Rehoboth Art League hosts 48th Annual Fine Art & Craft Show
Penelope Odabashian, 4, of Bethany Beach pointed at a large painting of an apple at the 48th Annual Outdoor Fine Art & Fine Craft Show Aug. 8. Penelope used her other hand to lead her father, Drew Odabashian, to Sharon Strine’s tent of realistic oil paintings of summertime life. Odabashian has three daughters, one of whom recently attended a sewing camp at the Rehoboth Art League. The whole family shares a passion for art, which inspired them to attend the show’s opening weekend.
The Fine Art & Craft Show hosted its first weekend in Henlopen Acres Aug. 7-8, and will return Saturday, Aug. 14, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, Aug. 15, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The 2021 outdoor show hosts over 100 artists covering a variety of mediums, including oil, watercolor, photography, ceramics, fine jewelry, fiber art and more. All items are available for purchase.
For local artist Kim Klabe, the outdoor show was a chance to showcase her pour paintings made using beer and wine. Klabe has worked as a representational artist for years, but began exploring paint pouring as a way to stimulate her creativity in 2017. “I find inspiration in the freedom to play with beer, wine and marker as a medium,” she said, pointing to her painting. “See the creature’s arm right there? It’s very long because of the way the beer splattered, and it allowed me to create a painting in a different way than I might have otherwise.” Guests of the event were eager to learn more about the process of her pieces, which often takes shape after she pours the alcohol, she said.
The event also featured food and drinks from The Point Coffee House and Bake Shoppe, Chesapeake & Maine as well as a lemonade stand run by RAL’s Children’s Studio. The lemonade stand’s profits benefit RAL’s Visual Arts Outreach program, which seeks to bring art education to underserved youth in Sussex County. Underneath the trees of the Henlopen Acres campus, David Gorozdos sang and played keys while Jeff Shoop played drums to set the tone for the art-filled day. The opening weekend brought in locals and visitors alike.
Jonathan Spector, a surf photographer displaying vibrant photographs of waves, said he felt a connection to Rehoboth the first time he ever experienced the waves. Originally from Long Beach, N.Y., Spector visits Rehoboth with his children. He wakes up at 4 a.m. with his camera, Rehoboth Beach’s quietest time, to chase morning light.
His photographs showcase East Coast hurricane surf. “I chose work that would connect viewers with Rehoboth,” Spector said. “I knew I wanted to display my work here when I learned about the amazing art community.”
At the children’s craft table, run by RAL volunteers Ashley Dimichele and her daughter Willow, children had the opportunity to create colorful horseshoe crabs. Catherine Guy, 4, of Alexandria, Va., worked carefully to color inside the lines to create a vibrant horseshoe crab. After finishing it, she excitedly waved it to show her sister, parents and grandparents. The family’s shared love of art brings them back to RAL’s Fine Art & Craft Show year after year.
