If you guessed that the title of this post is a play on To All the Boys I Loved Before, then you’ve hit the nail on the head (God, I hope I’m using that terminology correctly)! If I had the capabilities to, here I would insert the effect that you get on Canvas when you submit an assignment on time – the one where confetti rains down on your screen in an animation that isn’t dissimilar to the iMessages Congratulations special effects.
In this recap of Naperville’s 2021 Riverwalk Fine Art Fair that I visited with one Willow Nagai, we’ll be taking a deep dive into some featured artists that left a lasting impression, and some artworks that I was very strongly inclined to purchase, but ultimately ended up not doing so for a very simple reason:
Artwork cost: $$$ in the thousands.
Me: a very broke minor.
No, seriously. I’m filling out my FAFSA application right now. I’m broke broke.
By now, Mrs. Hitzeman has definitely seen my face sans a mask, so there’s no harm in the remaining population of AP Literature (and Composition) doing the same thing. The featured artwork above, although by an artist whose name I do not remember, features realistic pop art of three penguins frolicking in a tub. This same artist did a piece with cows in a White House-esque building. All of these are things that I wish to be in my next life, and so, with a rating of 1000/10, this is absolutely brilliant artwork. We are off to a fabulously strong start, although the in the hundreds (and very likely above that) price range guaranteed that I would not purchase this piece. That did not make me want it any less.
If you can believe it – and I had a tough time believing it – this “painting” of The Wisteria Bridge in Giverny, France, is made completely of fabric and sewn together. Did it take hundreds of hours and absolutely warrant the thousand plus dollars price tag? Absolutely.
Did Willow and I still spend about twenty minutes at the artist’s booth to take in the work to accommodate for the fact that we are physically unable to purchase it at this point in our lives? Another absolutely. The artist, Joel Fremion, featured other works from places around the world that included, but were not limited to, the following: Budapest, Austria, Chicago, and San Francisco.
Once again, shoutout to the man himself for engaging two high school girls in a very enthusiastic conversation about his work despite the fact that we were obviously an audience that would not be able to buy his labors of love. Towards the end of our stop at his booth, Mr. Fremion had earned the title Best of Show at the fair that day, and it was an award that was certainly well-earned.
At this point in this blog post, I admit that I briefly contemplated petitioning the school to include this instrument into the NNHS band.
Meet one of the drums designed by Adam Crowell, the founder of Boxed Music. When Willow and I first passed by his booth, he’d taken upon himself to be playing this very same instrument to an audience of passing-by Napervillians. It was a kind of brilliant strategy that more or less worked to be an attention-grabber, especially since we were in a bit of a silly goofy music mood after being audience members to an acapella group just minutes prior. To provide some fun context, here’s the backstory to his work that Crowell printed out and allowed us to read as he played a jovial tune for the fairgoers.
Unlike most of these other works, the instrument didn’t go for thousands of dollars! Simply a mere $725… ish. That may or may not be a rough estimate, but it had me making the rather unfortunate choice to move on and go for the more student-friendly three-dollar churros.
And what better way to wrap up this third blog post than to come full circle and bring the cows mentioned in the first paragraph into the picture? Yes, that pun may or may not have been intended, and if I had the facilities to do so on my laptop, I would insert a winking emoji.
Going for about $69, this art piece is actually intended to be a clock, despite the fact that I first saw it in print format. The serenity of being a cow swimming in a front-yard pool is one I will envy for perhaps the remainder of our very stressful senior year, and I will always long to have this piece hanging on my bedroom wall to be able to look at as I write my college essays.
To all the art I wanted to buy and sadly could not afford, I leave you with this: if nothing else, there will always be memory of that sun-filled, summer-like day in Naperville where I could roam about a colorful multitude of white booths filled with a rainbow of art, churro in hand. Even if this art remains unpurchased (by me), I can have memories to hang in the gallery of my mind.
Hi Zea! I really enjoyed reading your blog post. The introduction was brilliant, I loved the humor you added, it brought so much personality to the post. The real question is – how do you make something funny sound so sophisticated at the same time? This blog post was very well written, the entire thing flowed. The transition between the introduction and the first painting was my absolute favorite. It was a clever segway into describing the beautiful painting. I’m not necessarily one who enjoys looking at paintings but I do respect the artistry and creativity that goes into creating a painting. Some paintings are very meticulous which I would like to connect to dance. Sorry to bring it up, I’m just obsessed with dancing and love relating it to everything I come across. Painting and dancing both require creativity and imagination. These activities require a lot of attention to detail and are often used as forms of stress relief. I dance to express my emotions and I feel a lot of painters do this as well. The motions and physical demand is very different, however, the meaning behind it is similar. Overall, I think you did a great job describing each piece and inserting humor to keep the reader invested. Great job, Zea!
Your blog was an absolute delight to read — I love how you wrote it as if you were simply having a conversation with your audience, lending it a very grounded and endearing quality to it. I also unfortunately relate to the feeling of being a broke student who would silently cry upon seeing anything priced over a thousand dollars. Truly, the struggle is real.
Although I could not see the painting of the three penguins frolicking in a tub in clear detail, the colors in it are very calming and serene while being ethereal. I could definitely understand why you would include it in your blog post! It’s also amazing how Joel Fremion could create such a vivid picture of The Wisteria Bridge through fabric alone. That must have required a great amount of patience, finesse, and attention to detail! It’s also captivating how using fabric must have lent itself to a completely unique art style by itself, since an artist would no longer be able to blend colors. Still, the amount of depth and variety in shading makes this a dynamic piece in a way I would not have imagined before!
Since I could not attend the Naperville art showcase myself, I greatly appreciate you sharing your experiences with it!
Hi Zea your blog was so refreshing I absolutely loved it. I liked the approach you took, it was very unique from others. You implemented a lot of sarcasm and comical words and phrases which was so entertaining to read, I was never bored. I genuinely love art and the last time I was at an art museum was in sixth grade, the annoying age, where I kept bugging my parents asking when we could leave. After reading your paper I really wish I stayed and just enjoyed the experience. You are making me wish I could go back and change my attitude. I’ve never known there was an art fair in Naperville which makes me reconsider if I even live here if I didn’t know about it. Also, I love the way you write, by the way, very similar to me, we both write very authentically and also share our input vividly through the story we tell. My favorite sentence was when you were talking about the cheapest painting being 725 ish and you said you’d rather go the more budget-friendly route and buy the 3 dollar churros, I laughed!
Yet another banger blog post! So happy I finally got to see some pics of the art fair you and Willow went to, it looked like a blast. I can definitely relate to wanting to buy every piece in an exhibit, only to be painfully reminded of their prices. That first painting you talked about was so cool though, I really loved the artist’s use of vibrant colors and FABRICS??? I’m a sucker for anything mixed media, so naturally I loved this piece. Hopefully we can go to the art institute together soon <3 Until then, may you see many other gorgeous art pieces that you may or may not be able to break the bank for.
Zea! Great post. My husband and I LOVE looking at art and we sadly can never afford it either. On our honeymoon in Croatia we came across an artist we loved and his works were more in our budget, so we “splurged” and bought a few. I love how much you respect the artists! I also am very happy to see your (and Willow’s face)!
To all the art I wanted to buy before – Zea
Hi Zea, I think this was a very intriguing and fun post and a good way to get to know a person. I remembered you told us during our third period lit class when you first went to the art fair with Willow and how it was very fun. I would never have guessed that you had this much enjoyment during it! While I am not a huge art fan myself, I do stop by a stall every once in a while to appreciate the work people have put out into the world. It is a beautiful sight to see people who have dedicated their lives and time into making something absolutely gorgeous. Out of all the drawings that you shared, I would have to say that my favorite was the Wisteria bridge since I heavily enjoy nature and taking walks. I think that this bridge captures the emotions very well as everything around the bridge seems peaceful and calm, the perfect scenario for a nice stroll. The colors are also very vibrant and bright, implying that it is a good day out and that everything should be comfortable (ie. weather, air, etc.). Great post overall!
Hey Zea!
First of all, there IS a way to include a winking face using your keyboard. It’s called an emoticon you boOmEr.
Second of all though, I loved reading your blog! It was so effortlessly funny and natural and I felt like I was having a natural conversation with you as I was reading this. I’ve always loved art. Even though the only thing I can draw are some unremarkable stick figures, I love to appreciate art and go to as many free days at the Chicago Art Institute as possible (which unfortunately is not available anymore but it was something I definitely looked forward to as a fellow broke student; I felt the FAFSA part hit a little too close to home for me :’)
Finally, I really enjoyed scrolling through the different art pieces and hearing your twist on To All The Boys I Loved Before. I thought that title was so clever and it instantly caught my attention. I’m pretty sure everyone else has said this already but I’ll go ahead and say it again: I love your writing style. I find it extremely engaging and intriguing at the same time, and I can’t wait to stalk your next posts after this 😉