The 2014 Fuller Lodge Art Center’s annual Arts and Crafts Fair Saturday on the Fuller Lodge lawn. Photo by Chris Clark/ladailypost.com
Photo by Chris Clark/ladailypost.comConstruction on Central Avenue may have caused a few tweaks such as where vendors could load and unload their artwork but it did not dampen the festivities at the Fuller Lodge Art Center’s annual Arts and Crafts Fair Saturday on the Fuller Lodge lawn.
Marketing Director Nancy Coombs said 82 artists took part in this year’s fair. Of that number, 18 artists were local and they included several student artists. Adele Mitchell designs and creates jewelry made from recycled plastic bottles. She explained that she started creating her jewelry just two months ago. Profits from her sales are going toward a trip to Japan, where she would ultimately like to work as a teacher in an English as a Second Language program. Mitchell said Saturday that she has almost reached her goal.
In addition to Mitchell’s jewelry, shoppers could also purchase Jessica Erkkila’s ruffled knitted scarves and Savannah Brown’s pot holders, candles wrapped in washi paper and foam light sabers. Erkkila said she learned how to make the scarves from a Youtube video and had been making them for a year. Brown said she learned to create her pot holders from a book.
It was the first time Brown and Erkkila participated in the fair.
“It’s been good,” Brown said.
This year’s fair was a first event for the Donut Directors run by Donna and Pete Zamora of Espanola.
“We’re loving it,” Pete said.
The fair also featured some veteran artists. Kate McKeough of Sundreams said she participates in fairs in Los Alamos four times a year. She said she likes the Art Center’s summer fair because “it’s a nice, small forum and the people are friendly.”
Saturday’s fair was Jewelers Lloyd and Lynda Irland’s sixth one. Lloyd said they enjoyed “all the different people. It’s always interesting to talk to (them).”
Coombs said artists frequently return to the fair. “We get a lot of repeats,” she said, adding, “It’s really fun to see the different artists come out.”
It is also enjoyable to see the community support the fair, she said. “We always appreciate the town coming out and supporting the professional artists,” Coombs said.
