Art Connoisseurs Flock to Hazelwood’s 9th Annual Community Art Fair and Used Book Sale

More than 200 people showed up to see the artwork of 33 participating artists at the 9th annual , sponsored by the Hazelwood Community Enrichment Commission. The event was held on June 2 at the Hazelwood Community Center from 10 am to 2 pm.

Since each artist was allowed to bring 10 entries, visitors were treated to quite an exhibit of 254 art pieces displayed throughout the gymnasium for public viewing.  Many of these paintings and drawings were created using water color, acrylic, oil, pastel, charcoal and mixed media.

“We had a good group of artists participating in our event this year,” said Pam Reynolds, Hazelwood Community Center facility manager. “A special thanks goes to the president of the Northside Art Association, Maggie Bauman, who forwarded our art fair application to her members. 

"We received a good response from them, including those who usually sign up for our event every year.” 

(Remember you can like Hazelwood Patch on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HazelwoodPatch. Don't forget to visit Twitter: twitter.com/HazelwoodPatch, or signup for the Hazelwood Patch newsletter here.)

The Northside Art Association meets on a regular basis at the in the .  From September through April, the organization offers “Thursday Paint-Ins” for members on the second Thursday of the month at , 1186 Teson Road, in .  They usually start around 9:30 am and encourage members to bring any art pieces they are working on or need help on. 

All entries submitted by artists for the Community Art Fair are judged in four categories: 

1. portraits/real life
2. still life/landscapes
3. fantasy/science fiction
4. abstract

There’s also a blue ribbon given out for the “Best of Show” and “Artists’ Choice.” 

The big winner of the day was Daniel Hodges, of Florissant, who won first-place in the portraits/real life category and the “Best of Show” honors. The other first-place winners include the following individuals:

• Penny Brendell – Still Life/Landscapes
• Travis Vandiver – Fantasy/Science Fiction
• Travis Vandiver – Abstract

Another blue-ribbon was given out for the “Artists’ Choice” award which received the most votes by all the participating artists.  The lucky person who received this award was Kathy Mallones Simon, of St. Peters, for her beautiful painting titled, “European Adventure.” 

Simon has been painting for about 30 years and got her inspiration from a breath-taking scene she saw in Europe. 

In conjunction with the Art Fair, the Hazelwood Community Enrichment Commission hosted a used book sale which allowed guests to browse through a variety of hardback and paperback books, and purchase them a bargain prices. 

To see photos from last year's event see: