Tempe Festival of the Arts and Oro Valley Art Fair

Because of calm, moderate winter weather, November and December are the best time to enjoy art and craft fairs in central and southern Arizona.  This weekend, biannual Tempe Festival of the Arts is held on and around Mill Avenue.  Being one of the largest art festivals in the area, finding a parking spot was not easy.  When I came to the spring festival, my husband who is not into art fair dropped me off near Mill Avenue so I didn't have to experience parking nightmares.  Since it was school day and workday for many people and businesses near ASU, going to the festival on Friday probably made it even more difficult.

After spending over 20minutes to find a parking spot, I was ready to get out of my car and start admiring art work.  I recognized many artists from this past spring returning for the winter fair.  There are certain types of arts and crafts I stop and look at: pottery, nature and world travel photography, lampwork bead jewelry, soaps, home deco, and something practical such as cooking tools and clothing.  Of course, I check out anything that looks interesting.  I go to art and craft fair to learn about good ideas artists and crafters have.

Ever since I met Jimmy Ellis from Dallas at Old Pecan Street Fair in ATX and bought prints of a black pug and beer and Boston terrier with martini, I can't resist art work of goofy animals.  This illness of mine dragged me into Bungalow Art Studio's tent where paintings, printed tiles and other goodies were displayed.  And there was this French bulldog in the corner who grabbed my eyes!  He has a kind of face not everyone can call 'cute' but irresistible to some of us.  

This Frenchie didn't seem to mind me taking his pictures.  His attention was on one thing: his yummy bone, until someone walked by with two wiener dogs.  He was ready to chase those dogs down and his owner had to grab his back legs!

Eventually he calmed down and went back to attack his bone.  Besides these wonderful pictures, I also brought home a tile with digitally printed drawing of a Boston terrier which I couldn't leave without purchasing.  It matches with Jimmy Ellis' Boston terrier print really well .  These dogs in art are the only dogs I'll ever have.  What can I say, I'm a cat person.  As soon as I arrived my in-law's house spend a night after the festival, their young Shih-Poo gave me a welcoming licks allover my arms.  Some reason, dogs love to lick lotion off my arm.  I get enough doggie love everywhere I go,  then I go home to get some kitty love.  Before getting my daily dose of kitty love, I had to stop at another art fair in Oro Valley by beautiful Catalina mountains.  There's nothing like enjoying winter art fairs with temperatures in mid 70's.  This is why people have hard time leaving Arizona.