THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, August 4, 1996 TAG: 9608040047
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY TERESA ANNAS, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: VIRGINIA BEACH LENGTH: 71 lines
Like water balloons in mischievous hands, the darkening sky looked ready to explode on a gang of idealists Saturday morning as they entered the Princess Anne Park Art and Craft Festival.
``My husband's out here. He works for Coca-Cola. That's the reason we're here,'' said Karyn Montgomery, a Virginia Beach woman who had her two toddlers in tow.
``It looks like it's going to storm,'' she said, glancing skyward.
Just at that moment, the first of the day's many showers began. ``Here it comes,'' she said, humorously resigned.
It was an hour into the festival. Hundreds of visitors who risked the weather to see the pottery and paintings and hear live music dashed for cover.
While many raced to their cars for a swift departure, a surprising number of people continued to peruse the grounds, wearing ponchos or holding umbrellas aloft. Since the 95 artists had set up their wares in small tents, there was plenty of available shelter.
Blues guitarist Michael Mulvaney continued to wail from the main stage, even though he was mostly singing to rows of wet hay bales. He had to stop between songs to move his guitar case from beneath a leak.
One stalwart fan remained - Jason Popp, 9, from Midlothian, Va. Protected by a plaid umbrella, Jason appeared enthralled. ``This is my third live concert,'' he said, adding that he was visiting with his grandmother, Jean Grumiaux of Virginia Beach.
The artists' tents were arranged in a big arc that cut through the park.
``As long as the crowd stays, the rain doesn't bother us. Although, I'm so cold, I think I'm getting goose bumps on my knees,'' said a soaked Victor DeGuzman of Lake Wales, Fla., who was huddled with his wife, Teresa, and two daughters by the family's pottery display.
``I've noticed the rain eliminates a lot of lookie-loos,'' DeGuzman said, referring to browsers who never open their wallets. ``These are all the die-hards, who are serious about buying.''
Amid the handmade wooden towel racks and the country dolls, Dan Reiser's sculpture display stood out.
At a glance, his tent resembled a miniature archeological museum. He showed sculptural wall fragments inspired by the Benin culture of West Africa, a stonelike jewelry box with ancient Aztec designs, and a set of Mayan-styled plaques.
But there was something sci-fi and futuristic about his work, too. In pairing stylized, high-tech costumes with motifs from early cultures, Reiser had created a kind of ``Star Trek'' Tour of Ancient Civilizations.
``I think he's very visionary,'' said his assistant, Tressa Thornton of Asheville, N.C., where Reiser has his studio. ``Just the whole ancient/ outer-space concept is so exciting.''
Reiser has dubbed this most recent body of work ``Art, Lies and Archaeology.'' The latest piece in the series is ``High-Tech Aztec,'' a life-sized warrior figure that sells for $1,300.
``I sold one of these at our last show,'' Reiser said.
``This couple wanted to put it in their dining room. I thought I'd be selling it to a restaurant or some business that would put it outdoors to attract attention, like a cigar store Indian.''
Reiser said that's why he made ``High-Tech Aztec'': ``to exact attention to my booth.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
GARY C. KNAPP
Despite the rain, the show went on in Virginia Beach's Princess Anne
Park on Saturday. The artists displayed their work in tents that
also served as shelter during the day's downpours. The weather
seemed to weed out those who were browsing, artist Victor DeGuzman
said. ``These are all the die-hards, who are serious about buying.''
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