We went Friday, only hours before a storm with 90 mph straight line winds uprooted trees city wide, cut power to over 100,000 folks, and made the art festival look like, well, a warzone. Artist's tents were everywhere, the main and massive music stage tent was blown into a downtown office building with poles sliced through windows. Only 12 artists had to bow out after the first day, but before that we had heard 50% lost most everything. Sad.
We saw three wonderful booths, especially. Raku potter Casey Hankin had some large, cool (and underpriced in our opinion) pieces, as well as some funky ones with faces we'd love to have in our guest bathroom. Casey is from Colorado.
Then there was Wendall King, of Peony Farm Studio in NW Iowa, who makes occasional tables out of stone and iron. Very cool, very expensive.
Can't find any images of a painter who had many pieces we loved, named Lonnie M. Carter out of Des Moines. IMHO her work was over priced, but I'm not painter, just a humble writer who may someday be lucky to get used copies to sell for $1.50.
I enjoyed, for 5 seconds, the one artist who made model airplanes throughout aviation history by using aluminum cans--bud, coors, coke, et cetera. Certainly takes skill, ya know.
Luckily, we made it back home before the Omaha storm, and before my car's engine light came on and it starting convulsing violently while idling. Guess what I'm doing Monday?
