Last Saturday, I visited the Black Floor Gallery for its second annual Art Market. The gallery hosted over fifteen artists, each displaying purchaseable art that ranged from drawing and painting to clothing and cds. The combination of hot dogs and beer with a DJ spinning tunes that sounded like they were from a Tarantino movie created an amiable, comfortable atmosphere that felt like a backyard bar-b-que.

Many of the booths had themes, like the one manned by Carrie Yotter and Daub Hanshaw. The two artists sold not only original and vintage clothing, but also hairpins, earrings, pies, cupcakes, marble cakes (with real glass marbles decorating the top) and beer. And yes, all of these seeminingly random items were tied together successfully, through the use of color and the common theme of food (even the hairpins were little fruits or vegetables). The exhibit was fun to look at, and I especially loved the artists’ hats.

Another themed display was one by Rounded Corners, who turned the selling of underwear into an art installation. The intimate apparel was hung on a clothesline between polaroid snapshots of a girl modelling the items. It was the first exhibit I saw upon entering and, as a combination of art and marketable wares, it prepped me for the rest of the Art Market.

One of my favorite artists at the show was Caitlin Kuhwald — and no, our having the same name was just a coincidence, and didn’t affect this opinion, she’s just good. She displayed portraits of either herself or other people that were prints of her acryllic paintings. The work was slightly cartoonish, but it never came off as juvenile; I found her approach to her subject to betray a sensitivity that other portraitists sometimes miss. Kuhwald appeared in a show in January 2006 at Padlock Gallery called “Logan’s Run,” which Roberta wrote about in a post. You can see more photos of Kuhwald’s art on flickr here, or go to her website www.caitlinkuhwald.com.

Overall, I enjoyed my time at Art Market. The art was reasonably priced, and the atmosphere was funky and welcoming. I left with a pair of earrings made from a vintage necklace and one of Kuhwald’s prints. There are a few more photos on my flickr site you can check out, but otherwise, I encourage a visit next year because this exhibit was only a one-day gig.

-Caitlin, artblog’s intern