Showing Off Their Art

Patti with one of her creations

A little more than 2 decades ago, Patti Stern came up with an idea. At the time, she was an interior designer. Her husband, Bob, was a builder in charge of 75 teamsters in Cleveland. Patti was convinced that she and her husband could artistically arrange freeze-dried flowers within old vintage farmhouse window frames and Victorian door windows and then sell them. Bob's response was "Oh, Patti.."

However, he agreed to join her in the endeavor. A few years later, the couple wanted to display their creations in an art show in Chicago, but were told they had to come up with something whimsical. So they developed their people cabinets. With names like Rocket Man, Mother Cupboard or simply Ruby, the unique cabinets use such items as spindles for legs, drill bits or wrought iron fencing for hair, hot and cold water faucets for earrings, and clocks or radios for heads.

Bob and his one of his buddies

Today, Patti (who laughingly says she keeps the slogan "Oh, Patti" as her license plate to remind her husband about his initial skepticism) and Bob travel the country, participating in about 45 art shows and festivals a year. This weekend, they were at the 11th annual King Street Art Festival in Old Towne, Alexandria, where all types of art was on display in blocks of tents. For those of you who didn't attend the 2-day event, here is a sample of what you would have seen, and, if you had some disposable cash, could have bought:

Patti and Bob Stern  The Perfect View

Terry Andres    Waters Edge Studio

Jo Nelson      Nebraska (402-462-6508) & Florida (561-863-8833)

Mary Jane Piccuirro    maryjanepiccuirro@gmail.com

John Moore     The Hairy Potter

Darrin Hoover     The Vestige Collection

Mark Glocke     Glocke's Glass

Tales, Tidbits, and Tips

If you ever attend a top-end art festival, you will find many things including:

Unique art ...

... creativity and ...

... interesting people.