Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival 2023 | Cary, NC
I’m so proud of this new body of mixed media work and thrilled with the enthusiastic reception it received at its first showing at the Lazy Daze Arts Festival.
I always knew that my childhood hometown of Cary, NC was lovely, but I didn’t realize how much of an incredible arts community it has grown to be.
This weekend at the Lazy Daze Arts & Crafts Festival, I was delighted by the crowds of art lovers, the talent of fellow artists, and the enthusiasm for original fine art.
We already had high hopes for this weekend, but Cary exceeded them, making this year’s Lazy Daze one of our best art fairs yet! Thank you so much to our new Cary collectors for your fine art purchases, print sales, kind words, and infectiously cheerful energy.
Even in the sweltering August heat, people poured through the streets taking in all of the end-of-summer sights, sounds, and fun.
This year, we lucked out and got an accidental corner booth right at the intersection of two streets, so not only did we get to take advantage of the extra wall space (which we needed, considering we brought more original art to this event than ever before!), but we also got to be right in the hub of entertainment. From exciting street performers to impromptu singing troupes, we had a front row seat to it all this weekend.
Six original paintings found their dream home in the Triangle, as well as several canvas reproductions and countless fine art prints. It was such a joy to meet each new collector and to hear their stories of why the work resonates with them. I got to hear about (and sometimes see pictures of) the places where my paintings will hang for years to come.
Engaging with collectors is such a gratifying experience. Their genuine curiosity and appreciation for the creative process reminds me why I pour my heart and soul into my craft. Art fairs like the Lazy Daze Arts Festival are tapestries not just of art, but of shared stories, connections, and memories. It's a reminder that amidst the hustle and bustle of life, there's a place where time slows down, and art reignites the senses and the spirit.
In addition to mixing, mingling, and meeting new art lovers and collectors, local art fairs present an opportunity for me to reunite with people that I love. The older I get, the more challenging it becomes to coordinate schedules with friends and family. We all seem to get rather (understandably) busy living life, but at an art fair, it feels like I get to dock a boat at shore after too long at sea and send out a lighthouse beacon to the people I care about.
I’m so grateful to everyone who takes the time out of their busy schedules to pay me and my husband a visit at these events. This one in Cary, being so close to where I grew up, became something of a friend reunion for me, and I’m still reeling off of all the love and warmth of it.
At this year’s Lazy Daze Arts Festival, I got to reunite with so many incredible people that I adore:
I got to reunite with my artsy friend, Alissa, from my college internship at Artspace in Raleigh, NC and her beautiful baby girl, Sylvia. I got to see one of my very best friends, Lily, and her sister Leah. Plus, I was finally able to meet Leah’s precious little girls, Ava and Naomi. I got to catch up with my lifelong friends, Shelby and Sean, and meet their precious brand new baby boy, Joah (I squealed when I saw that Joah was even wearing his “Raleigh Born and Raised Onesie”). Finally, I got to see one of my very best friends Mariam and FINALLY meet her husband Alhaji, who just moved to the States from Sierra Leone after visa complications that lasted for years.
I’m still feeing giddy from seeing so many people that I love this weekend and from connecting so many pieces of art that I love with people who will cherish them. It was such a heartwarming, soul nourishing weekend that I’ll be carrying with me until the next.
Check out my Events calendar to see this Fall’s exciting lineup of art fairs. Next up, I’ll be staying close to home with September’s Art Crush in Winston Salem, NC on September 15th, 7-10 pm.