Local Art Seen: Lake Superior Art Festival @ Brighton Beach

What a beautiful day for the artists who shared their work on Brighton Beach yesterday, and for those who came to soak it in. You couldn't have asked for any better. The oceanside setting, I mean our Great Lake which one experiences on a scale comparable to an ocean front, produced a balm-like backdrop for the artists' temporary tent city just above the rocky shore. The lake seemed especially calm, in contrast to its turbulent demeanor a few days earlier.

The sponsors of yesterday's art festival included Republic Bank, Lizzards Art Gallery & Framing, and Paper Hog. Thank you.

44 regional artists participated, from Grand Marais to the Twin Cities, though most hailed from Duluth. Photography, watercolors, stained glass, jewelry, pottery, woodwork, fiber arts and painting were all represented.  What follows are some of my favorite images from a tour of the show.

A small painting from the Art Zoo, by Claudia Faith.

Steer me to the art section, please.

Aaron Kloss has opened a gallery in Lakeside where more of his paintings
can be found. 

I learned that Ryan Tischer will be opening a downtown gallery soon.

Sandra Haff is Steppin' Out with her mixed media assemblages with found objects.

The animalia cutouts were fun. 

Stoneware Pottery by Aaron and Jena Levandowski

One thing that has changed since the first years of the Park Point Art Fair is the advent of the Internet. Nowadays many artists and craftspersons have websites, a social media presence and an Etsy storefront from which they can do business year round. The art fairs provide them an opportunity to instant feedback on new directions and ideas they introduce. 

This particular event appears to have been a bi-product of Lake Superior Artrepreneurs. Perhaps as they grow they will have a website that links to all the individual artists' websites and Etsy stores.  

Next week is the Bayfront Park Art Fair down by the bay. If nothing else, you should go for the food trucks. Let's hope for nice weather. It's another beautiful setting for an art walk. 

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Meantime, art goes on all around you. Are you a collector? Next time, bring something home with you. :-)