Marcio Diaz is from sunny Nicaragua and has been trying to adjust to the rainy climate here.
Even his artwork has had to make some adjustments.
Diaz has developed a painting technique that mimics the effect of raindrops over a transparent surface, such as raindrops hitting your car windshield, distorting the landscape and creating an abstraction and impression of nature that Diaz had not thought about before.
His paintings that showcase this technique, which he calls “bubblism,” will be on display during the 56th annual Edmonds Arts Festival that kicks off at 10 a.m. Friday and runs through Sunday.
This annual festival is known for its original artwork but includes entertainment for the kids such as a Kids’ Creative Corner, a wide range of food vendors, and a Student Art Exhibit. Admission is free.
Diaz is among more than 240 artists who display and sell their fine arts and crafts on the grassy field east of the Frances Anderson Center and on the Plaza above the Edmonds Library in downtown Edmonds.
Artists are represented from the western states and Canada in a diverse area of mediums such as jewelry, painting, ceramics, glassblowing, photography, and more.
There are also three galleries inside the Frances Anderson Center where works from more than 200 artists can be seen and bought.
Diaz is not new to painting or the festival; this will be his sixth year.
As a child, Diaz watched his mother paint with homemade pigments. Diaz would draw with pencils and people bought his drawings. He used the money to invest in more paper.
Instead of farming, Diaz went into art education and obtained a bachelor’s degree in architecture. He moved to Seattle in 2006.
One day a watery drop of paint fell on one of his finished paintings and Diaz tried to clean it with a paper towel, realizing that a drop of paint left over a polished surface for a few minutes dries from the outside in.
“The circle around the drop dries quicker than the center, so when I clean up the center of the drop, I get a ring or circle of dried pigment to give me a bubble effect,” Diaz said in a prepared statement.
“Since then, I have been trying to imitate the visual effect of the raining over a transparent surface.”
Diaz has continued to paint with his bubblism technique saying he “reinforces the bubbles with layers and layers of secondary and tertiary colors to contrast and harmonize the composition.”
Diaz will be in booths 524-525 on the east side of the Frances Anderson Center during the festival.
Kate Larsson, this year’s festival poster artist, will have a display of her work inside the center in the Museum Gallery and will also be in booth 321-322 on the field.
The Edmonds Art Festival is 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday at the Frances Anderson Cultural Center, 700 Main St., Edmonds.
Free shuttle parking is available at the old Woodway High School, 23200 100th Ave. West, Edmonds, and at the Port of Edmonds, at 336 Admiral Way. A shuttle will also meet the 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. ferries to take walk on passengers to the festival site.
Handicapped parking is limited, but available on the perimeter of the festival along Main or Dayton streets and also in the library parking lot.
For a complete schedule of activities go to www.edmondsartsfestival.com. For more information, call the message line at 425-771-6412.
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; tgoffredo@heraldnet.com
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