Experiencing Joy Through Art

   Good morning! I hope you had a fun weekend. This past Thursday I went to the Orange County Fair and had a really fun day. Part of that day which I always look forward to is seeing and enjoying all the entries for the Fine Arts section of the fairgrounds.

   The Orange County Fair is held annually during July and August in Costa Mesa, CA. It’s great fun and has all the traditional county fair doings including agriculture, crafting, quilting, livestock, carnival rides and more in addition to the Visual Arts. However the art pavilion is always a highlight of the day for me.

   I love to see all the different and wonderful works that talented artists enter in the OC Fair and how each person has their own unique way of expressing themselves through creativity. From what I understand the OC Fair arts show is one of the largest in Southern California and draws more visitors each summer than any other art fair in the area. The categories include professional, amateur and young adult in all media…oils, watercolor, pastels, photography, etc.

Visual Arts pavilion at the OC Fair

   The Visual Arts portion of the OC Fair is one of the few categories in which entries are juried. I was proud to have had three of my own works accepted this year for exhibition in the Visual Arts pavilion. I was even more thrilled and honored to have won a blue ribbon 1st Place Award for my pastel painting, “Sunny Afternoon”! I was invitied to attend the awards ceremony on July 24th, where I received a certificate for my prize. It’s truly an honor to be recongnized by one’s peers in the art field. I was pleased to have also received an Honorable Mention ribbon for my oil painting “Poudre River Rocks” oil painting.

Me with my blue ribbon!

   There was some fantastic and beautifully created art at the fair this year, as always. If you are in the OC area during the Fair which runs until August 10th, I highly recommend a trip to the Visual Arts portion!