Art festival fills courthouse lawn
Aug. 17—At the Sandpiper Gallery's 52nd annual Courthouse Art Festival, vendors sold an array of creations Saturday, including jewelry, stained glass, paintings, ceramics and photography. Entertainment and a few treats were also on tap during the event, which coincides with a car show and brewfest on Main Street.
Caroline Antoinette purchased a painting of a stand of bronzed aspens by Andrea Johnson, a St. Ignatius native who now lives near Polson, saying the artwork would complement her new curtains.
Johnson's granddaughter was helping at the booth, where business was "so-so," the artist said. "It was very busy this morning and then quieted down after the car show started."
Lynn Johnson, a Sandpiper gallery member, had a flock of felted birds and objects in her booth, which drew the attention of two well-known Missoulians — former county commissioner and legislator Ann Mary Dussault and former legislator Diane Sands.
Johnson, who also owns a cherry orchard and is a musician as well, says she typically only participates in the courthouse fair and a Christmas show in Kalispell.
Frank Finley, a former art teacher at Salish Kootenai College and proprietor of 32 Cuppa of Java and 32 Pairs of Scissors art studio in Pablo, reported some good sales and a "slow but steady" stream of customers.
This was the second of two outdoor art shows hosted by the gallery. The first, the Flathead Lake Festival of the Arts, was held July 22-23 at Sacajawea Park.
