The Palm Springs valley art season kicked off today with the 24th iteration of The Southwest Arts Festival in Indio, the desert's largest and longest-running art show. The three-day affair takes place at the Empire Polo Grounds—a verdant venue with glorious views of the snow-capped Santa Rosa Mountains. The world-famous polo grounds just hosted the nation's largest dog show and now claims ownership of the Coachella and Stagecoach music festivals.
Today the venue supplied pure art seasoned with pleasant weather, appealing music and good food. My girlfriend, Marianne, and I spent a lovely afternoon savoring new and familiar artwork.
Here are snaps of a few of the 260 artists participating, many of them favorites and some newcomers who caught my eye.
My very favorite artists, Sumati and Michael Colpitts of Sedona, Arizona, brought their perennially appealing menagerie of exquisitely crafted cermaic animals. I own many of their pieces and happily anticipate collecting more. View more of their work at Artful Cermaics
B. Jamin' Custom Metals from Conifer, Colorado, made his first appearance in the show and I was riveted by his large-scale metal works of tree branches.
There were many artists actively at work durng today's show, always a treat to glimpse the artistic process at work.
Here's Jean Joseph Monfort, an LA artist working on one of his finely detailed scenes of island life. Notice the tall metal bar used to steady his hand while painting. JJM Art Work
I have long lusted after the intricately inlaid woodwork of Hudson River Inlay and this was a show debut for the New Windsor, New York, company. The five-person studio has expanded its offerings of tables, mirrors and wall pieces and I was almost glad I wasn't able to decide on a purchase today. Almost. This Craftsman-inspired piece, entitled Yosemite, depicts the flora and fauna of my very favorite place on earth. Look closely and you can see the hundreds of exotic woods lovingly fit together to create this compelling piece. I stroked several pieces before reluctantly departing.
Here's a Castle Rock, Oregon artist, Douglas Wodark, squeezing paint onto his palette with caulking guns, something I'd never witnessed before. His oil depictions of native American scenes are colorful and compelling.
Rick Van Ness's unique light fixtures crafted from musical instruments always elicit admiration and personal comments about visitors' own tucked-away pieces. Today I overheard a gentleman waxing nostalgic about his vibraphone, a piece Van Ness had yet to tackle!
I was taken with his creative use of these French horns and trombones. Sound of Flight
Vicki Banks, an LA sculptress, wrests compelling creatures from a difficult medium, bronze. Ravens, crows and cats feature prominently in her small-to-large whimsical pieces. See more of her wonderful work at Vulture Sculpture. Here she is with one of her water fountains.
Richard Myer was assiduously at work crafting a horse and rider from clay when we interrupted him. The intricate piece, destined to emerge fully fledged as a bronze, is one of the larger pieces in his repetoire of western-oriented pieces. The affable artist, a former photographer, marveled at how digital cameras are now used to create 3D prototypes of bronzes. Somehow I doubt that such handwrought artisanship will ever be eliminated by technology.
Clay Rabbit House, a show newcomer all the way from Virginia, displayed their colorful and customizable ceramics to admiring visitors.
Cyndra Bradford graciously acceded to my photo request in front of her expansive, colorful canvases. View more of her work at her Carmel gallery, Galerie Plein Aire.
And, one more artist whose metalwork I collect. NJ Searcy, from Amado, Arizona, started selling her fun and useful pieces—including small tables and bird baths—at this show several years ago. In the intervening years, her artistry has grown considerably and her latest pieces blossom with colorful ceramic birds and flowers. I cast my eye longingly on a sculptural piece replete with small birds.
She grinned and complied with my pose request in front of a whimsical wrought-iron room divider.
Richard Curtner has fashioned a unique niche for himself in paper-based artwork. Collages of hundreds of cut-out text and images become striking black-and-white themed images. I've admired this piece—depicting the art of the story—several years in a row and have added it to my wish list!
If you're in the desert right now enjoying our temperate climes and drop-dead scenery, drop by to enjoy this wonderful show over the weekend. If you're not, pencil in the upcoming La Quinta Arts Festival, one of the nation's top juried art shows. It takes place over four days in March (11-14) at the city's art-perfect park.
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