No Place Like Home -- Karen Wight

Next Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., 31st Street in Newport Beach’s

Cannery Village will host a European Street Fair.

This annual event oozes with charm. If you’re in the market for

original artwork, this is the place to go. All genres will be

represented: acrylic, oils, watercolor, plein air and mixed media. There

is something for everyone to appreciate. Owning a piece of original art

should be on everyone’s “must do” list.

I have a favorite acrylic painting that hangs above the stove in my

kitchen. It is a small French painting of a woman walking a pig,

presumably to the market. The colors are muted, the subject matter is

indistinct but every time I look at my “Lady With Pig,” my heart sings.

A large intricate gold frame surrounds this diminutive painting. It is

the perfect juxtaposition for the stainless appliances and mostly white

background in the kitchen. It’s my pig, my kitchen and me.

Another favorite in my small original art collection comes from the

artist that owns Cannery Paints, Marilyn Poliquin. It is a painting that

I bring out once a year to display on the family room mantle for the

month of December.

I bought it several years ago at the Junior League Christmas Company.

The painting shows a young girl playing with her baby brother under a

Christmas tree. At the time I bought the painting, I had a 5-year-old

daughter and a 1-year-old son.

That picture always reminds me of a sweet time in our lives, when the

magic of Christmas surrounded every thought, deed and wish. The painting

even included a fluffy white cat in the background, similar to the

Himalayan that owned us at the time. It was serendipity.

Art should bring emotion into a room. I have a bronze sculpture in my

living room that my father created years ago. Since my father was a

dentist, there are very few of these “masterpieces” floating around. Even

though the sculpture has some major flaws, I love it because I can

remember going to the studio with him on Wednesday afternoons.

Sometimes he would let me play with the leftover clay from other

pieces, use the special tools and wander around the Art Center to

appreciate the passion being poured into these creations, which

represented great personal achievements.

Artwork is like having a little piece of someone’s soul. I think it

is a precious and rare jewel and I encourage you to peruse, if not

purchase a little immortality.

In addition to the artwork that will be on display, the Cannery

Village will offer live music, refreshments and antiques from the many

fine stores on 31st Street.

The day will be festive, continental and full of great bargains. One

of the many unusual items that will be available that day is a

particularly enchanting product: the “Cannery Painters Cookbook.” The

cookbook is a combination of original artwork and artists’ recipes. The

cover of the cookbook is actually a hand-painted canvas.

I think these books are a deal. You get original art, a wooden display

easel and a good cookbook. It’s an original product that you need to have

for your kitchen, and get a few to share with friends.

Participants on Saturday will include Cannery Creatives, The South of

France; Cannery Exchange; Le Canard; Alta Coffee House; Cannery Paints

Studio; Ardenia Capannelli; Mathieu’s Antiques; Living Creation; Ilona

Studio; El Camino Antiques and Carol Akins Studio.

If you’re unfamiliar with the Cannery Village, you can call for

directions at (949) 675-0851.

If you find a little magic, take it home with you. Finding a personal

treasure is priceless.

* KAREN WIGHT is a Newport Beach resident. Her column runs Sundays.