Artists from Near and Far Shine at Hazel Park Art Fair

Artists from Near and Far Shine at Hazel Park Art Fair
(Crystal A. Proxmire, Aug. 29, 2016)
Hazel Park, MI – Though his magic wands did not help keep rain away on Saturday, Westland-based artist Logan Frizzell said the Hazel Park Art Fair was a great experience.  “I love being able to talk to everybody and meet other artists,” he said.
Frizzell sells beach glass and crystal jewelry, but added the magic wands after being disappointed by another vendor at a different fair.
“They were selling these cheap Harry Potter wands, cheaply made and way over-priced. Frankly it was insulting,” he said.  “I had just started doing wood carving so I decided I could do better.”  Frizzell’s magic wands are made of hand-carved sticks topped with quartz.
For sketch artist Rhsuko Shudo, who moved to the United States seven years ago from Japan, art is a way of connecting to others.
“In Japan the culture is quite different.  Almost everyone is Japanese.  Or if they are not Japanese they are Asian.  We all look the same. We all have dark hair and dark eyes.  But here everyone is different.  There are blue eyes, green eyes, hazel eyes. There are Asian people, white people, black people.  And all different hair – brown, and blonde and red.  Every woman I meet is so beautiful in her own way,” Shudo said.  “These beautiful ladies inspired me.  I am kind of a quiet person. But if I see someone I want to be friends with I draw them and it’s a way to make friends.”
Down the vendor-lined path from Shudo’s booth of Asian-inspired drawings, Peter Karungu had a booth full of African American artwork that had been shipped to the United States from his hometown in Kenya, Africa.
Krungu, part owner of Kimsa Crafts Enterprises, moved to the United States just two weeks ago to build an import business with his brother.  “My family made this,” he liked to repeat as he showed off the different items – purses painted by his mother, sculptures and bowls made my cousins, baskets made by a sister.
“This is my first art fair here,” he said. “I hope people will like the items.  I am also trying to meet people to get items into stores and do distribution that way.”  He said retail purchasers often come to art fairs in search of new product for their stores.
Also relatively new to the art fair scene is 14 year old Michelle Britt and her 10 year old sister Monica Britt from Detroit.  The young ladies sold braided jewelry and pens decorated with roses made of multi-colored duct tape.
“I saw the idea online and I used my allowance to get the supplies.  Now when I sell them I save some of the money and some I use to buy more supplies,” said the elder Britt. She asked her mother to help her start a business and even got her little sister involved.
“She wanted to help so I let her,” Michelle said.  “It’s fun.  We work on it together a little every day.”
Something else special from the big city is the unique artwork by A5R7 studios in Waterford.  Husband-wife team Aaron and Christina Rayburn collect the layers of fallen paint chips that come from urban graffiti sites and carve it into jewelry and mounted artwork.
“These artists come in and paint over whatever other graffiti is there. Some of these places have layer after layer of murals painted over top of each other.  The weight or the weather knocks it down.  It comes off in sheets and has this rubbery texture to it.  All the colors you see are layers. They were never meant to go together, but when they come through like that it’s really beautiful.”
They call the material Urban Agate, and say there are only four people in the world they know of that use it as an artistic medium. 
Nearby Phoenix Café co-owner Steve Gamburd promoted the art shows and concerts that take place at the hip little Hazel Park gathering space, including the Art Fair After Party.  His paintings are a perennial favorite at the art fair, but this year he also brought his graphic novels.
“Sixth Evil is crime noir,” he said.  “I wrote it in 1998 and I took it out and cleaned it up a  bit and re-released it this year.  The Surreal Show is all based on my dreams.  Every morning I wake up and work on it based on whatever I dream. So it can get pretty interesting.”
Not only was the Hazel Park Art Fair a great way for artists to share their work with the world, it’s a place to make friends.
Six year old Ava O’Leary from Farmington Hills ended up at  the Art Fair after her mother heard about it at the Royal Oak Farmers Market.  She and other children played together on the dinosaur in the middle of the park.
“They are not with us,” O’Leary said, pointing to four-year-old Edgar Freeman from Hazel Park and an unknown toddler who shared the toy with her.  “I just met Edgar,” she said.  “He was putting dirt in the dinosaur’s mouth and I asked if I could play and now we’re friends.”
To see how the Hazel Park Art Fair has grown, check out previous articles:
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2015/08/25/2015_best-year-yet-for-hazel-park-art-fair/
https://oaklandcounty115.com/2014/08/24/beautiful-day-for-2014-hazel-park-art-fair/
       

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