Observations of an Artist from the Art Booth

Hours of watching people through the open double doors of our art booth at the Alaska State Fair provides a tiny window, a quick snapshot of crowd behavior, a fashion show of unusual wardrobes, a range of body shapes and sizes, and a parade of painted hair and faces. Our handicapped accessible ramp at the front doors was often occupied by youngsters seeking a sunny spot to sit, eat, and visit, oblivious to the fact that they were blocking the entrance. Apologetic and polite they always complied with our request to find another spot to camp.

I enjoyed seeing the unusual shaped shadows cast on our booth floor from spiky hairstyles, and the brightly colored clothes worn by these youths. This could make a great painting I thought as I gently urged them to move on. Silly, the stuff that catches my eye. Again, it always about the light, the light and shadows are what I seek to make a good painting. It really doesn’t matter what the subject matter, it is all about the light. An artists observation.

Gail Niebrugge, Alaska artist at the State Fair