Saturday showers don't dampen pride of artists and appreciation of guests at 15th Francisco's Farm Art Fair

Story and photos by Sarah Ladd

University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

Art vendors proudly displayed their masterpieces at the 15th annual Francisco’s Farm Art Fair Saturday and Sunday, despite frequent rain showers the first day.

The fair at Midway University featured many jewelers, painters, sculptors and potters, as well as food vendors including Bite Me and Hog Fathers BBQ & Catering. Live musicians sang while guests visited each tent and children enjoyed interactive booths.

"The Little Whirly" isn't so little.

Among the more striking images at the fair was a 12-foot steel statue that was visible above the tent line. Savanna Haner, who works with the statue’s artist, Anthony Slichenmyer, by adding the final paint touches, said the towering piece of art is simply for decorative purposes, but they hope to someday incorporate a design that would allow it to pump water for a garden. The tall piece has an ironic name, “The Little Whirly.”

Slichenmyer owns All But One Ironworks and had a beautiful display of steel flower garden markers and ornate mirror décor at his booth. He said the process of creating a piece can be quite long; he does all his work free-hand rather than using molds. Sometimes, he said, he will finish one part and need to start again because it was crooked. “It’s fun, though,” he said.

Sherburne's newspaper pots (click on photo for a larger version)

Potter Jimmy Sherburne displayed many eye-catching pots, bowls and jugs in his tent, such as his comical moonshine jug with a burned-in newspaper image that read, “Prohibition ends at last!” To get the newspaper and other images onto his pottery, he said, he adds the images using ceramic decals and then fires them a third time at 2,300 degrees. He said his motto is “Mundo Cane”, which means “A Dog’s World” or a “Dog’s Life” because of the similarity he sees between dog-like courage and loyalty and the human condition.

He also has a bigger vision for the pieces he creates: “Consider the timeless nature of pots,” he said. “Consider the archeaological potential of deriving cultural significance from the stories future scholars find on our pots. I do not make pots as memoriams so much as markers.”

Midway native Jimmy Sherburne's "Most Excellent Pots" (click on photo for a larger version)

Sherburne was raised in Midway and said he holds a special place in his heart for the area. Though he now lives in Pennsylvania and works out of his gallery there, Artist Hand Gallery, he returns to Midway for the fair to share his art with the community he loves.

The Making of a Master display and the children’s art display was inside the university’s Anne Hart Raymond Center. It showcased the work of the area’s finest artists.

Civil War style quilt (click on photo for a larger version)

On display was a striking quilt made by master quilter Patricia Brennan of Fort Thomas featuring 15 traditional block patterns using Civil War style fabric. Brennan’s description card said the quilt, “speaks to me of the importance of following your dream. At the time of the Civil War, the dream was freedom. My dream of passing on quilting skills and the love of quilting is much smaller but still important to me.”

The displays also included one adult-sized and one child-sized Appalachian chair made by father-and-son pair Terry and Joseph Ratliff.

The children’s art display included paintings and sketches from Northside, Simmons, Southside and Huntertown elementary schools, Woodford County High School, St. Leo’s School, Versailles Montessori and Woodford Christian School, and ranged from landscapes to self-portraits to abstract. (Click on photo for larger version)

An interactive booth outside allowed children like Joseph Hale (left) to decorate a container and plant a flower in it to take home and care for.

Several vendors said the intermittent rain dampened a few spirits, but they persevered and made the most of the event.