Artists filled Santa Rosa Park over Memorial Day weekend for San Luis Obispo Art in the Park as an outdoor arts and crafts show featuring handmade work from about 100 independent artists and craft workers.
Audio story by Lia Griffiths.
Steve Powers, the event coordinator, said San Luis Obispo Art in the Park is in its third year, though he has been organizing art shows for 50 years.
“It’s just a different way to shop,” Powers said. “You actually can talk to the people who make something versus going to the Target, you know, you’re just buying something from China.”
The event, held May 23 and 24 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., brought visitors into the park to shop, meet the artists and see pieces ranging from pottery and dolls to nature photography. A second Art in the Park is scheduled for SLO on Sept. 5 and 6 during Labor Day weekend.
Powers said he started in leatherwork in San Diego in the 1960s and has continued to put on art shows since then. He said face-to-face connection is part of what makes events like Art in the Park meaningful.
“Face-to-face communication is unfortunately going away,” Powers said. “It’s a good group and it’s a nice park, and the city’s been really receptive.”
For artist Shawn Blair, creativity has been part of her life since childhood. Blair said she and her twin sister, Sabrica Pattyson, grew up painting and drawing faces before their artistic paths diverged.
Blair said she eventually moved into makeup and photography, working in the entertainment business, before beginning pottery about seven years ago. She said pottery became a meditative practice because of the focus it requires.
“If you’re working on the potter’s wheel, it takes all your concentration to keep it on the wheel and round,” Blair said.
Her current work features detailed patterns inspired by designs she saw on Pinterest. Blair said she uses pantyhose to create some of the patterns in her pottery, a technique that often surprises visitors.
“People think I’m spending days and hours doing something by hand,” Blair said.
Artist Tammy Betancourt displayed handmade dolls and stuffed animals at the show. Betancourt said she began making dolls and “stuffies” about four years ago after starting as a quilter.
“I knew that they were not necessarily an item to bring to market, so I decided to see if I could do something smaller,” Betancourt said.
Betancourt said her style is partly inspired by old-fashioned dolls from her own childhood. After working in retail management for 40 years, including 25 years as a Walmart store manager, she said she also understood the importance of creating a mix of items that would appeal to buyers.
“I like to play,” Betancourt said. “My retirement years are playing with and making dolls.”
For Elizabeth Brentano, a nature photographer showing fine art photography for the first year, Art in the Park was a way to connect with a new audience. Brentano said she has been shooting for 10 years and focuses mainly on landscapes with wildlife. She lives in her truck camper and travels for commercial work with tourism offices. She said her photography includes scenes from Wyoming, Utah, Oregon, California, Hawaii and Washington.
Many of her photos feature wild horses, which she said people often stop to ask about. Elizabeth said she hopes visitors leave her booth with a stronger appreciation for the outdoors.
“I want people to be inspired by nature, and to also maybe consider being a little bit more respectful when they camp and use the great outdoors,” Brentano said.
Some visitors came to Art in the Park intentionally, while others found the event by chance. One attendee said that they saw the sign as they drove down Santa Rosa St. and decided to stop.
“We accidentally saw the sign,” the attendee said. “We didn’t know this was going on.”
The attendee said events like Art in the Park matter because they help bring people together.
“It just brings people out, gives them a little culture,” the attendee said. “I love artwork as an artist, so I love to come and see what they’re creating.”
According to the event website, Art in the Park offers free admission and free parking, with hundreds of parking spots available on site. Food was also available during the event.
The next San Luis Obispo Art in the Park show will take place Sept. 5 and 6 at Santa Rosa Park from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.