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A large clay face looks out from the Piatt Studios booth at the Umpqua Valley Arts Festival at Fir Grove Park in Roseburg on Saturday.
Topsy-turvy finances drive much of life these days, but for some events Mother Nature takes the upper hand that even a stale economy can't foil.
Take, for instance, the Umpqua Valley Arts Association's Summer Arts Festival that opened Friday and continues today.
Last year, blistering heat that just about hit triple digits with humidity in the 90s kept a lot of folks home, knocking visitors numbers down to about 5,000, said Aletta McGee, one of the event organizers.
With this year's temperatures in the low, dry, 80s through much of the day, festivalgoers have been lined up waiting for the booth-dotted lawn of the Umpqua Valley Arts Center to open, McGee said.
“It's fabulous ... hopefully we'll break 10,000,” she said of the steady stream of visitors coming to view art from more than 100 artists, listen to the all-local music lineup, watch entertainers and enjoy the food, beer and wine offerings.
Artists were also enjoying a successful festival.
Joshua Piatt of Piatt Studio, a ceramics studio in Coos Bay, said business at the show was “great.”
“My motto is ... give the public museum-quality pieces at affordable prices,” he said.
Giant masks as well as bowls and earthen platters adorned his booth, mixing and reshaping cultural art traditions — like a mix of Inca-Aztec or a new take on Greek art.
“I'm trying to become the premier potter for wall art and trying to redefine all cultures of pottery,” Piatt said.
Each artists' work differs from his neighbors, but talk to any one of them and visitors can learn about the common threads that bind or link them.
Piatt's fascination with the muddy medium was shared by at least one other local artist before his heart melted for another material.
“There's nothing like hot glass,” said Glide resident and glass blower Lowell Duell. “It's a fun medium.”
Glass orbs, perched on metal rods and punched into the ground, glinted in the sun, inviting passers-by to stop at Duell's booth.
The “glass balloons” have been a hot item for Duell, who has sold his glass creations for 20 years.
Saturday was no exception.
“Sure, I've had better shows, but it's a good show,” he said, commenting on the weather and the steady flow of visitors who bent down to inspect the colors and swirls in his creations.
McGee said juried entries keep the festival's standard for art offerings high, but some artists didn't just bring their own artwork to the event, they made their booth spaces a work of art.
Just minutes after receiving the award for Best of Show for her booth display, Roseburg metal artist Ginger Trute was beside herself with joy.
Potted flowers complemented the hard, metallic edges of her plasma cut sunflowers and daisies fused onto old farm implements like plowheads and wheel presses.
The local woman, who quit her job to pursue a newfound passion in metal art nine years ago, said she had been working on her booth presentation and spot — under the shade of two large cedar trees — for quite a while.
Winning the Best of Show award was a treasure she was happy to take home.
• You can reach reporter DD Bixby at 957-4211 or by e-mail at dbixby@nrtoday.com.
Take, for instance, the Umpqua Valley Arts Association's Summer Arts Festival that opened Friday and continues today.
Last year, blistering heat that just about hit triple digits with humidity in the 90s kept a lot of folks home, knocking visitors numbers down to about 5,000, said Aletta McGee, one of the event organizers.
With this year's temperatures in the low, dry, 80s through much of the day, festivalgoers have been lined up waiting for the booth-dotted lawn of the Umpqua Valley Arts Center to open, McGee said.
“It's fabulous ... hopefully we'll break 10,000,” she said of the steady stream of visitors coming to view art from more than 100 artists, listen to the all-local music lineup, watch entertainers and enjoy the food, beer and wine offerings.
Artists were also enjoying a successful festival.
Joshua Piatt of Piatt Studio, a ceramics studio in Coos Bay, said business at the show was “great.”
“My motto is ... give the public museum-quality pieces at affordable prices,” he said.
Giant masks as well as bowls and earthen platters adorned his booth, mixing and reshaping cultural art traditions — like a mix of Inca-Aztec or a new take on Greek art.
“I'm trying to become the premier potter for wall art and trying to redefine all cultures of pottery,” Piatt said.
Each artists' work differs from his neighbors, but talk to any one of them and visitors can learn about the common threads that bind or link them.
Piatt's fascination with the muddy medium was shared by at least one other local artist before his heart melted for another material.
“There's nothing like hot glass,” said Glide resident and glass blower Lowell Duell. “It's a fun medium.”
Glass orbs, perched on metal rods and punched into the ground, glinted in the sun, inviting passers-by to stop at Duell's booth.
The “glass balloons” have been a hot item for Duell, who has sold his glass creations for 20 years.
Saturday was no exception.
“Sure, I've had better shows, but it's a good show,” he said, commenting on the weather and the steady flow of visitors who bent down to inspect the colors and swirls in his creations.
McGee said juried entries keep the festival's standard for art offerings high, but some artists didn't just bring their own artwork to the event, they made their booth spaces a work of art.
Just minutes after receiving the award for Best of Show for her booth display, Roseburg metal artist Ginger Trute was beside herself with joy.
Potted flowers complemented the hard, metallic edges of her plasma cut sunflowers and daisies fused onto old farm implements like plowheads and wheel presses.
The local woman, who quit her job to pursue a newfound passion in metal art nine years ago, said she had been working on her booth presentation and spot — under the shade of two large cedar trees — for quite a while.
Winning the Best of Show award was a treasure she was happy to take home.
• You can reach reporter DD Bixby at 957-4211 or by e-mail at dbixby@nrtoday.com.
