Friday, Jun. 27, 2008

Rockport Festival Draws Local Artists

By Emily Evans

Contributing Writer

The July sky is clear and bright, the Gulf breeze is salty enough to taste, and the sun is shimmering off of the sand in silvery waves. The day is one that brings treasure hunters flocking to the Gulf Coast from all over the country with the same goal in mind: to bring home that unexpected, precious find.

For some treasure hunters, the prize is not buried beneath the dunes but displayed freely in tents and booths in Rockport.

During the July 4th weekend, more than 125 juried artists from Texas and around the nation will display their talents in the 39th Annual Rockport Art Festival. After being selected and approved, the artists will exhibit works as diverse as painting, jewelry and woodwork in the show that garnered 8,000 visitors last year.

This year, three local artists have been selected to showcase their talents: Colleyville photographer Kris Kistner, Flower Mound artist C.J. Bradford and Keller sculptor James P. Morton. Each uses very different media but shares the same passion for his work.

For Kistner, photography has always been a part of his life.

"I have taken pictures most of my life, but I just started selling them about five years ago," he said. "About three years ago, I started putting them on canvas and that is primarily what my larger prints are now."

Specializing in landscapes, beach scenes and Texas culture, Kistner provides a full-service photography experience, from taking the photos to processing them and printing them. "If you buy one of my pieces, you know it is something that I have done entirely," he said.

Kistner’s work is mostly done in color, and he said his work on canvas really completes the prints.

"There is a certain amount of depth to canvas that you don’t get with paper. It is more like you are looking through a window."

Kistner has been a part of the Rockport Art Festival before and cites the show as one of his favorites.

"I will do about 17 shows this year, but the Rockport show is one of my favorites because it really focuses on being an art show," he said. "Too many shows start out with good intentions and then get too focused with putting on a party."

Bradford has been exhibiting his pen-and-ink and watercolor pieces in Rockport for more than 10 years.

"Rockport is a wonderful show," he said. "The first time I went, my son was 8 or 9, and I was hoping to just make enough money to pay for our vacation," he said. "I did way more than I planned, and it turned into a paying hobby."

Creating intricately fanciful pieces, Bradford draws in a style he calls "artful communication," taking well-known sayings and metaphors and putting them on paper.

"I tell people my art is fantasy. The pictures are psychological or theological and have messages," he said. "I take a cliché and put it visually. People think I am very smart, but really I am taking something that is thousands of years old and drawing it."

Bradford gleans inspiration from many sources. In pieces such as Overcoming The Wall and Wild Goose Chase, Bradford’s signature style is apparent. "When I read things I see pictures, and that is what I draw."

Like Bradford, Morton has been heading to Rockport for more than 10 years.

It is the only show he still enters on a regular basis.

"I can sell more in one day down there than I can in an entire festival somewhere else," Morton said.

Specializing in driftwood sculpture, mostly birds, Morton gathers driftwood in creeks throughout Central Texas. Along with the more popular selections like cranes and pelicans, Morton crafts an occasional cow head or fish.

"I do almost 100 percent birds," he said. "There is no end to the numbers and types of birds you can conjure up."

Rockport is an ideal venue for Morton’s work. With birding centers and enthusiasts throughout the area, coastal shore birds are a big draw.

"Most of my sales are from people who have homes down there," Morton said. "But, I do have sales from all over. I sell a lot of whooping cranes and spoonbills."

Sculpture is less of a job for Morton, who is retired from a more traditional career.

"It is something I like to do, and I don’t consider it to be a job," he said.

The Rockport Art Festival begins with a gala and dinner on Thursday, July 3. The Art Show runs from Saturday, July 5 to Sunday, July 6. Live music and children’s activities will continue throughout the festival.

For details, see www.rockportartcenter.com.