SEBASTIAN — Even before the official 10 a.m. Saturday morning start, visitors to the Sebastian River Fine Art and Music Festival were arriving, bundled against the chilly air and brisk breezes pushing in from the river. By noon the parking areas was neatly and tightly packed and Riverview Park on both sides of Indian River Drive filled with people.
If you didn’t attend Saturday, you can still enjoy it Sunday, the final day of the festival.
The works of some 130 artists in diverse media are displayed in bright white tents along the sidewalks, the food concessions and stage for the musical performances in the field along the shoreline. On Saturday, The popular Danny Morris Band was tuning up, laughing and shivering a bit, and before long the feisty “I Fought the Law and the Law Won,” was warming up the crowd, along with the irresistible aroma of fresh Kettle Korn.
When event organizer Lisanne Robinson recently commented, “The caliber of the work is just tremendous,” she did not exaggerate. There is something for virtually every artistic fancy: rich leather bags and clutches, deep purple with green and blue adornment; the metal sculpture of blacksmith Robert Johnson, who never shod a horse but uses his craft to create art. His wife, Lynn, creates striking jewelry, including a necklace featuring a piece of meteorite.
Flirty French artist Phillipe Laine displayed his assortment of colorful, hand- painted silks. Vero Beach resident Barbara Taylor spotted a tie painted with music notes and purchased it at once. “I play in a bluegrass band and I’ll just be one of the boys,” she laughed.
George Mahana’s tent sign describes his art category as “Whatever,” which included fanciful lizards in iridescent colors, sculpted from a clay epoxy; amazing photographic art by world-traveller Mike Bacon featured clownfish peeping from the safety of an anemone, and an amazing shot of a tiger romping in the surf.
There is stained glass work; blown glass plates of swirling colors and fluidity and charming blownglass blowfish; kiln-fired art glass by Xochitl Ross (SoChee), using several layers of color and design fired once, then placed on a pottery bowl form and re-fired to melt into shape; Acrylic, oil and watercolor works, realism, impressionism, abstract; cast bronze sculpture; Hot Metal Mama, among whose creations were clever corrugated metal sconces; beautifully draped fiber art jackets and tops; ladies filled the tent of Russian milliner Tatiana Rakhmanina, commenting to one another on the gorgeous collection of hats of all sorts, from newsboy caps to Ascot chapeaus to flirty fascinators, all in sumptuous fabrics and hues.
Under the westside park pavilion, Sebastian Police Department School Resource Officer Ashley Penn and some student volunteers display art works by students from all the North County Schools – Sebastian Elementary, Sebastian High School, Pelican Island Elementary, Sebastian Middle, Storm Grove Elementary and the Charter Junior High. There are paintings, pottery pieces and decorated DARE boxes (placed in the classrooms, where students can safely place any personal concerns to share with Officer Penn.) She teaches the DARE (Drug Awareness and Resistance Education) and GREAT (Gang Resistance Education and Training) programs in the schools.
As the crowds absorb the colors, textures, shapes in tent after tent – an artistic and creative smorgasbord, “background music” is provided throughout the festival by The Beatle Guys, The Valerie Tyson Soul Experience, Lost in Da Mail, The Acousticats and The Space Coast Playboys. While the art and music feed the souls of the festival goers, the food tents very nicely feed the rest, and raise money for such local causes as HALO Animal Rescue, Sebastian River High and the Indian River Soccer Association.
Part of the festival proceeds go to help support North County school art classes, and some goes to create pieces of art to be displayed in public venues.
The festival continues Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
