During Memorial Day weekend, the kids and I stumbled upon a two day fine arts festival in Westport, the town that neighbors ours. We’ve lived in Connecticut for nearly eight years but this is the first we’ve heard of the festival, likely since it takes place on a weekend that’s filled to the brim with summer kick off activities.

It was a joy to stop off for a few hours, immerse myself in the work of other artists, and have a few conversations with people about their work and/or lifestyle of traveling to various shows to sell their work. The festival was far larger than I expected, spanning a lengthy main street and a side street. There were children’s activities, like a cohesive piano painting project:

And many food trucks for snacks

Favorite Artists at the 50th Annual Westport Fine Arts Festival

Sharon Strine

I was a big fan of Sharon Strine‘s work. My favorite subject matter to capture in my artwork is moments misinterpreted as monotony, or the beauty of the every day, and the ways in which people interact with others and their surrounding environments. As a painter in New York City, Strine’s daily life is abundant with inspiration by people. I especially love portraits she’s done of commuters on the subway.

I shared with her my admiration for how she’s able to evoke emotions through her paintings. We discussed how photography is limited by the emotions that are present in a fleeting moment, while painting allows for the artist to create a different story within their work.

For example, in the painting below, the eye immediately falls upon the child’s sweater arm because of the intensity of the pink hue. The vertical line of the arm brings the eye upward the childs face, then to the musician with the bold red and white outfit, and the horizontal lines of the horns take the eye toward the remaining musicians and then back to the girl. As a viewer looks at the painting, the eye finds continues to settle on the details of the child’s hair and sweater, and the viewer begins to see the musicians through the child’s eyes.

I’m familiar enough with the city to know that this child was not the only one viewing these entertainers in a park. But removing the crowd that was surrounding communicates that feeling of being engulfed in a performance in such a way that all busyness that surrounds seems to fade away.

Julia Gilmore

Julia Gilmore‘s work instantly attracted me. Her larger than life representations of everyday items are emboldened by thick, high intensity strokes of color. A black underpainting and a limited color pallet ups that color intensity.

When I complimented Gilmore on her brushstrokes, she informed me that she only employs knifework–not a single brush! She said that when she used to paint very small works during her children’s naptime. With such limited time to work with, she used big gobs of paint to quickly cover the canvas. What I love most about her style was ultimately born out of necessity to fit artwork in her life despite limitations.

Cheryl Davis

I love Cheryl Davis use of vibrant colors and her pillowy brushstrokes. These pink flowered bushes look soft enough to snuggle up in.

Donna Gratowski

Donna Gratkowski is the only non-painter I’m highlighting in my favorites list. You may notice a chromatic theme that I prefer, and her work definitely fits the bill.

My favorite of all was this work in progress she had on display.

Kathryn Maher

Kathryn Maher‘s work intrigues me because the subject matter, everyday street views, is something that is overlooked completely when someone is seeking out beauty or something inspiring enough to paint. However, Maher’s muted color palette and impressionist style lends to an ethereal quality.

Westport Fine Arts Festival sketch

Selling my art in a festival like this one appeals to me. Inspired by the event and the conversations I had with artists there, I created a sketch of the environment.