Mar. 25, 2007 — Clouds covered the sun Sunday as it fought to shine, and artists smiled patiently at the small crowd milling around the Whim Greathouse grounds for another installment of what used to be called the Starving Artists Fair.
This year organizers revamped the event and renamed it the Artisan Fair to make it "more interactive," said St. Croix Landmark Society Executive Director Paul Chakroff.
"All the same artists are in attendance," Chakroff said. Additions this year included demonstrations on proper care of photographs, antique jewelry and metal work, along with the opening of Whim's Greathouse and library for tours, he said.
Familiar soft steel-band music bounced through the air as familiar artists greeted repeat customers. Sprinkled in with the familiar were some new faces showing off new styles of art.
"I can take a leaf and make something out of it," said Suzette King, who calls her art "Exotic Treasures." Her art students inspired her to create her own pieces for profit, King said: "I was teaching kids that they could do something with their hands with something we have around."
King took her own advice and began creating treasures out of everyday items. Her painted and glazed coconuts-turned-fish, swinging in the generous breeze, provide an excellent example of making something out of nothing. King laughed happily at the idea of someone paying her $15 for a painted coconut.
Merryn MacDonald and her mother, Mandy Thody, moved to the Virgin Islands from England. They lived on St. John for awhile and recently moved to the big island, trying to escape the "small-town feel" of the little island. They opened a studio on Mahogany Road in Frederiksted and are newcomers to the fair, hoping to make it a regular occurrence. The mother-daughter team creates Raku-fired ceramics. The clay is fired twice, glazed and then dipped into a metal bin filled with a sawdust mixture, creating blackened ceramic pieces.
Willy Wade came to St. Croix to escape the hustle of California. He has been sculpting since he was a toddler, and says the island has inspired a great deal of work in the short time he has been here. "It's a place of healing," he said. According to Wade, his first visit to the fair was successful because "it's a good time for artists."
For three years Sanni Craft has given Danes tours of the historical buildings that pepper the big island. The buildings were so beautiful she had to start photographing them, Craft said. Although the fair wasn't crowded with people, Craft said she was "happy" because she considered her day quite profitable.
Local scrap artist Sandra Michael took the long road to the event on a cloud-filled afternoon. Michael started creating the art because she needed the income, and said the money was not easily earned. It took years before she managed to sell any of her creations. "Don't give up," she said. "Keep trying, keep going, it's there."
For more information about the Artisan Fair, contact Paul Chakroff at 772-0598.
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