Annual art festival a success

A summer heat wave, an odd mid-week July 4 holiday, and a still sluggish economy — none of it mattered to the vendors at the annual Whitefish Arts Festival held July 6-8 at Depot Park.

Thousands of shoppers perused the arts and crafts booths during the three-day show that brought dozens of artists from all over the U.S. to Whitefish. The annual event is sponsored by the Whitefish Christian Academy and is one of their major fundraisers.

Photographers, painters, ceramic artists, sculptors and even bonsai arborists were on hand for the juried art show.

Darlene Cecil came prepared for the heat wave wearing a mini portable fan around her next. Cecil owns C West Designs out of Kalispell which specialized in lavender-filled pillows. Shoppers were drawn to her tent from the other side of the park by the vibrant scent.

“It’s like in a cartoon where they pick up the scent and follow it here,” Cecil said Sunday, the final day of the show.

She said this year’s event was successful for her, despite the heat wave that pushed afternoon highs into the mid-90s Saturday and Sunday.

“The two years prior we had rain and wind,” she remembered. “I’ll take the sun and heat.”

Contemporary artist Holly Manneck’s booth was bustling Sunday. Her funky mixed-media art featuring photography and painting seemed to pull in every passerby.

Manneck is a part-time resident of Florida and travels to shows in the West annually. She heard about Whitefish on one of the House Hunter TV episodes and it reminded her of Vermont where she once lived. Whitefish seemed like a place that would appreciate her art so she decided to submit her work. Turned out to be a good decision — her art will soon be featured at Jest Gallery in downtown Whitefish.

Photographer David Forster out of Wenatcheee, Wash., said he had decent success at the art festival. He thought it might be a little down compared to past years because Canada Day fell on July 1, the weekend prior to the art festival.

“I really rely on the Canadians — they’re big for me,” Forster said.

Forster specializes in landscape photography and travels the country to find iconic scenes. His best-selling piece is a vibrant autumn scene featuring a red maple tree in Portland.

“That one sells everywhere,” he said.