Wild Arts Festival

Oh my goodness.  My friend, Marguerite, who has just been hired as Executive Director of the Friends of Vista House (a position I held for 15 years), invited me to go the the Audubon Society's "Wild Arts Festival" yesterday to do some scouting for new items for the Gift Gallery at Vista House.  I headed out and the day was beautiful and sunny and as I drove down the Sandy River gorge I felt wonderful to be heading out to enjoy the day.  The Autumn leaves swirled around and covered the ground next to the river.  I drove on the freeway across to the other side of Portland to Montgomery Park where the festival was being held.  This was the show's 32nd year and it was my first time.. it won't be my last.  It was the absolute most wonderful art and craft show I've ever seen.  Needless to say, we found a lot of new things for the shop and I found some new things for my home. :-)

The first booth we saw bowled us over!  An artist named Kate Saunders did these amazing glass plates and bowls using nature designs and the large ones have our indigenous petroglyphs done by the native people in this area in prehistoric times on the rocks in the Columbia River Gorge.  

I was so tempted to get the one with "Spedis Owl", upper left on aqua glass.  Aren't they amazing?

These are the middle sized bowls.

I bought 2 of the little ones above.. you can put a candle on them, serve nuts, put a truffle on them, your change, whatever.  They're beautiful!

Next up was "Fired Up Clay Works" - they make wonderful traditional designed red ware beautifully painted - he does the throwing and making of the dishes and she does the beautiful hand painted glazing.  

I'd love a whole set of dishes with spots and swirls!! 

And imagine serving a turkey on this platter?  Speaking of turkeys.. the Audubon Society had a big display area and this is the back of a Turkey Vulture.  :-)

Then on the other side of the stage was this darling Owl.  It was a bit bright in this room for the poor guy. 

I missed taking more photos.. but the next one that I was in *love* with was this one where a man makes very cool things out of rocks!!  See the vases and the lamp bases of stacked stones?  I found a granite stone vase that I just had to have. :-)

Some had "frogs in them for putting a flower in.   

Here is his website. 

 After a very successful scouting trip and a shopping venture we headed a few blocks down the street to a restaurant that I'd had on my "Bucket List" of places to go but had never gone.  Meriwethers Restaurant.  We sat in the pub part and had the "happy hour" menu.  The bacon cheeseburger was "only" 9.  We shared the "truffle salt fries" which were yummy.  And both had their own ice cream they churn each day there - chocolate.  You would not believe how creamy it was.

My purchases were 2 of the small plates.. aren't they pretty? 

This image is of cedar twigs. 

This is my granite vase.  I love how there is green in it.. kind of moss-like. 

Holding some orange daisies. 

My vase with a candle holder made out of solid iron by a blacksmith.  Why did I buy such heavy stuff to carry?  :-) 

My other purchase was 3 tiny gourd ornaments - hand-painted with Columbia Gorge Petroglyph designs.  And as I looked at the artist, I was happy to find that it was an old friend, Barbara Kennedy.  We worked together on Vista House, she was with the US Forest Service.  Now she lives in Central Oregon and does landscapes and Western art!

There were probably 100 artists, so I missed a lot of photos, but if you have the chance to go to this show next year, you should!!  It's always the weekend before Thanksgiving in Portland, Oregon. 

All in all a wonderful day!  And when I came home, hubby had cleaned the fridge so it would be ready for Thanksgiving.  Thanks for coming to visit!!  I love your comments.
((hugs)), Teresa :-)