Living
Artists flock to 46th annual Salado Art Fair
Monday, 12 November 2012 by Jenna Magness
The 46th Annual Salado Art Fair attracted those seeking or selling unique artwork over the weekend. The 46th Annual Salado Art Fair boasted a range of talented artists from all over Texas and as far east as Atlanta.
Taking place at Pace Park, this festival brought in unique artwork, a variety of food and beautiful weather.
"We've had this art fair for 46 years," said Salado Historical Society Officer Cathy Sands. "The artists that come are so inspiring and offer anything from paintings, pottery, purses, quilts, jewelry and more. Everything is handmade."
Dan Pfeiffer is one of these artists and comes from Fredericksburg. Working with wood since he was 14, Pfeiffer creates high quality custom sculptures and furniture.
"I've been doing this for 35 years and I use lumber, industrial parts or rusted metal parts to create my art. Ideas don't formulate over night but it usually takes 20-80 hours for me to finish one piece. I have a studio in Fredericksburg and people can order items online. I do 60 percent custom work and 40 percent speculative work. Most of what I'm displaying today is speculative meaning the art is open to interpretation," said Pfeiffer.
The art fair's advertising poster of a coyote comes from a piece designed by artist Howard Dubois.
"I got the idea after going to the zoo and seeing all the coyotes," he said. "I took pictures of them and the landscape."
Dubois's classifies his art as Texas wildlife and western. Painting for 70 years, he does seven or eight shows a year to display his extraordinary talent. He gets his inspiration from the stories he's read, the Texas countryside and the requests made by customers.
"My favorite piece I've done was actually inspired by my town Canton. There's a ranch outside of Canton that I took pictures of for 27 years off and on. All the horses in the painting are from different moments like 1989 or 2002."
Kari Stringer, the owner of Fat Cat Studio, displayed her vintage jewelry.
"I make one of a kind recycled jewelry from vintage tin cans. I'm inspired by the tins themselves whether they're coffee or tobacco tins. I'm from Taylor but I love the small town feel of Salado. We have 16 boutiques and our website is fatcatjewelrystudio.com," said Stringer.
Kate Winchell, a UMHB student and an apprentice at Salado Glassworks, thought the market brought many artists together.
"I love that it's outdoors with a setting by the creek," she said. "It's so beautiful. The fair brings locally renowned artists and artists from all over the South. It brings in business to the town of Salado as well. The fair does great things for the community."
