Art Show in the Hammock

Posted on Tuesday, March 26th, 2013 at 13:20

Well, I’m finally ready to enter my first official post. But maybe ready isn’t quite the word I’m looking for; it’s more like apprehensively optimistic. I’m still doing a lot of research on the best way to approach this whole endeavor, but I figured it was time to stick a toe in and test the water. Part of my problem is that I have so many thoughts and ideas on what I want to blog about that it’s been hard to decide. But a chance encounter, made possible by the beautiful goddess Serendipity, solved that dilemma. She’s always popping in when I least expect it and through the years she’s become one of my best friends.

I’d had a rather turbulent week (perhaps more on the why’s of that later) and found myself in dire need of escaping the house for a while. I decided to check out a new pottery studio, Down to Earth Pottery, that had opened up in Flagler Beach. Working with clay is another one of my passions that has been put on the back burner for the past 7 years and I decided it was time to renew the love affair. There’s nothing like a little mud under the fingernails while you slam around a hunk of clay to set you right again. So I dug out my tool bucket, performed a cursory check for spiders and loaded it into the car. Happily I headed six miles east till I hit the beach and turned right onto A1A. The shop was eight blocks up and I parked on the shoulder of a sand dune overlooking turquoise waves. Since I knew the shop was small and my tool bucket heavy (you wouldn’t believe the stuff I’ve got crammed in there) I thought it best to see if there was space for some studio time before I lugged it out of the car. That turned out to be a wise decision as she (Heather, shop owner) was expecting two classes and was booked solid. But all was not lost; I bought a 25lb bag of clay to bring home and play with. We discussed the next possible time I might be able to return, complicated due to my work schedule and family obligations, and bid each other a good day. Hugging that wonderful new bag of clay tightly to my chest I couldn’t resist giving it a little love pinch…oh the joy…almost indescribable!

After loading it into the car and getting myself settled, I realized I wasn’t quite ready to return home. I pulled back onto A1A and figured what the heck, I’m pointed north, maybe I’d just meander up the road apiece. St. Augustine was looking good as a possible destination….

1-My pottery tool bucket-an assortment of store bought, re-purposed and handmade tools.

Five miles or so north of Flagler Beach you enter ‘The Hammock’ area of Flagler County. I started to notice signs saying Art Show Tours at various businesses along the road. The traffic was unusually heavy and I soon saw the flashing lights up ahead of a county cruiser. It was too far away to know the cause and soon we were all moving at a snail’s pace. It turned out to be traffic control to allow for pedestrian crossings. As I crept by I saw small mobs of people on both sides of the road. On the left was ‘The Baliker Gallery’ and on the right was a decent sized cluster of craft show tents that were being sponsored by The Flagler County Art League. Cars were parked on both sides of the road so I decided to turn around and find myself a spot. Getting out of the car, I noticed that it was a little hazy but hot. Thankful that this part of the Hammock was heavily shaded with ancient old oaks, I figured I’d be okay for a little while (this is a big deal for me because I’m allergic to the sun…I know. You’re probably thinking “What the heck are you doing living in Florida?”).

Right off the bat my attention was grabbed by the booth manned by Faun Barnett and her husband Richard. They call their creations ‘Evolutions-recycled vintage silverware’ but what really grabbed my attention aside from the gorgeous wares; was the abundance of ingenious display props. I was kicking myself because my phone had just died and Faun had said she didn’t mind if I took some photos when I asked. We started to chat when all of a sudden one of the show promoters rushed up to the booth and announced that they had to shut down the show immediately. She pointed up to the northern sky and we all kinda gasped. I hadn’t been there more than six or seven minutes but in that short amount of time the wind had picked up fiercely and we saw an advancing wall of pure black in the sky. Forks of lightning flashed and the temperature dropped like a stone about 25 degrees. I saw in an instant the drawbacks to outdoor shows if you aren’t prepared. One poor Vendor, a young artist with huge acrylic paintings of vintage rock stars and other Sixty’s era subject matter, had no tent covering at all. I asked Faun if she needed any help but they said they had it covered. I wished her good luck with the storm. The promoters were rushing around urging patrons to leave and seek shelter, so I felt it best to get out of their way. I made it back to the car just as the first fat, icy drops began to fall. I was so disappointed because I figured I wouldn’t get an opportunity again anytime soon. Little did I know how wrong I was…?

The next day after my daughter got home with my grandyboys from church, she asked if we could go out and do something. She wanted to go out and check out the thrift shop in Flagler that I’m always raving about. We got a bit of a late start and saw that we had just missed the closing deadline by about ten minutes. So I said let’s just go for a ride. I was telling her about my adventure the day before and suggested we see if by chance the show from the day before was a multi-day event. She was game and I said we could take the boys to Bing’s Landing to watch the boats on the intercoastal waterway. We saw as we approached that there wasn’t any traffic control, it was just approaching 4pm and I slowed down as we got closer. Several tents were still up so we parked, unloaded the double stroller, strapped in the boys and walked over. Most of the vendors were packed up and striking their tents but I saw that Faun and her husband Richard still appeared to be set up.

She smiled as we approached and said, “You’re back.” I asked her if I could take some pictures and she agreed. I explained that I was getting ready to start my first attempt at blogging and would she mind if I made her the subject of my first official post. I also told her about my boards on Pinterest and that I would be pinning info from the blog onto my board ‘DIY Craft Show Display and Set-Up ideas’. She was agreeable to the idea and I asked if I could ask a few questions to go with the pictures. I didn’t want to monopolize her time too much as they needed to get things packed up, so I kept it brief even though I was dying to ask more. This is just a little bio on Faun and Richard:

They’ve been together twenty years. Evolutions started out as a hobby and they rented a space in an antique and craft co-op in Ashville, NC. Word got out about their fabulous creations and before too long they were supplying six different shops in the Ashville area. Richard recently retired and they began splitting their time between here and Ashville. Faun is the genius behind the lovely jewelry and Richard builds the displays. Below you will see the results of their team collaboration. They are truly wonderful. If you would like to contact Faun and Richard click here.

Enjoy the photos and thanks for reading my first ‘real’ blog post.

krissie

2-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. (One of three tables in their display)

 

 

 

3-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. Detail of repurposed antique swivel stool display stand.

 

 

4-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. Detail of repurposed antique swivel stool display stand.

 

 

5-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. Re-purposed antique spool and vintage parts jewelry display unit.

 

6-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. Re-purposed antique furniture parts into jewelry display.

 

7-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. Shell embellished miniature dress forms partnered with re-purposed antique spools and other found objects-1.

 

8-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. Shell embellished miniature dress forms partnered with re-purposed antique spools and other found objects-2.

 

9-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. Shell embellished miniature dress forms partnered with re-purposed antique spools and other found objects-3.

 

10-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. Jewelry display from recycled vintage architectural bits and pieces’.

 

11-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. ‘How Does It Look’ vintage mirror and buoy re-do.

 

12-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. Great redo of vintage found objects jewelry display.

 

13-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. Another Great redo of vintage found objects jewelry display.

 

14-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. Fantastic use of found architectural objects for display!

 

15-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. And Another Great redo of vintage found objects jewelry display.

 

16-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. Love the way they create and display!!!

 

17-Craft Show display from Evolutions–Recycled vintage silverware–from the creative husband and wife team of Faun and Richard Barnett. Great redo of vintage found objects jewelry display.

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One Response to “Art Show in the Hammock”

  1. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this blog post

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