An artful affair in Crestline

Eddie Powell attends fewer art shows than he used to. 

The recession hit two years after he stepped out of advertising to work in art full time in 2006, and he found he had to attend many shows and often work on commission. But in the past few years, his business has picked up, making those trips less necessary. Still, he wouldn’t think twice about being in the art show at Crestline Field on April 18. The event runs 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at the field by Crestline Elementary School.

 “Because I live in Mountain Brook, it’s one of my favorite shows because it’s close and you get to say hello to everyone, and you don’t have to travel across the country,” Powell said. 

Each year the Mountain Brook Art Association Spring Art Festival at Crestline Elementary’s field draws around 70 artists within a 25-mile radius of City Hall, but many are from just a few miles away. Other Mountain Brook artists participating in this year’s event include Lynn Briggs, Mary Mellen and her daughter Katherine Trammell, Sara Crook, Janet Sanders, Jan Grant, Sam Chiarella and Wellon Bridgers.

For Powell, it’s also meaningful that the event is representative of how the artists there are the opposite of competitive. 

“The [artist] community, Mountain Brook and Birmingham, are well supported by each other, and that’s extremely important,” Powell said. 

Powell works with pastels and cream acrylics on wood and also carves into the pieces. His pieces showcase flowers, birds’ nests, horses, churches, fish and other natural scenes in which he sees “some sense of spiritualness of optimism.”

“I am a Southern artist and I love the South, and I will always be at home painting what’s in this area because I am inspired by it and I grew up in it,” Powell said.

The goal of the art festival is to highlight members of the Mountain Brook Art Association’s work, to raise awareness of buying local art, and to create a venue for the work to be sold. There will also be live jazz music by the Choko Aiken band, food vendors including Iz Café, and a floral competition sponsored by Norton’s Florist.

Member volunteers in the hospitality tent may also hang a few pieces of their work to sell, providing a way the entire membership can participate.

“Older artists who no longer have the energy to set up a tent of their own and do all the work can still show their art and visit with long-term customers,” show chair Janet Sanders said, “and newer members or artists who are just starting out can get their feet wet.”

Each artist will have his or her own 10-foot by 10-foot tent to fill with his or her artwork with prices of their choosing.

The sale started when students of Ron Lewis at Mountain Brook Community Education decided to sell paintings from his class on a Saturday in April 35 years ago.

 “They must have done well, because the club and the show were born,” Sanders said, noting that it has attracted about 5,000 visitors in recent years.

Two years ago the event became known as the Spring Art Festival instead of the Spring Art Show to draw a wider audience.

Today, all artwork showcased is two-dimensional and may be hung on a wall. Artwork ranges in size from miniature pieces to extra-large canvases. Visa, MasterCard, checks and cash will be accepted.

If it rains, the event will be April 19 from noon-5 p.m. Visit mountainbrookartassociation.com for more information.