Attalaya Festival 9_14

Sunday saw Bruce and I visiting Huntington Beach State Park's Atalaya Festival. It is my favorite Fine Art Craft show in the area, and we always look forward to going to see it. Actually, this was our third attempt to see this year's festival. The minute we arrived on both Saturday and Sunday it had started raining. The festivals exhibitors are set up in the out of door courtyards, and inside the castles' tiny rooms. As soon as it started raining everyone rushes indoors, making it nearly impossible to really see the artwork.

One of the more interesting aspects of this Festival is that it is held entirely within the walls of Atalaya, a Moorish-style “castle” built in the Great Depression as a winter home and sculpture studio by Archer and Anna Hyatt Huntington, the New York philanthropists who also created Brookgreen Gardens across U.S. 17 from the oceanfront park.It is one of the most unusual buildings in South Carolina with its lush palm–lined courtyard, wrought iron window grills, and Moorish architecture presided over by a watchtower, Atalaya is a designated National Historic Landmark. Normally,the grounds are closed to the public except by guided tour, so being able to wander about at will inside the compound is a treat in itself. Sunday's weather was far less threatening and we actually had enough space to explore the historic building and to enjoy the fine art and craft on display..

It was indeed a fine collection of art. Over 100 artisans participated in the three day event. The Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival is renowned throughout the Southeast as one of the best art events of its kind. A wide variety of artists from across the country eagerly enter the rigid jurying process each year, which ensures that the quality is always very high and diversity is broad.

Here's Bruce looking at the artwork of my favorite Pastel artist, Greg Barnes.

The Atalaya Arts and Crafts Festival is renowned throughout the Southeast as one of the best art events of its kind. A wide variety of artists from across the country eagerly enter the rigid jurying process each year, which ensures that the quality is always very high and the media is broad. Painters, potters, sculptures and fiber artists from all over the Southeastern states were on display.

In addition to the fine visual art on display, the event will also had a variety of musical entertainment, demonstrations by exhibitors, and an opportunity to sample some of the seafood delicacies for which the low country is known.

For more information on this event see:

http://www.southcarolinaparks.com/huntingtonbeach/huntingtonbeach-a-fest.aspx

Keowee-Toxaway Shores 7/13

This afternoon, I finally finished my  painting of Keowee-Toxaway  Shores (from my SC Parks  Series).  I had blocked in the composition about three weeks ago but "other stuff"kept me from working on it .e.g.  this morning's  top priority tasks were getting the other 12 finished paintings in the State Park Series photographed,  framed, and  gallery ready.   When I finally got back to my easel this afternoon, I wasn't even sure if  I could remember the scene.   After 10 minutes of watching the video clips I took on site, the excitement I felt when I was when I was first seeing the scene came flooding back .  I love technology!

Finishing touches. 3 '13

Above is  my reference photo for one of the two paintings I worked on in the Saluda workshop. It was the basi sfor the smaller of the two paintings I started last week in the Working Large Workshop.

  Above is how the painting looked at the time the workshop was over.  I had  roughed in the composition and covered the canvas with large areas of color.

I spent  the day working on this painting  I modified the shape of the rocks to more closely resemble a small gay-scale I had done of the scene.  Then I started  laying in some saturated colors and enhancing the highlights on the large rocks.  I am going to let it dry a couple of days while I study it for any minor changes, but right now I'm pretty happy with the results. 

Ashville: Blue Ridge Mountains Fall '09

This past  weekend we went to   see the fall change of color in the Blue Ridge Mountains near Asheville, North Carolina.   Asheville and the Blue Ridge Mountains are a five hour trip from our home. It is far enough away that won't go there and back for a day-trip but close enough that we feel comfortable going there for a two or three day weekend. 

 The Asheville area is one of the top art destinations in the USA, which is good motivation enough for either of us to visit, but add to that the beauty of the surrounding Blue Ridge Mountains, and we are positively addicted to the area.
 

One Sunday morning we woke up to the Weather Channel showing a picture of the Blue Ridge Mountains in full Fall Color. That did it... Within ten minutes we had grabbed our leather jackets, an extra set of clothing, cameras, and whatever snacks we could stuff in a cooler, and we were off. There are some signs of Fall here in the Low Country but nothing like the show that our Southern mountains put on.  Shortly after we crossed the North Carolina and reached the foothills we began to see color on all sides of us. 

Above and below US Highway 26 Northbound as we entered North Carolina, and the view from our hotel  in  the Biltmore Estates the next morning. 

All along the road were spectacular burst of color.

 We drove as far as Craggy Peak and took a short hike to the top of the mountain. The entire top of the mountain is covered in Rhododendron and Flowering Ashe. 

Below: A tunnel has been cut through the Rhododendron for the trail to the peak. 

Can you imagine how beautiful this hike must be when the Rhododendrons are in bloom?  I can’t wait to see this area in spring

The view from the top was wonderful.  You can see why the mountains are called the Blue Ridges.  What I hadn’t expected was all the contrasting bright red of the Ashe Tree berries.  No wonder they made this area a National Park and the Blue Ridge Highway a National Scenic Road.