This year's Atlanta Arts Festival was one of the best ever! Unfortunately, I didn't make it until the afternoon of the last day. Still, I wanted to write about how fantastic a festival it was, so I reached out to my favorite artists of the Festival. Please, enjoy a sample of their work and a few words from them about the experience...
"I was really taken with the quality of work at this year's Atlanta Arts Festival. There were so many great artists there with some really amazing work! It really was an honor just to be included with them all and be able to set up my tent and say, 'Yep. I'm with these people'. I kept waiting for someone to show up and tell me that they'd made a mistake and that I would need to pack up and leave," said artist Chad Moore.
I was all smiles and continuously laughing while venturing through Chad's booth...and it was indeed an adventure! His was one of the most popular booths and probably the most dense area of smiles in the entire Festival.
Chad makes photos of stuffed animals and action figures in the most precarious and hilarious situations. Have fun exploring his website. And mark your calendars...you can see Chad's work in person at the upcoming Festival on Ponce, October 18-19!
I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Greg Stones at my first festival after moving back to Atlanta a number of years ago. I've been a huge fan since!
Not long after meeting Greg, he published three amazing books—not that his meeting me had anything at all to do with publishing—and he has three more on the way! He'll have his next book with him when he returns for next year's Atlanta Dogwood Festival, presuming they approve his request to show...I hope they do!
"My favorite thing about the show was all the super nice people that I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with," said Greg Stones of Watercolors by Greg Stones.
My friends, family and fans know how much of a space enthusiast I am. Well, some of them. I sometimes have to restrain my enthusiasm...not everyone gets it. But Paul, I think, totally gets it. In fact, beyond his being a professional engineer, he's made (considerably more than) a hobby of space photography, which he calls "collecting photons"...I like that!
One of the more fascinating aspects of his space photography...it's made from right here in Georgia!
"I always enjoy meeting people who share my love for the 'night sky', and being able to do that at the Atlanta Arts Festival here in Piedmont Park is really an honor. Everyone has a different view of my images, which are taken with a telescope, whether it be the name of a Nebula, the shape or colors that speak to them. So, it's fun to talk to each person that stops by my booth and share my passion for astro-photography." said Paul Tankersley of Helix Imaging.
A special "Thank you" to Gail, Paul's wife who helps him with the business side of Helix Imaging and was my direct liaison for Paul's contribution to this post.
"Being the poster artist for this year's Atlanta Arts Festival was so much fun. I met lots of people who, just because of the poster, had become immediate fans of my work. It was awesome! And that is what makes festivals great, meeting new people and enjoying all of the amazing art," said artist Michelle McDowell Smith.
Michelle's husband was helping her in the booth...a delightfully funny couple! It was nice to see a wife-husband team working so well together at the Festival. Certainly there are others, but I got to see them in action. You guys rock!
And I had the pleasure of talking with Michelle about her work. She puts a considerable amount of thought and deliberation into each element of each piece. I was fascinated and quite impressed. Talk with her...I think you'll be impressed, as well.
Michelle's work is also being featured in the marketing material for the upcoming Chastain Park Arts Festival, Saturday and Sunday, November 1 and 2, where she'll again be showing.
Have I saved the best for last? Perhaps. I find myself mesmerized by Chris Mason's photography...the man is brilliant!
I saw Chris' work at another festival recently—his multi-media work in particular—and was immediately fascinated and surprisingly captivated. I explored numerous pieces in great detail. I applaud Chris' brilliant coupling of photo with paint, material, and relics. I'd not seen anything quite like this before.
"I am a big fan of the Atlanta Arts Festival, I love seeing the diversity of people that come out and all enjoying the arts, park and great things that goes on in the Atlanta area," said Chris Mason of Chris Mason Photography.
And a Thank You...
May I offer a huge "Thank you!" to these five artists for sharing their work and giving time to wanderlust ATLANTA. I have friends who have done the festival circuit, so I know something of the amount of work and dedication it takes to attend a show like this. It's no small undertaking.
Thank you to each of the artists, and other participants, at the Atlanta Arts Festival for contributing to our city's cultural experiences. You're appreciated!
 |
| One Ring To Rule Them All, Chad Moore |
"I was really taken with the quality of work at this year's Atlanta Arts Festival. There were so many great artists there with some really amazing work! It really was an honor just to be included with them all and be able to set up my tent and say, 'Yep. I'm with these people'. I kept waiting for someone to show up and tell me that they'd made a mistake and that I would need to pack up and leave," said artist Chad Moore.
I was all smiles and continuously laughing while venturing through Chad's booth...and it was indeed an adventure! His was one of the most popular booths and probably the most dense area of smiles in the entire Festival.
Chad makes photos of stuffed animals and action figures in the most precarious and hilarious situations. Have fun exploring his website. And mark your calendars...you can see Chad's work in person at the upcoming Festival on Ponce, October 18-19!
 |
| Robo-Rabbit Rocket Boots, Greg Stones |
I had the honor and pleasure of meeting Greg Stones at my first festival after moving back to Atlanta a number of years ago. I've been a huge fan since!
Not long after meeting Greg, he published three amazing books—not that his meeting me had anything at all to do with publishing—and he has three more on the way! He'll have his next book with him when he returns for next year's Atlanta Dogwood Festival, presuming they approve his request to show...I hope they do!
"My favorite thing about the show was all the super nice people that I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with," said Greg Stones of Watercolors by Greg Stones.
 |
| Sh 2-252, Paul Tankersley |
My friends, family and fans know how much of a space enthusiast I am. Well, some of them. I sometimes have to restrain my enthusiasm...not everyone gets it. But Paul, I think, totally gets it. In fact, beyond his being a professional engineer, he's made (considerably more than) a hobby of space photography, which he calls "collecting photons"...I like that!
One of the more fascinating aspects of his space photography...it's made from right here in Georgia!
"I always enjoy meeting people who share my love for the 'night sky', and being able to do that at the Atlanta Arts Festival here in Piedmont Park is really an honor. Everyone has a different view of my images, which are taken with a telescope, whether it be the name of a Nebula, the shape or colors that speak to them. So, it's fun to talk to each person that stops by my booth and share my passion for astro-photography." said Paul Tankersley of Helix Imaging.
A special "Thank you" to Gail, Paul's wife who helps him with the business side of Helix Imaging and was my direct liaison for Paul's contribution to this post.
 |
| And Everything's Quiet, Michelle McDowell Smith |
"Being the poster artist for this year's Atlanta Arts Festival was so much fun. I met lots of people who, just because of the poster, had become immediate fans of my work. It was awesome! And that is what makes festivals great, meeting new people and enjoying all of the amazing art," said artist Michelle McDowell Smith.
Michelle's husband was helping her in the booth...a delightfully funny couple! It was nice to see a wife-husband team working so well together at the Festival. Certainly there are others, but I got to see them in action. You guys rock!
And I had the pleasure of talking with Michelle about her work. She puts a considerable amount of thought and deliberation into each element of each piece. I was fascinated and quite impressed. Talk with her...I think you'll be impressed, as well.
Michelle's work is also being featured in the marketing material for the upcoming Chastain Park Arts Festival, Saturday and Sunday, November 1 and 2, where she'll again be showing.
 |
| Tricycle Multi-media, Chris Mason |
Have I saved the best for last? Perhaps. I find myself mesmerized by Chris Mason's photography...the man is brilliant!
I saw Chris' work at another festival recently—his multi-media work in particular—and was immediately fascinated and surprisingly captivated. I explored numerous pieces in great detail. I applaud Chris' brilliant coupling of photo with paint, material, and relics. I'd not seen anything quite like this before.
"I am a big fan of the Atlanta Arts Festival, I love seeing the diversity of people that come out and all enjoying the arts, park and great things that goes on in the Atlanta area," said Chris Mason of Chris Mason Photography.
And a Thank You...
May I offer a huge "Thank you!" to these five artists for sharing their work and giving time to wanderlust ATLANTA. I have friends who have done the festival circuit, so I know something of the amount of work and dedication it takes to attend a show like this. It's no small undertaking.
Thank you to each of the artists, and other participants, at the Atlanta Arts Festival for contributing to our city's cultural experiences. You're appreciated!
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