Bellevue Arts Fairs 2017 & 2018

My purchases in the past two years.  Above, a card "The Sincerest Form of Flattery" by Eileen Sorg.

Below, coasters "Cozy Afternoon," and "Miss Tater" by Mary Gibbs.

So, almost every year I go to a couple of art festival fairs/festivals that happen in Bellevue at this time of year.  I started going a long time ago, when my family and I were just heading out for a trip to the mall, and came across this festival, that was set up on the bottom of the parking garage at Bellevue Square Mall.  It was much smaller then, but it was something neat, and memorable.

It, as well as Bellevue, has grown so much.  Now, two festivals happen at the same time (the BAM ARTSfair and the Bellevue Festival of the Arts), so there is plenty to look at.  It normally takes me about 4-5 hours to see everything, if I am up to it.  I almost did not go this year, because I wasn't sure I was up to it this year, but I am really glad I went.  I just love seeing all the amazing talent people have and the variety of styles.  They also have good food out there, in case you are hungry.  I decided to eat at home this year, before I went.

One of the most impressive pieces of work, was a sculpted dragon that really breathes fire!  The artist, Gunter Reimnitz, is happy to show a demonstration of his work.  I did not get a photo of the fire breathing, but there is a great one shown here.  It was at the festival this year as well as last year.

Inside the Bellevue Arts Museum last year they had some intricate paper sculptures.  This one was my favorite.  I am not sure who the artist was, but they did a really great job.

This year, there were some interesting silkscreen and screen prints by Alex Katz.  The one shown below is called, "Nichole," and in it's reflection is "White Roses."

Also, this year, was a colorful display of fashion by FEMAIL:AMPM.  I really like how it seems to combine different cultures into one.  It is a really beautiful display.  You can read more about it here.

Outside the mall they had a sidewalk chalk artist.  I missed the sidewalk chalk artist last year, so it was good to see it again.  This one is done by Gabrielle Abbott.

The festival outside had so many other great things, that it would be impossible to cover them all.

Factory43 had some great whimsical pins and prints.  It was one of the few booths that encouraged photos.  I especially like the cat with the eye-patch, but I also like the crying ice cream cone.  Their website is also pretty cool.

Last year there was an artist who used gold foil in his photo/paintings.  I did not see him this year, but his name is Michael Bryant.  It is hard to tell by looking at them online, but there is a wonderful looking glistening and texture when you see his works in person.

This year some artists I liked were:

Coffee on Canvas:  Artwork created by using coffee as a medium.  Creates a fascinating visual in great earth tones.  I love the Seattle Skyline one.

Michael Rohner:  Does a great job with pen and ink.  Draws many animals.  My favorite one is the one titled "Aeon."

Steven Vigil:  Interesting style.  Some look halfway finished, with paint drips.  I really like "Whatever you do, Don't Run."

Some favorites were back again:

Justin Hillgrove:  Always has new and great stuff.  I just love his work.  His work includes parody and tributes, that he makes into his own, but he has original stuff as well.

Amy Flynn:  Creative and fun Fobots, made with found objects.

Diane Culhane:  Colorful, story-telling art.

Last year, I added two new coasters to another coaster I bought previously by Mary Gibbs, as shown at the top of this blog.  She has beautiful watercolor artwork.  I especially love her cats that she draws.  I had to resist from buying more coasters this year.

I did purchase some cards from Eileen Sorg.  I really love how in "Imitation Is the Sincerest Form of Flattery," that a bird and I think what is a grasshopper(?) try to imitate a rabbit.  It is humorous, yet deep, and brilliant.

The festival is almost over, but you can still check out these artist's work at their websites or at other art festivals.

Vintage Toy Exhibit

Back in September I was given tickets to MOHAI in Seattle, which is the Museum of Art and History and Industry.  My friend, Suzie, thought I would like a special exhibit on toys from the 50s, 60s, and 70s.  The museum itself is kind of interesting inside:

The toy exhibit was especially fun.  There was three sections to this exhibit, one for each decade of toys.

Toys from the 50s:

I think I saw this particular toy (below) at one of my grandmother's houses, a long time ago.  It appears you could actually sew with the tiny sewing machine.  It seemed pretty cool.

I would have loved this toy as a kid (below).  I suppose some of the products here are considered dangerous now...

I was surprised that some toys were from the 50s, like Trolls, for instance.  I thought they came out much later.  Obviously, they are still pretty popular, considering there is a new movie out staring them.

Among the toys, each section had a TV playing former toy commercials of that decade, and was decorated to fit the decor of the times.  Couches were set up so people could sit and watch, sing along, and reminisce with the commercials.

T.V. with 70s decor (above).

This T.V. played toy commercials from the 1950s. 

Complete strangers would talk to each other, and say, "Oh, I remember that! "  or "I used to have one of those!"  Some would enthusiastically sing with the commercial playing.  One of the commercials that many sang along with was for this game called "Mystery Date." It was pretty funny.

 This is a different version of the commercial I saw, but the song and the actresses are the same.  You get the idea.  This commercial played in the 60s section:

Great.  Now I have that song playing over and over in my head!  Moving on!

I saw a little wooden cat (as decor, not a toy), just like one my grandmother had in her living room.  She had two smaller ones as well.

...and I know somebody I knew had grapes like these (also just decor):

There were several Barbies/Ken/G.I. Joe type figures between 50-60s section:

"I'm a Barbie Girl in a Barbie World!" - Aqua

I tried to get a better photo of this James Bond figure.  It didn't look much like Sean Connery, but I thought it was cool.  He was in the 60s section, along with G.I. Joe.

More 60s toys:

Above:  This is an Easy Bake Oven!  I had no idea they had been around that long!  It looks totally different from the Easy Bake Oven that was out when I was a kid!

Aqua-Man was from the 70s, perhaps the case he was put in had both generations.

There was a fake back yard set up with a mess of toys:

There was a section of "Dangerous Toys."

Some more 60s toys:

I don't know about you, but this Casper looks a little creepy to me...

The 70s toys also had some Barbie type figures from popular T.V. shows, like the 6 Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, and Charlie's Angels:

There were Hungry Hippos,

...a Fisher Price McDonald's,

...and this great Fisher Price castle!  Complete with dragon.

There were electronic games and a video game:

I certainly cannot leave out the Star Wars action figures!

Despite how many photos I have shown, the exhibit seemed relatively small.  It wasn't near the size of the Hello Kitty exhibition I went to last year, but it was still fun to see toys from the past, and how they have changed over the years.

The toy exhibit is long gone, but the MOHAI is still there, with other cool things to see and interact with, including this iconic toe tow truck (which you can look at, but not interact with):

For more information on MOHAI, please visit http://www.mohai.org.

Bellevue Arts Fair 2015 & 2016

Many of you may have thought I did not go to last year's Bellevue Arts Fair, but I did.  It was fun, too.  I did not wind up buying anything, though.  Last year, there was a little bit of rain.  Everyone took cover for awhile.  This year it was scorching hot, for around here, anyway.

Last year, they had a cool sign representing the Bellevue Arts Museum (BAM).  This was shot from the back.

This year, I think I saw the same letters out, and also some things that looked like Willa-Wonka Gobstoppers.  I thought they were kind of cool.  I saw someone else's photo, taken at night, and they looked even better.

Last year, there was a fun playhouse made for children by Chris Axling.  It was really creative.  To see more of this playhouse, and the artist's work, click here.

Every year, they have chalk for kids (and adults) to draw on the brick sidewalk.

They seemed to have more color options last year, than they did this year.  I did this last year.  I was influenced by Luna, from Sailor Moon and Calvin and Hobbes, which I was watching/reading at the time.

They had an area to weave some various colors of yarn/fabric into a collaborative piece last year.  I did mine after this photo.  They had some different activities for kids this year.  I didn't really pay attention, though.

After several hours of walking around, I found a beautiful coaster I just had to have.  I have been needing some coasters, and this fit purr-fectly with the rest of my cat related items on my lamp table.  The artist is Mary Gibbs, and this coaster piece is called, "Izzy In the Sun," named after her personal cat, which she painted in watercolor.  I just love it.  See more of her artwork here.

There were so many great artist's work to see both years, it was just so awesome.  Over 300 artists to look at.  It makes a long day.  The Bellevue Art Museum is free to the public during the fair.  This year, it had some amazing fashion Celebrating 50 Years of the Ebony Fashion Show.  I would have loved to taken some photos, but photos were not permitted (even though I saw some people taking some anyway).  Out of respect for the artists and their artwork, I do not take photos unless permitted.  You can view some of the garments here, but they are even better in person.

Some other artist's work that stood out this year were:

Doug Brannan - Doug's Refried Robots Fun, quirky robots, made from recycled material.

Amy Flynn - Fobots Also, some really fun, quirky robots, made from found objects.

Doug Roy - Paper Carvings Fascinating, eccentrically detailed work.

Desarae Lee She has a really nice cross-hatching style.

Hayley Nolte and Scot Ray - Folk Art - Recycled metal made into mirror frames.

Kate Beck - Wearable Art, very beautiful.

Richard McCullum - White Forest Spoons Very unique, wooden utensils that are also useful!

There were many other great works, but way too many to name.  You just have to go and check for yourself.

The BAM Arts Fair and Bellevue Festival of the Arts runs July 29-31 2016, so if you missed it, you still have till tomorrow at 6PM.  They also have food booths and bands that play live music.  There is much to see, so go early, if you can.  Have fun!