The Anna Maria Island Sun Newspaper

Vol. 14 No. 20 - March 12, 2014

FEATURE

Springfest fun as ever

Anna Maria Island Sun News Story

CINDY LANE | SUN

A manatee made of serving trays, planters and
urns went for $1,500.

 

HOLMES BEACH – Sunny skies and cool temperatures provided a perfect setting for the 26th Annual Springfest Festival of Fine Arts and Fine Crafts last weekend.

Droves of art fans descended on the popular festival at Holmes Beach City Hall field, soaking up southern cooking and country, folk, zydeco and beach music from the Anna Maria String Band, Dan Mobley, Howie Banfield and Scott Blum, the Gumbo Boogie Band and Koko Ray, while soaking up some rays.

Many brought their best friends, like the 4-pound poodle puppy too afraid to walk and carried by her mom in a pouch, and two champion Tibetan terriers strutting down the rows as if in a dog ring.

The birds of prey on display at the Wildlife Education and Rehabilitation Inc. of Bradenton Beach booth gave the dogs some scowls, some glares and some sideways glances as people crowded to see the full-grown screech owl that looks like a hatchling, the barn owl and other rescued birds that can’t go back to the wild. Bradenton Beach Commissioner Ed Straight, of Wildife Inc., discussed the difficulties of catching birds with hooks and lines in their mouths, saying their instincts enable them to outsmart rescuers, unless the birds are hungry or weak.

At the Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring booth, festival goers flipped through Flippers and Feathers, a newly-published coloring book and listened to Director Suzi Fox describe a cross section replica of a turtle nest.

They wandered over to the Save Our Bay booth to admire the poster-sized photo of Long Bar Pointe, where SOB stopped a planned marina; the group now hopes to slow down a new Manatee Fruit Co. residential and commercial development.

They watched Vickie Hunt insert the whiskers into her handcarved wooden cats and admired her other 3-D wooden wall sculptures. Mike and Suzy Ivancic, of Sticks and Stones, explained the benefits of using handcarved walking sticks – you can go 30 percent farther with a stick than without it, they say, pointing out buffalo and Indian head nickels inserted in the handles. People admired the beauty of photographer Jay Canterbury’s close-ups of rusty metal and peeling, painted wood.

Flower fans couldn’t believe that the delicate handmade clay orchids of Liu, of West Palm Beach, were not real; she makes the blossoms in sizes ranging from real life to miniature, including the endangered ghost orchid, found only in the Florida Everglades.

Unique additions to the art lineup this year included handcrafted knives, colorful, flower-shaped outdoor showers and a metal manatee made from urns, planters and trays.

Elementary, middle, and high school students’ artwork was featured at the “Young at Art” exhibit; the scholarship program of the event’s sponsor, the Anna Maria Island Art League, is funded in part by a raffle of artworks at Springfest and its companion festival, Winterfest.

The event drew more than 60 artists competing for the $1,000 Best of Show prize, the $250 Awards of Distinction prize and the $100 Awards of Merit prizes.

Photographer Jay Canterbury won Best of Show; Awards of Distinction went to Lori Rosenberger, jewelry; Ann Marie Siegel, jewelry; Robert Johnson, oils/acrylics; and Helen Howard, watercolor. Awards of Merit went to Elizabeth Haughton, jewelry; Linda Heath, mixed media; Alice and Bob Legler, metal; Ed Obermeyer, oils/acrylics; and Ann Schroeder, oils/acrylics.

Young at Art awards

Elementary school

1. Jenifer Vargas Acuna; Riley Hornsby
2. Madison Hayes; Sam Waterman
3. Evan Fisher; Shamirkia Imbert

Middle school

1. Catronia Barr
2. Aaliyah Arguez
3. Kira Piearcy


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