Swansea Art Show

Friends and family gathered on June 26th 2016 to view art created by two brothers who are ages four and five.

The spacious yard provided views from many perspectives.

 The wire legs of the mounting boards allowed the art to sway slightly in the breeze giving yet another dimension to the works of art.

Having artwork displayed on both sides of the mounting boards motivated visitors to leave the stone walkway to discover interesting and often surprising paintings on the opposite side.

The art show was Gabriel's idea and many of the entries were his creations.  However his younger brother, Nathan, had contributions in a variety of mediums.

It was helpful to have the young artists walk with patrons and describe their art as they moved along the gallery.

I found several pieces to my liking, however, not all work was for sale and no exceptions were made for Grandma.

These photos were taken before the crowd arrived. I was looking forward to getting pictures of the guests as they arrived.  However, the battery in my camera picked an unfortunate time to give out.  I captured a couple more of the artwork but the rest of the pictures were taken by, Jodie, mother of the artists.

This large canvas of a helicopter flying over a metrolink train was snagged by Uncle John.

The two paintings side by side done in intense blues, purples, and greens were scooped up by Uncle Dan.  I was told they were not for sale, but Uncle Dan came prepared with items to barter.  A kite and the stump shown in the next photo were enough to cinch a trade.

The little opening at the bottom made this a "must have" addition to the rather large fairy garden the boys have created under a large Japanese maple in the front yard.

For those willing to brave the heat a little longer, there was a cardboard table mat and crayons where visitors could get creative.

Inside we found refreshing drinks of watermelon lemonade, and cucumber ice water.  Coolers were allowed and, yes, there was beer too.

Snacks were plentiful and delicious.

I highly recommend this salsa.  It is from Trader Joe's and it is called Spicy, Smoky Peach Salsa.

The food displays were as colorful as the artwork.

Once everyone had fortified themselves, it was time to view the inside displays.

These miniature fairy gardens were created by Nathan and Gabriel at a class they took this month at the Missouri Botanical Garden.

This colorful stepping stone was created by Gabriel.  Nathan's is off to the side and I apologize to him for not getting a picture of his.

However, I do have Nathan's molded clay house that has strings of Christmas lights draped around the outside.

These paper trucks were made at the Magic House on a 3-D printer.  The boys colored a truck that was scanned and then projected onto a screen along with trucks by other participants.  It was then printed on a 3-D printer, cut out, folded and glued in place.

Another big attraction was the opportunity to have your portrait drawn by Gabriel.

Aunt Therese was lucky to be the first in line to have her likeness drawn.

Uncle John kept his eye on the mirror behind Gabriel so he could follow the progress.

Grandma just sat and hoped for the best.

And guess what, she got what she hoped for.  He even captured the fact that my earrings always hang unevenly because one ear is lower than the other.

While Gabriel was occupied drawing portraits, Nathan was was outside throwing the frisbee with Uncle Scott, and, getting some tips on how to spin a basketball on the tip of his finger.  I wish I could have captured that on camera along with so many more things that were happening.  (I will be buying a backup battery tomorrow!)  But...on with the art show.

 This was a very large mural about 2 1/2 ft. by 4 ft.

Here we have a scuba diver.

I must admit I did not get all the particulars on each piece of art.  There was so much to take in and such an interesting crowd that I am really going to have to revisit some of these pieces.

I made several attempts to purchase one or two from this series, but Gabriel stood firm.  These were just not for sale!  They were made with tinted shaving cream and had the look of marbled paper, although this photo does not capture that quality very well.  Luckily I know the proprietor of this establishment, and she was able to slip me a couple she had in the backroom.  They are done with the same technique by the same artist!

It would have been nice to end this post with a group picture, but I hated to keep pulling the hostess away from other guests to take pictures, And, no, I cannot operate her camera.  Maybe it all worked out for the best as I'm thinking this post is getting a little long anyway.