from theChicago area and throughout the country. It’s so wonderfulto have the opportunity to chat with the person who created the art and thenbring home a piece of original art for my home rather than a print or copyproduced by the thousands. Recently I stopped by the Gold Coast Art Fair and metsome wonderful artists I’d like to share here….

Remember the glassbusts I chose for the family room of the Gracious House Showhouse?

Photo Courtesy of Sweet Peas Design, Artist Pearl Dick

Well, I must have athing for “heads” because I love the mysterious, undefined busts created byKate McCambridge of Wilmette. I’m buying one for my condo in Chicago to put ona little end table. They remind me of papier mache, and I am intrigued thatthey are not refined or defined. It looks like she is in the midst of herartistic thought process and she’s letting the viewer bring their owninterpretation to the piece.

Photo Courtesy of www.katemccambridge.com

I was also drawn tothe beautifully elongated sculptures byTodd Andrew Babb,who is based in South Florida. They are so expressive and full of energy. One of these would be lovely on a pedestal in a corner of a room.

Photo Courtesy of www.toddandrewbabb.com

For a room with aneutral palette I think one of Chicagoan Heather Offord’s more vivid, abstractpaintings would be wonderful. They would definitely add some punch to the spaceand be a conversation piece.

Photos Courtesy of www.heatherofford.com and https://www.facebook.com/heather.offord

Art made from cattails? Great idea! Cheryl and Steve Ward, whowork out of studios in Florida and Algonquin, IL, create simple, organic worksfrom dried cattail reeds painted with acrylics and glued onto a frame. They areso colorful and textural, they would work well with many other pieces.

Photo Courtesy of www.wardartstudio.com