With hundreds of artists representing visual, literary, performance and culinary arts, visitors are sure to find more great treasures than they can carry. The real treasures, though, are the artists themselves. This festival is a great opportunity to find something unique that speaks to you and to be able to discuss it with the artist directly. Having that connection to a piece, makes it that much more special when you display it in your home.

Last week we addressed some of the remarkable artists visiting the area to share their craft. This week we want to highlight just a few more so you can see just how diverse and intriguing the roster of artists truly is.

Pottery – Larry Allen

Mr. Allen comes to the festival from Kentucky where he has been making magic with pottery since the 70s. His style brings together modern architectural symmetry with bold color and classic lines.  He says he has been inspired by a variety of events and cultures in his time. Mr. Allen’s specialty is a technique called Sgraffito. In Sgraffito (or sometimes spelled Scraffito) the Pottery Artist applies two layers of a contrasting colored slip (clay in a liquid form) to an unfired ceramic form. The artist then scratches or incises his design on the slip, which in turn exposes the lower layer slip color.

See his works on his Orange Beach Festival of Art Facebook page.

 

Music – Lisa Zanghi

Ms. Zanghi, a talented singer-songwriter, left this area in the early 90s to pursue a career in Nashville. Her influences include Bonnie Raitt, Carole King and Joni Mitchell. After honing her songwriting craft, she returned to the Gulf Coast area in 2005. Her performance at the festival promises to be emotionally powerful and a toe-tapping good time.

Learn more about her on her Orange Beach Festival of Art Facebook page.

Interactive Art – The Tannehill Forge School of Blacksmithing

The Tannehill Forge School of Blacksmithing will share its artisanship with festival-goers by allowing them to participate in creating rustic beauty during the festival. Children and adults get to join in the fun as molten metal is turned into sculptural design. This is a great opportunity for children especially to connect to the kinds of skills so essential to our forefathers.

Find out more about it on the Orange Beach Festival of Art Facebook page.