Font ResizeOAKLAND -- You can't take the A-Train to get there, but once at the Montclair Fine Arts and Crafts Fall Fest this weekend, festivalgoers may feel they've hopped on board courtesy of an Athenian School ensemble that is developing a following as ace practitioners of jazz standards.
Live music is a first in the festival's 18-year history. A quartet of the ensemble, also adept at Latin and blues, will play at a reception featuring three new exhibitors.
The twice-yearly event showcases the work of more than 70 artists and crafters, who will line the streets of Montclair Village displaying sculptures, photography, watercolor and oil paintings, jewelry, ceramics, wearable art and more.
"Sometimes you'll find painters or jewelers create custom pieces right then and there," said spokesman Marc Gendron.
The well-established East Bay artists, many of whom have created installations in homes, attract people from throughout the Bay Area.
The festival returns to Oakland for two days on Saturday and Sunday.
New this year is an evening reception. From 6-8 p.m., Grille One Carvery at 2064 Antioch Court will host the evening's musical entertainment. The public can also enjoy the work of three featured artists: Painter Enrico Antiporda, http://www.etsy.com/people/enricoart, also a celebrated author.(The Band of Gypsies, A Light in the Cane Fields); photographer Barbara Lee
The work will be on display at two locations: Metro Montclair, 2058 Mountain Blvd., and TOUCH Salon and Gallery, 2068 Antioch Court, through Oct. 26.
Antiporda creates vivid oil paintings including Caribbean and Asian Pacific landscapes, nudes and still lifes. The French Fauve artists inspired his most recent work, which he describes as a merging of pop art and folk art.
"Art is an emotional outlet for me and if I can make someone smile when viewing my art, then I have accomplished what I have set out to do," Antiporda said.
Forty-year veteran photographer Lee has a particular interest in travel, nature and landscape.
"I look for intimate landscapes with strong pattern and texture," she said. "People often say my photos look like paintings."
The paintings of LeGault "are set apart by a deceptive simplicity and a refined traditional Asian technique and aesthetic," she writes in her artist statement. The "lush, distilled compositions express beauty, fragrance, rhythm and form through a magical palette where spirit is reflected through matter."
Other exhibitors include handblown glass craftsman Christopher Roscoe and Andrea Bragg of Richmond who creates original designs as block prints, which are screen printed onto hand dyed T-shirts and other apparel.
More information is available by contacting the Montclair Village Association at 510-339-1000 or Pacific Fine Arts Festivals at 209-267-4394 or www.pacificfinearts.com, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/PacificFineArts and on Twitter @PacificFineArts.
What: Montclair Fine Arts and Crafts Fall Fest
When: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday
Where: Mountain Boulevard at LaSalle and between Park Boulevard and Thornhill Drive in Montclair
Information: More than 70 artists and crafters will line the streets displaying handcrafted works including garments, sculptures, photography, watercolor and oil paintings, jewelry, ceramics and more.
It is sponsored by the Montclair Village Association with help from the Oakland Tribune.
