A beautiful bottle tree sprouts wispy branches tipped with colorful bottles shining like gems in the sunshine. A "Pot Head" planter with bicycle pedal feet awaits a hairstyle of ferns, grasses or flowers. Riley Foster has been welding garden arbors, windmills, totem poles and other designs for over twenty-two years. His garden art is made of recycled metal parts and it appears as nothing goes to waste.Smile, you're looking at folk art! The cheerful creations on display at the 2009 Fearrington Folk Art Show are as delightful as the artists. Chat with an artist and you'll hear interesting stories of how they recycle junk into art or are inspired by the people, places and things in daily life.
Garden art, pottery, paintings, furniture and other folk art items are on display and available for sale during this show. Garden-grown gourds are painted and crafted into schools of cute fish, tall flamingos and charming chickens. There are garden benches that are literally "tool" benches welded from hammers, shovels and wrenches.
The artist team of Tim and Lisa Kluttz of St. Peters Farm Folk Art Studio are back again this year with a booth of colorful paintings. You've got to love the dog paintings that are cleverly mounted on a window shutter!
Sam "The Dot Man" McMillan has an array of painted rocking chairs, stools, pots and even garden hats! Of course, his famous paintings are also on display. Sam is another folk artist who takes "found objects" and turns them into colorful, decorative works of art.
The Fearrington Barn is overflowing with good things and good people! The Folk Art Show is underway on Saturday and Sunday, February 21-22 at Fearrington Village, located between Pittsboro and Chapel Hill. The admission fee of $5.00 benefits the Chatham Outreach Alliance Food Pantry. The event is both indoors and outdoors at the barn, so there is no need to worry about the weather!
Story and photos by Freda Cameron