This past weekend, I went to the annual Plaza Art Fair for the last of the two days it was in town. It was my first time going, and to say I loved it would be an understatement.

Senior Shelby Hudson and I arrived on the Plaza an hour early, which I would recommend if you decide to go next year, to avoid traffic and to get some coffee before the festivities. Almost the entire inside streets of the Plaza were closed off for the event. Art booths lined the streets, and where there weren’t art booths, there were food trucks from local eateries and booths from places like UMKC, the Nelson-Atkins art museum, various radio stations and KSPCA. What impressed me the most about the fair, even more than how organized and smooth everything was run, was the art. Everything I saw completely wowed me, and made me wish I had a fuller pocket book and even a little bit of artistic talent. So, without further ado, the most eye-catching artists at the Plaza Art Fair:

Kreg Yingst – Linocuts and woodcuts

As soon as I waltzed into Yingst’s booth, I fell in love. His folksy, music-inspired works captured my heart and my eyes, and caused me to buy one of his prints for my dorm next year. His works are divided into different genres: rock, blues, jazz, country, songs and poster sized. They are, for the most part, all square, but they differ with if the print itself if square or round like a small vinyl record. Most of Yingst’s works only use a few colors at a time, yet are very detailed. One detail I liked most about his pieces, are that nearly all of them feature lyrics or quotations from the person or song of focus.

Andrew Johnson – Stitched art

Johnson, also known as the Stitch Maestro, has self-described his works as “whimsical” and I could not agree more. His adorable pieces had me in his booth staring for more time than any other booth. If I wasn’t broke, I honestly would have bought every single piece. Johnson was the only stitch artist at the fair, and was therefore one of the most memorable. All of his works are framed in a cute, white, vintage-looking frame that contrasts the whimsical look of his works very well. His use of bright colors creates happy vibes and would add a pop to any room.

Deborah and Richard Bloom – Obsidian windchimes

The Bloom’s obsidian windchimes were absolutely the most unique works I saw at the fair. The sound of the windchimes was actually what drew me to their tent to check them out. Most windchimes, in my opinion, make a harsh and obnoxious sound when the metal pieces clank together. But the obsidian was different. It made a soft, sweet tinkling noise that instantly made me think about Lothlorien, the heavenly elven haven where the elven queen Galadriel and her people reside in the famous Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Obsidian is cooled lava, similar to granite. The difference between obsidian and granite though, is that obsidian cools much faster which leaves it more fragile and glass like. Needles of obsidian are attached to pieces of driftwood, deer antlers, bones, or many other natural resources to create the nature-esque chimes. The Blooms, according to their site, state everything they use for their art is “on loan,” meaning while everything is “durable and long lasting,” they are also unpreserved and “will eventually go back to the earth where they came from.”