Sometimes stunning art pieces can come in a size that’s as small as a ladies’ evening clutch bag.
Wait a minute, those are evening clutch bags.
And they are stunning works of art by fiber artist Andi Shannon, one of the many artists demonstrating their craft and selling their creations at this year’s annual Fresh Paint festival Saturday and Sunday.
Fresh Paint is in its 15th year, and it’s known as the Everett Waterfront art festival.
Visitors can buy paintings “fresh of the easel” along with wearable art, glass, sculptures and a variety of other types of artwork from artists who line the entire length of Everett’s Marina, according to press material from the Schack Art Center.
Fiber artist Shannon of Mount Vernon started sewing as a child and is basically self-taught and, not surprisingly, is known for her handbags.
When she’s at Fresh Paint, you might hear her before you see her — Shannon will be bringing one of her old sewing machines.
“The men come over to look at the sewing machine and the women come over to look at the quilts,” Shannon said.
The artist’s quilts are as colorful and bold as stained glass. Some involve up to 650 pieces of material and all are done free hand, though Shannon might use a rough sketch to guide her.
“Really, the colors are what motivates me,” Shannon said.
The handbags are textured with the evening bags just big enough for a woman’s essentials: credit cards, keys and lipstick.
As Shannon said, each one is unique.
“What’s funny is I never carried a purse before I made these,” Shannon said, adding that she has used one of her creations now for the past four years.
Besides Shannon’s booth, visitors can watch glass artists Dan and Joi LaChaussee, Merrilee Moore, Cristy Aloysi and Scott Graham demonstrate glassblowing. Or visitors can create their own fused glass masterpieces with Janet Foley, watch Steve Dalton throw a ceramic pot or get a photography lesson from Randall Hodges.
Also on Saturday morning, the fourth annual Float Find occurs on nearby Jetty Island where treasure hunters walk the sandy beach in search of glass sea floats. Visitors can take the ferry from the 10th Street Park to Jetty Island starting at 8:30 a.m., but the hunt doesn’t start till 10 a.m.
Fresh Paint has 75 regional artists, including this year’s featured poster artist Ron Stocke, whose medium is watercolor.
Stocke calls working in watercolor “honest, challenging and always new.” Stocke leans toward cityscapes and the hustle and bustle of cafes.
Fresh Paint provides a perfect environment.
“I’ve been known for boats so it was a no-brainer,” Stocke said.
“I always try to keep it fresh and try not to overwork a painting,” he said. “Then I insist on really simplifying shapes. We tend to add so much more detail than we need, so to help a story I try to exploit color and value.”
“Fresh Paint: Festival of Artists at Work” goes from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 20 and 21 at the Port of Everett Marina, 1700 W. Marine View Drive, Everett. Parking at the Everett Marina is free, but consider parking at Everett Station and riding Everett Transit Route No. 5 to the marina to avoid crowded lots. For more information go to www.schack.org.
Theresa Goffredo: 425-339-3424; goffredo@heraldnet.com.
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