Running along the Metra train tracks in Highland Park, Illinois, is the Port Clinton Art Festival which took place the weekend of August 28 - 29. The festival is in its twenty-seventh year and continues to display high-quality original art by 260 juried artists. The Best of Show award was given to Duncan McClellan for his intricately hand-carved blown glass pieces.
 

Duncan has an explanation for every hand-blasted exterior black overlay on each of his pieces. Though Duncan is well aware of the meaning he intended to convey, a viewer of his work may see it from an entirely different perspective. That is the purpose of art. Each piece requires an intensive and laborious process, taking between thirty and four hundred hours to complete one beautifully constructed masterpiece. It takes three to four people to blow the glass into a shape, and this group effort comprises only 10 percent of the total hours spent during its assembly. Many hours are spent carving the black glass that is overlaid around the original blown glass. Carving the black overlay exposes the initial colors from the blown glass underneath, creating a finely-tuned piece filled with details and vivid colors. Duncan has a rich family background in art. His mother is a potter; his grandfather is a painter and sculptor; one sister is a sculptor and the other is a photographer. Together, the entire family can conduct an art show and still have a variety of art to display. His twenty-three years of experience shows in the distinguished look of his work (Look below for photographs pertaining to this artist).
 

Another glass-blowing display came from the husband and wife team of Paul Willsea and Carol O’Brien. Their glass bowls contain elements of flowing colors as well as a cracked look with smooth exteriors. All of their work is flawless. A layering process is used to fuse colors that look as if there is gas moving inside the glass; the appearance is phenomenal. This New York couple will blow your mind, no pun intended. The style of their work is elegant, sophisticated, and wildly refreshing. They have thirty years of experience and many mistakes under their belts, so you can rest assured you will never purchase a piece of glass with more high-class perfection than with this duo. If you missed them at the Port Clinton Art Festival, you can visit their website. You will purchase something (Look below for photographs pertaining to these artists).
 

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Upcoming art fairs and festivals:
African Festival of the Arts – September 3 - 6
Oakbrook Center Invitational Fine Art Exhibition – September 4 - 5
Art Fair on the Square – September 5 - 6
Downtown Downers Grove Arts Festival - September 11 - 12