I accidentally saw a post on Facebook from Mayauel Ward, a paperweight artist from California who makes glass art and paperweights. He mentioned casually he would be at the Bayou City Art Fair in Houston on March 27 through March 29. Since my husband and I would be visiting relatives in Houston, maybe we could go. Little did I realize the size of this art bonanza. As I researched online, I discovered over 450 artists would attend. The location, convenient in Memorial Park near downtown Houston, is a beautifully treed area. The day would be hot and parking, a problem. I became determined to attend. Fortunately, Mayauel posted the number of his booth, as finding him in the midst of 449 others, would be daunting.
Paperweights
I collect paperweights. How that happened is another story, but I love them and belong to the Paperweight Collectors Association of Texas. When our non-profit organization meets, an artist and a paperweight dealer attend, so we can whet our passion for education about paperweights, usually going home with glass balls wrapped carefully by the attending dealer.
Mayauel has not yet visited our group. This was my chance to meet him and hear his story. Plus, I’d check as many other artists’ booths as possible, although with family members hovering near, doting over other booths was not practical.
Bayou City Art Fair
Since I ran late, the three of us arrived an hour after the gates opened. By this time we had to walk a million miles to the entrance. My feet hurt and the weather became horridly humid and hot. We trudged forward to find Mayauel’s booth. I picked up a number of business cards in the other glass art booths, but once I found his booth, I didn’t need to go farther. I found two phenomenally gorgeous weights, reasonably priced. I wanted to hear more about his journey into paperweight making but with the heat, the waiting son and grand-son, Mayauel and I didn’t talk long. Plus, many customers waited to talk with him and buy his art treasures.
Mayauel Ward
You can read about his journey on his website. He’s been an artist most of his life, working in places where he trained with experts to improve his creativity. He started his own business in 1988, often visiting art fairs. Be sure to visit his website at www.mayauelglass.com to see, not only paperweights but his fabulous, colorful vases and other items. Read about his career from surfer dude to incredibly talented glass artist on his website.
Advice
Never be late to art fairs, if parking is a problem. Know which artists you want to visit beforehand or you may waste time searching for him or her. Artists enjoy meeting and talking with you. You may not have to travel to places like California or Vermont to discover the latest, most fascinating artists. The next big art fair in the Dallas area is Cottonwood Art Festival in Richardson, Texas May 2-3.
Don’t wait until the scorching temperatures of summer to visit the local art fairs. Go now. If you wait a minute in Texas, the weather may no longer be conducive for your fun!
Addition Information
Or…attend the next meeting of the Paperweight Collectors Association of Texas to meet other crazy collectors, like me! See www.pcatx.org for details.