By David Rogers. BLOWING ROCK, N.C. — Parking in downtown Blowing Rock may have been a nightmare and an early afternoon thunderstorm swept through town — but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the many hundreds of people wandering through and among the many exhibitor tents for the July 12 edition of “Art in the Park.”
Some umbrellas popped out on Park Avenue, but we didn’t see anyone racing to their cars. If anything, they jumped into the friendly confines of the nearest artist exhibit tent for an up close and personal look at the work being displayed.
Blowing Rock News happened into the tent of Nathan Favors and Marielle de Leeuw, wood carving and wood turning artists specializing in making their woodworking creations “pop” with jeweled-like inlays.
Based in Bakersville, N.C., the couple have scoured the country (and world) for the materials from which to produce unmatched and unique beauty.
“We have gotten our wood from Pennsylvania, Texas, Australia, South America and North Carolina,” said Favors.
Favors was injured some 35 years ago, got exposed to wood turning, and decided to give it a try.
“I fell in love with it,” he said. “I have been doing it ever since. There is something special about taking a piece of wood viewed as trash, that would otherwise be burned or ground up into mulch, and turn it into something beautiful.”
de Leeuw is a critical part of the creative process.
“Women do wood turning and carving, too!” she said. “What makes our pieces really stand out are the inlays that add as finishing touches.”
For the uninitiated, Art in the Park, staged monthly in Blowing Rock between May and October. Each month, 90 artists and artisans exhibit and sell their work, ranging from oils, photography, jewelry, sculpture, watercolors, leatherworking, woodworking, and more. It is a juried art show, with each artist having to meet certain standards established by the Blowing Rock Chamber of Commerce organizers. It is a different combination of visitors each month, with some overlap. The next dates are August 16, September 6, and October 4.
The official award winners for the July 12 show were:
- Best in Show – Artist Craig Franz
- Award of Distinction – Forested Way
- Honorable Mention – Red Rock Photography
- Honorable Mention – Feel Handmade
