As the winter snow begins to take over the flora and fauna, the Iowa City Parks and Recreation Holiday Market has artists showcasing their own versions of natural landscapes.
While each artist comes to the market on their own, many of this year’s artists have a similar theme with their projects. Even with nature seen throughout each of their pieces, each artist gets there through their own process.
When it comes to watercolor painting, Barbara Weets takes a unique approach. Rather than the more well-known style of watercolors where the colors themselves are more opaque, she finds a way to keep hers vibrant.
These brightly pigmented colors allow for the many details within her works to shine. Being a fan of the outdoors, Weets finds herself taking photos of the world around her frequently. She pulls portions of each of her photos into her paintings, creating her specific style.
“You can’t find a photograph that looks exactly or a painting that looks exactly like one of my photographs,” Weets said.
Weets will be featuring many of her pieces but will more specifically be showcasing her notecards that contain many of her iconic winter birds. She also brings prints for purchase.
Another watercolor artist, Sara Ann Cavic, also sells her bird paintings. While birds were not her original focus, she slowly found them coinciding with her art.
With all the nature that she shows in her work, she hopes that people will care more about the environment around them. Since she was younger, she was conscious of many environmental issues within the world. Although she does not state it directly in her art, she still hopes many people think more about the wildlife around them.
“In my work, I do hope that people kind of connect with nature and in that way, perhaps, they’ll care more and want to do more to mitigate those problems,” Cavic said.
Ella Wade, another artist who will be selling her work at the holiday market, creates her landscape pieces in a different medium than both Weets and Cavic. She uses soft pastels to bring the florals and natural world around her to life.
Wade gets her inspiration from photos she takes near her home. Living further in a country area, she finds the scenery as a good basis for her pieces. She found her love for pastels in 2021 when she did a workshop with a French pastel artist.
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Another artist that will be featured at the market, Ariane Parkes-Perret, does not necessarily specialize in a certain type of work like the other artists. She mostly makes prints but tends to dabble in other styles as well.
Parkes-Perret finds herself working more intuitively, so she goes based on what she is into or experimenting with at the moment. Although she would not say she has a specific style, she does find her inspiration through different flowers and animals.
“Also, I do art to just kind of explore like as a way of building my own identity and trying to figure out what really interests me and what I’m passionate about,” Parkes-Perret said.
With these artists and more at the market, their work is not the only thing offered. One of the market organizers, Bill Lane, described how many local farmers are invited as well, allowing them the chance to get support from the community around them.
“The Holiday Market was started as a way to further enhance the quality of life in the Iowa City area by providing Iowa City residents with a vibrant gathering space that fosters social gathering and interaction,” Lane said.