Pint-Size Picassos Love Cottonwood Art Festival?s ArtStop

May 4-5, 2013, Richardson festival has something for everyone!

March 18, 2013 --

DMN Newswire--2013-3-18--

RICHARDSON, TEXAS (March 12, 2013)?The Cottonwood Art Festival, coming May 4-5, 2013, to Richardson?s Cottonwood Park, is for everyone who enjoys art. For the mini-Picassos, ArtStop is the festival?s interactive children's area.

Staffed by more than 100 volunteers, ArtStop creates a hands-on world of art with life-size paint brushes and dozens of activities irresistible to any child. Watch Cottonwood Art Festival?s ArtStop at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CpgHwSJcjE.

After heading across the bridge, pint-size Picassos will enjoy a wide array of art and craft activities. Children of all ages will have the opportunity to create their own over-the-top hat with plenty of glitter, feathers, pompons and ribbon for all to use! Paint a masterpiece on canvas, create a colorful wax hand mold, decorate a pottery vase, or practice your hand on a pottery wheel with ArtStop?s own ?Masta Potta.?

The bi-annual Cottonwood Art Festival features juried works from 240 of the nation's top visual artists. It is now in its 44^th year.

The festival is Saturday, May 4, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday, May 5, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Cottonwood Park is located at 1321 W. Belt Line Road, one block east of Coit Road in Richardson, TX. Parking and admission are free. The artists? works are available for purchase, as are food and beverages, and some children?s events require a fee.

Cottonwood Art Festival is a juried show. Jurors have selected over 240 artists from 1,400 submissions to exhibit their museum-quality work at the festival. The artists compete in 14 categories: 2D Mixed Media, 3D Mixed Media, Cera.m.ics, Digital, Drawings/Pastels, Fiber, Glass, Jewelry, Leather, Metalwork, Painting, Photography, Sculpture and Wood.

Cottonwood Art Festival?s spring 2013 featured artist is Michelle Mardis. Mardis was born in Ft. Worth, Texas, and raised in the area. A self-taught artist, she moved to Clearwater, Florida, in 1992. Now living in Tarpon Springs, Mardis paints almost every day. She says, ?It?s my passion, and I try to paint as often as I can. I like to make the viewer?s imagination wander with my subject matter. I chose not to paint the obvious. The impact of color and unusual color choices can bring feeling and life to almost anything.? She continues, ?Basically I have always lived my life bigger than most ? I have never done anything the normal way. Although as a child I colored inside the lines, I have always preferred to color the picture in an unusual color!?

Cottonwood Art Festival is more than just the art. The festival also features top local bands performing the best in rock, country, jazz, blues, swing and folk. Check out the courtyard, sit in the shade by the lake, relax and enjoy the music. Food and spirits are also available in the courtyard.

Courtyard by Marriott is the official host hotel for Cottonwood Art Festival. Call 972-235-5000 for reservations. Ask for the Cottonwood rate.

Cottonwood has something for everyone. For more information, go to www.CottonwoodArtFestival.com or Facebook at www.facebook.com/cottonwoodartfestival or Twitter www.Twitter.com/CAFRichardson.

MEDIA CONTACTS:

Jo Trizila

TrizCom Inc.

Jo@TrizCom.com

Office: 972-247-1369

Mobile: 214-232-0078

For more information or photographs, contact:

Serri Ayers

Festival Director

Cottonwood Art Festival

City of Richardson

972-744-4580

serri.ayers@cor.gov

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