- December 24, 2024
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Sunny skies prevailed as droves of people kicked off an art lovers weekend at the 9th annual Granada Grand Festival of the Arts on New Britain Ave. Feb. 4. The event crossed over into the monthly Ormond Beach Art Walk, which ran from 3-7 p.m. and for the first year, was followed by Art Battle Ormond Beach on Sunday at the 31 Supper Club.
Hosted by Ormond Beach MainStreet and the Ormond Beach Arts District, this year’s event boasted a young artists’ zone, a myriad of artisans and crafters, a juried art show and chalk art competition, a pop-up food court, live music and a wine tasting fundraiser sponsored by S.R. Perrott Inc. and Mimi’s Original Art.
Nancy Cortez greeted festival-goers with information about the event and upcoming Ormond Beach happenings. She has been the president of MainStreet’s board of directors for three years and is a real estate agent with Adams, Cameron & Co., one of the event sponsors.
“We’ve been doing this for years and it’s growing,” she said. “This year we are doing a juried art show. There’s something for everybody here. All prices. You can buy something for $5 or you can buy something for $500.”
As the Adam Kornecki Trio jammed at the east music tent, five nearby artists and Cameron Vintson, the executive director of ArtHaus, were busy creating pieces for the chalk art competition.
The youngest artist, 17-year-old Mars Morris, was inspired to chalk a character named Kiri from the movie “Avatar 2”. She has participated in the ArtHaus competition for three years.
“I’ve always kind of been doing art,” she said. “I started with pencils and painting. I do a lot of spray paint stuff and chalk art. A lot of outdoorsy things. I just try to go bigger and better every year.”
Bleu Eyed View owner Nikki Brown won Best in Show in the chalk art competition for her Florida-themed clam shell. Spruce Creek High School art and photography teacher Joseph Vandenberg was Best in Show runner-up with his three dimensional shark juxtaposed with artist’s tools.
The People’s Choice award went to special effects makeup artist Savannah Zanosky — who goes as "Savannah Z "for her art — for her Star Wars Imagination portrait.
“My husband and I been doing this for about five years,” she said. “When we’re not in beach season, we try to double down. If we’re not throwing you umbrellas, we’re throwing you drinks.”
S.R. Perrott Inc. was on-hand for those that wanted to take a break from perusing artisans’ wares and participate in their wine-tasting fundraiser to benefit the Ormond Beach Arts District. All the varietals are exclusively sold to S.R. Perrott Inc. from a winery in California and are part of their “Wines With a Cause” collection. Each bottle has a label created by Mimi’s Original Creations with 20% of sales being donated to a specific charity. Beach Rentals owner Victoria Kratochwill was there to pour wine for guests.
“My husband and I been doing this for about five years,” she said. “When we’re not in beach season, we try to double down. If we’re not throwing you umbrellas, we’re throwing you drinks.”
MainStreet’s Executive Director Becky Parker has been involved with the event for so long that she has been a witness to the evolution of local families.
“I’ve been doing this long enough that I get to know the families,” she said. “I meet someone and they’re pregnant, then the next time, I get to hold the baby. At the next one, there’s a seven year old calling 'Miss Becky.' The best part of my job is watching these families grow up. I’ve never experienced anything like this — such a tight-knit community that feels like family. I love Ormond Beach so much. It’s why I do this. It’s about the people.”