GEM VILLAGE – OK, even a Pine River Valley resident will admit it – “Gem Village” and “art festival” are not exactly synonymous.
But that’s exactly where a big art festival took place Saturday.
The industrial and residential area on both sides of U.S. Highway 160 was transformed into an attraction for tourists and locals, with dozens of artists and artisans setting up booths in the parking lots of fields of nearby businesses.
It’s called “Off the Beaten Path: an Arts Explosion” because the festival just kept growing in its planning stages, said Karrie Sellke, owner of Studio Sellke in Gem Village and one of the event organizers.
Business was pretty good, and the free vendor space definitely was attractive, said Drea Michelle, a ceramic artist from Durango. She sells her work at Earthen Vessel in Durango and Handmade Colorado in Pagosa Springs but says she likes to come to festivals periodically just for a change of scene and to meet some customers.
“You can’t beat it,” she said of spending some time outdoors with her dog and friend.
Two Bayfield artists – one who still lives here, one who moved to California – were set up across the road near the Billy Goat Saloon.
Amber Malarsie, owner of A.M. Art, works a full-time day job but loves creating art and jewelry in her free time.
“This is textured paper that I seal and assemble,” she said of her glass tile pendants. She also will create a watercolor of a photograph of your home for the bargain price of $17.50 or $40.
Malarsie gave a thumbs-up to the festival, saying it brought in a good mixture of visitors as well as area residents.
“They’re kind of walking and taking a tour to see everything, then coming back,” she said of prospective customers.
Next door to Malarsie’s tent was a truck. It’s a mobile boutique, to be exact. Bayfield native Connie Idyllwild said the idea is catching on in California, where she lives, so she called her uncle in Bayfield to ask what she should look for in a used truck.
He said he had one he could give her, so she came home to visit family, furnished it with recycled materials and held the grand opening Saturday of Idyllwild Designs.
“It’s been very well received,” she said. “It’s a bit different. There’s a curiosity factor.”
A professional seamstress since she was 16, she created many of the accessories and bought the clothing from her friends. She’ll also start creating her own clothes to sell, as well.
Today, she’ll be at the Durango Flea Market, then hopes to do well in business after she drives the truck back home.
