217. Uptown art fair.

I spent a good portion of the afternoon walking around the Uptown art fair. I walked around the Loring Park art fair a few weeks ago. It was nice, but nothing really caught my eye. This one was different. It was huge. There were at least five blocks full of artists, food trucks, and tents from various community organizations and businesses. It was easy to get lost in.

I debated whether or not I should buy something. I didn’t buy anything at the Loring Park fair because I was trying to save some money at the time. I changed my mind this time. I set a budget of $100. I like supporting local supporting artists, and I figured this was my best chance to do just that. Most of the stuff was either too expensive or too flashy, so I kept walking.

I recognized some prints in a booth. They featured a bunch of Minnesota landmarks, some outlines of the state, and of course, bikes and beer. They were from Dogfish media. I wasn’t quite sure if I wanted to buy them, but they all looked pretty good. I kept walking and saw the tent from Adam Turman. He’s done some cool murals around town and his prints are for sale everywhere. I decided against buying one of them. They were nice, but I didn’t see them fitting into the style I wanted to do for my apartment.

I kept walking down another block and I found an artist who did pencil drawings of various stadiums around the country. That sounded intersting and they weren’t too expensive. I decided to buy one of Fenway Park for 30 bucks. Fenway is a place I love and miss, so I felt good buying something honoring it.

That’s when I decided that the style for my decorating would be city scapes with strong lines. That sounds a little weird, but I’m just going off the first thing I hung up, a Led Zeppelin tour poster from their 1977 tour at Oakland stadium. It features a giant black zeppelin over some futuristic looking buildings against a blood red sun and a starry sky. I like the poster because it represents one of my favorite bands, yet it doesn’t scream “college sophomore.”

I went back to the first tent and bought a print showing the stone arch bridge. It’s a place I love in Minneapolis and the print fit in with the style I was looking for. All in all, I spent 65 bucks for two prints, not bad for some art.

My next step is to head to Michaels to get these prints framed. I’m hoping the themes can revolve around three places that I love: Boston, Collegeville, and Minneapolis. Hopefully, I can make it up to Saint John’s to get a print or a photo of the place. I think it would work nicely in the apartment.

My apartment definitely still feels a little sparse. I’m glad I’m working on filling it up with good things hanging off the wall.

In conclusion, art fairs are awesome.