Jeremy Schilling was at work doing a charcoal portrait of a showgoer Saturday afternoon. Providence, R.I.
Review & Onsite Photos by Andrea Valluzzo
RIDGEFIELD, CONN. — Going strong in its second year, the Ridgefield Fall Arts Festival presented a balanced and well-thought-out mix of artists for this juried art and craft show that featured paintings, sculpture, pottery, textiles, jewelry and more. The October 17-18 show took over Ballard Park, which has proved to be an apt venue given that Ridgefield’s Main Street is so walkable; foot traffic throughout the day was robust. Likely there were those who came to the show specifically because they knew it was planned, while passersby, coffee cup in hand or walking their dogs, found themselves captivated by the vibrant and striking artworks in the booths and paused to linger.
Sue Brown Gordon, who runs this festival and several other area art fairs with her husband, David E. Gordon, as Gordon Fine Arts, had a booth by the show entrance for ease of greeting showgoers and attending to dealers. “The show was a major success,” she said days later. “The artists did very well and are already applying for next year! The climate for a beautiful fall weekend in Ridgefield was refreshing, as was the talent. There were many new artists we have never had in our shows before.”
Several booths featured works by a number of artists, including that of James Carter who presented assemblages by Tracy W. Hambley in his booth. Hambley’s “Rose Colored Glasses” was made with antique glasses, old diary pages, roses and a vintage cigar box. The piece is evocative of nostalgia, and the artist sought to consider how perspective can change over time and how it shapes reality.
James Carter offered assemblages by Tracy W. Hambley in his booth, including “Rose Colored Glasses.” Southbury, Conn.
Art was on display, but it was also being created in real time during the show, as artist Jeremy Schilling had a booth of art on offer and was set up with an easel and we snapped a photo of him doing quick charcoal portraits of visitors for a small fee.
Giving the fair an international flavor, several artists who were born and raised overseas were showing their work in Risgefield. Born in Georgia and now working in New York City, artist Murman Kuchava filled his booth with his oil paintings. Still maintaining a studio in Israel, Yoram Gal was born in Jerusalem and started painting at age 12. Besides painting, he also enjoys writing plays. He has been exhibiting in art fairs in America for 24 years now and was at one of the Gordons’ other shows, the Bruce Museum Outdoor Arts Festival, the previous weekend. Of the Ridgefield show, Gal said, “I liked the location. The people who walked the show were mostly curious about art — real art — and some were knowledgeable.”
Gal added, “I felt that the buying energy was pretty weak compared with the financial abilities and the sophisticated curiosity. I was happy to sell my lyrical self-portrait and possible commissions based on my ‘Tree of Life.’ I had strong interest in other pieces too. The people never saw such a booth of diverse styles before, and it will take them till next year to pull triggers. Maybe earlier. For a first time (me in Ridgefield), it was good. Next time it might be great. The potential for art buying was there.”
Israeli artist Yoram Gal has been showing at American art fairs like this one for 24 years now and had several large-scale works on offer like “Good Morning,” at left.
Asante Sana Art is an art gallery in West Philadelphia focusing on contemporary African art, ranging from paintings to animal sculptures and crafts. Striking paintings and colorful animals greeted visitors in its booth.
Quite a few artists did not have far to travel to come to the festival, though. Lawyer-turned-potter Eva DeFranco of Sunny Lane Pottery trekked over from the Northwest Hills of Connecticut with her handmade wares. After working as a lawyer and mediator for four decades before retiring, DeFranco is embracing a new career as an artist. She was pleased to be making her debut showing of pottery in her native Ridgefield. “This was a new market for me. While I have been a potter for over 20 years, I practiced law for 40 years up until about six months ago, when I retired. I only began selling two years ago,” she said.
DeFranco commented on the venue’s beauty with “gorgeous hardwood trees in their full New England fall majesty.” She said, “I actually grew up in Ridgefield, and I was thrilled to see a couple of my old classmates who came out to see me and view the show. The talent behind the art was impressive. It was fun sharing processes and information with the other potters at the show. Ridgefielders obviously love their doggos and I fell in love with many of these fur friends.”
Among items attracting interest in DeFranco’s booth were mugs depicting her own interpretation of US national parks, part of her National Park Mug Project that involves creating mugs inspired by each of the country’s national parks. For each mug sold, she donates $20 to the National Parks Conservation Association, a non-partisan, non-profit dedicated to protecting and conserving public lands.
Sunny Lane Pottery, Sherman, Conn.
“My goal is not only to do my own tiny part for these sacred lands but also to spark joy and happy memories in others while they sip their morning brews,” she said. “Folks were genuinely interested in the project and began sharing their own happy memories of their experiences in the parks. It was lovely to see the genuine joy that people have for our national parks.”
“In general, the day was an educational and joyful experience for me — though I had to take a hot shower for an hour on Saturday night to get warm!”
Echoing her sentiments, artist James Brunelle reported having a “successful yet chilly weekend” at the arts festival. “Ballard Park is a favorite venue for many, and my ideal experiences usually come from events in city parks,” he said. “Representing stoneware and porcelain ceramics, I am always surprised how patrons gravitate to fresh-fired works. I have a line of raku-fired pieces that reflect on primitive results with crackling and lusters in the glaze results.”
After spending a period of time in the studio producing wares, he said he looks forward to returning to this event and being among respected friends and newly acquainted artists.
Pottery Mountain, Lenox Dale, Mass.
Among new exhibitors was Lesley Reich of Pottery Mountain. “This was the first time I did this show. I have to say my expectations were higher for attendance and sales. We were unlucky to have a very cold and blustery Saturday, and I’m sure that kept attendance down,” she said, but added that the customers who visited her booth were “lovely and appreciative.”
Many people are drawn to Reich’s porcelain pottery with heartfelt sayings hand-lettered on the thrown pieces, she commented. “Others are drawn to the pieces that are thrown with colored clay that have a marbled swirly effect. A recent addition to my line are my small zen gardens inspired by a recent trip to Japan. I love watching children in my booth smoothing and raking the sand and rearranging the rocks.”
Despite wishing for a few more sales, Reich held high praise for the show and its management: “I loved the ease of set up and teardown in a beautiful park setting. The promoters are also craftspeople, and they really care about their exhibitors.”
David Oleski said the show went well. “We made some good contacts throughout the weekend that will be turning into good sales,” he said. “Oddly, the cold and blustery Saturday had a stronger energy from the buying audience than the warmer Sunday. All of the work drew attention, but it seems that the audience gravitated more toward the traditional still life work over the big abstract color field paintings. As with most shows, most of the sales happen after the show.”
Oleski added, “The show was attractively laid out; the park is lovely and the light during this time of year is absolutely stunning. I’ll look forward to going back again next year.”
Next year’s Ridgefield Art Festival will be June 26-27 and October 16-17, again in Ballard Park. For additional information, www.gordonfinearts.org.
