Saturday, September 17, 2011

Cooper Young Festival.

We love living in Midtown Memphis for many reasons... and one is the Cooper Young Festival. Cooper-Young is a neighborhood in Memphis that is anchored by the intersection of Cooper and Young, has a slew of awesome restaurants and bars, and has historic homes, many of which have gone under renovation and are gorgeous. 


The festival happens once a year, in September, and is a mix of art, civic engagement, fun, music, and randomness. You're probably going to see at least 50 people you know, you're going to get drawn in by the intoxicating smell of bratwurst, you're probably going to spend some money on crafty goodness, and you'll have fun. 


We managed to get out only $55 the poorer, with two pieces of art, which I consider a victory. We met up with our friend Justine, who got some great things for her sweetie Brie. Here are some of the things I eyed as we walked around the festival....


Saw some cute girl stuff for my friends with kids at this booth, Groovy Gurlz. They are on etsy at www.groovygurlzetsy.com. They had cute VOLS stuff!
 I remembered this booth from last year. Andrea Manard makes her art using mixed media, including maps (my favorite!). I spied these small narrow guitar pieces and thought they were too cute. Andrea has an etsy and a website too - www.andreamanard.etsy.com and www.andreamanard.com

 The next booth I fell in love with was Painted By Holly. Holly Johnson is a young artist that uses watercolors to paint "Southern" things like Memphis scenes, SEC football, cotton, and more. I fell in love with a watercolor of Beale Street and ultimately ended up coming back and making it mine. Holly has a website - www.paintedbyholly.com
 The next booth we went to had some different painted pieces. Some were funky, some were more classic. The artist was Cindy Aune. Her website is www.artid.com/cindyaune. I loved this bicycle painting:
 After that we stopped by our favorite artist's booth, Kristi Bauer. She painted the art that is above our fireplace. I blogged about it way back when. Her paintings are mostly landscapes and still life. I love the ones she does where she uses Overton Park as inspiration. Her card says she has a website but I couldn't get it to work, but she does have an email - kristibauerart@yahoo.com. 

Next up was a stop by Billy Moore's tent. Billy Moore has become a local favorite. We first found his art in Trolley Stop Market and thought it was just very unique and fun. We've got one piece by him already and decided to add to the collection. He has an etsy (http://www.etsy.com/shop/billymooreart) but the best way to find him in town is either at Trolley Stop Market or Fino's on Madison. Here are some of his pieces - all painted on wood:
 I really wanted the chicken (rooster??) in the picture above. In the one below, there is a church in the bottom left corner that has a yellow backdrop. The bottom that you can't see is a cotton field. I wanted that one really bad too. But ultimately we chose a different one that I love the most!

 Our last stop of the day was to say hi to a friend from high school. We had run into some of Jake's buddies earlier in the day and they mentioned that their friend, Spencer McLean, had started using reclaimed wood and found items to create art. We stopped by to say hi to him and wound up checking out his pieces. We were very impressed. He has a facebook page with more pictures of his stuff - he does anything from art type pieces to building furniture. I was definitely lusting after more than a few things. 

 We walked around a little more before walking back to our car. We parked at Brie and Justine's house, which was perfect since it was only a block from the festival. And isn't their house precious?
 Once we got home I inspected our spoils... First, here's the Billy Moore one we got:
 I think it is going to go above the one we already have. I really like the one we got for a lot of reasons, one being that it has the same green/yellow background going on with the red trees. Ties it all in. I think we'll have to hang the first one a little closer to the leash holders (dog butts) so it doesn't look too crowded. 
 And here is the watercolor I got from Painted by Holly. I am going to frame it and put it in the front bathroom (which I hear is a place of honor, as most guests will visit it). I'm excited to have a piece of Memphis in the house. 
All in all, it was a successful trip. We lucked out with great weather and great find. 




In loving Midtown,
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