Fabric collage artist Joel Fremion works in his studio near Fort Wayne.
Submitted photo
Fabric collage artist Joel Fremion sometimes struggles to precisely explain his creativity. And he now knows that some people in town struggle to precisely explain the creativity of the Interoculus installation of Exhibit Columbus at Fourth and Washington streets downtown.
The 71-year-old Fremion is blending the two into one piece that will be for sale at his booth as the featured artist at Saturday’s free 17th Annual Deja Vu Fine Craft and Art Show at The Commons right next to the dome sweet dome.
“I’ve always loved Columbus and its architecture,” Fremion said, speaking by phone from his studio in Ossian near Fort Wayne. “I’m definitely a mid-century modern aficionado and have been there many times.”
His Interoculus creation, done with a variety of repurposed fabric and paint, will be among about 10 high-end pieces that he will have for sale. Prices will range from $1,800 to $6,000.
“I have a very mixed-media technique that I’m still regularly evolving,” he said, adding that he has been serious about the style —one that he himself pioneered — for the past 30 years.
Event founder and coordinator Marilyn Brackney calls his work “spectacular,” and is now a fan, and believes others soon will be, too.
“His collages are extremely detailed, and are unlike most work created by other artists,” she said.
The free, juried event, which attracted about 1,000-plus people last year and highlights America Recycles Day, features about 60 artists working in glass, jewelry, sculpture, wearable art, weaving, woodworking and some creations that each year defy classification, as Brackney puts it. The recycling and repurposing theme stands front and center.
All items in the juried show must be made wholly or in part from scrap or repurposed materials. Show attendees learn that new beauty can be found in born-again worn leather jackets, broken dishes, mismatched silverware, old sweaters, factory waste and hundreds of other things.
The gathering regularly has earned praise from first-time visitors, including artists who say they’ve never quite seen such a mix of media innovative style. Several of this year’s artists are from Kentucky. They include a veterinarian/artist who creates wire sculptures of animals, and another who gives new life to discarded furniture.
Also, one of Deja Vu’s past jewelry artists is returning from Louisville.
The event also includes a preview program of sorts.
There will be a free showing of “ReFashioned,” a documentary film that follows three innovative entrepreneurs who take on the fashion industry’s waste production in Hong Kong.
The movie, open to the public, will be shown at 6:30 p.m. on Friday at The Commons. Support from the local Office of Downtown Development has made possible that event to further emphasize the recycle and repurpose message.
Shelbyville, Kentucky, fiber artist Leslie McCarthy, slated to be at the show with her Funky Fibers line of creations, gives bright new life to furniture pieces she finds everywhere from thrift stores to dumpsters.
“Hers,” Brackney said, “will be a riot of color and wildly patterned furniture and accessories.”
The artist offers her own description.
“Each item,” McCarthy said, “has been designed and created with spunk, fun, excitement, care, and the simple joy for another day to appreciate the life God has granted.”
About the show
What: 17th Annual Deja Vu Fine Craft and Art Show.
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Where: The Commons, 300 Washington St. in downtown Columbus.
Information: Facebook page for Deja Vu Fine Craft and Art Show.
