Artists hotdog their talent

It’s never fun to encounter a person wearing the exact outfit you just bought, or to find a replication of your favorite painting hanging on someone else’s living room wall. But students tired of commercial lines and replicated artwork can find a more individually tailored shopping experience at the second annual Santa Monica Arts Festival.

The festival, held at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium today through Sunday, will feature over 200 artists selling works varying from paintings, photography and sculpture to purses, accessories and clothing ““ many of which are affordably priced.

Warren Cook, the producer of the festival for both years, attributed its success last year to the festival’s broad variety of talented artists, a component he said continues this year.

“We have people coming from 20 states all across the country, from Brooklyn and Maine to Florida and Oklahoma and all over the place, so it’s a wonderful opportunity to meet these great artists,” he said.

Jerry Berta, a ceramist and sculptor, will be coming from Michigan to show his art for the first time in the Los Angeles area.

His sculptures combine ceramics and neon to produce miniature versions of retro locales like diners, cafes and even hot-dog stands. The combination of clay with neon is a unique method of construction that sets off his pieces in vivid tones and invokes a ’50s-period feel.

“The glow of the neon off the piece ““ it really complements the work. No one else is doing clay and neon in any sculptures. So (this method) is really about the era of the piece; it’s what I grew up loving,” Berta said.

Berta especially wanted to participate in the festival this year because many of his latest pieces are inspired by Hollywood. His “Star Theatre” is a neon ceramic piece of a picture palace that features a 7-inch working DVD player inside.

“There’s interchangeable marquees so if you want to watch “˜It’s a Wonderful Life’ or you want to watch “˜Casablanca’ you can change the movie and the marquees. So I really try to get people involved in my work,” Berta said.

Sculptor James Stone is another first-time artist at the festival who will be showcasing his unusual use of mediums. He combines metal and glass to produce large-scale sculptures usually depicting ocean life, from crowds of octopi to spiraling coral reefs.

Stone’s works also have a conservation message behind them.

“They’re a response to what’s happened in the oceans over the last 40 years,” he said. ” After many years of struggling with the various mediums (of glass sculpture), I have figured out how to use the mediums as a tool to communicate a message.”

Despite the grand scale and complexity of the artwork, Stone insists that the festival is an affordable place for college students on a tighter budget to peruse and shop.

“For students who are on a limited budget, it gives you an opportunity to purchase art at a very reasonable price,” he said.

Sharyn McCreedy, creator of the line Exotic Excessories, will be featuring her fashion creations at the show for a second time. She says her bags and jewelry are a deal compared to competing commercial lines.

“If you walk into one of the department stores, (the bags) will be 10 times what I charge for it,” she said.

McCreedy, like the other artists at the show, said the exclusive nature of her work is one of the most important attractions to buyers.

“I design one-of-a-kind pieces. … You can’t find them in the mall,” she said. “For budding artists or just people who appreciate things that are really unique, the festival will be a great place to go shopping.”

McCreedy said her most popular items among younger clientele are her crocodile-tail bags.

“It’s just a wild, sexy, hip, traffic-stopping piece,” she said.

And with such a large selection of works and artists ready to talk to visitors, both McCreedy and Stone feel that the festival will pass the creative flow on to others.

“It’s a very fertile place for emerging artists,” Stone said.

McCreedy said she feels seeing other artists’ finished products at the festival can provide a laboratory for younger artists.

“If there’s someone who is young and dabbling in their own vision of any kind, whether it’s technology, art, sculpture, painting or jewelry, there’s a lot to be learned from seeing other people who have actually taken their impulses and come to fruition,” she said. “I think going to a good art show really sparks your own fire.”

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