New Clinton Twp. art show attracts 15,000 folks

Festival of Senses exhibits 170 artists' works

September 30, 2007

BY MELANIE D. SCOTT

FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER

Doris Adler walked between the tents set up on the grounds of the Clinton Township Municipal Complex until she saw jewelry that made her stop in her tracks.

"This is beautiful," Adler said, leaning over a row of bracelets. "I have to remember where this is and come back. There is so much to see, so I want to walk around a bit."

"I heard about this from my friend who lives in Clinton Township," said Adler, 39, who lives in Macomb Township. "I didn't expect there to be this much. I wish I brought more money."

Over the two-day festival, organizers estimated more than 15,000 people attended the event, which began as one Clinton Township artist's dream.

Dennis Valimont, owner of Gotcha Framed which is operated in his home in Clinton Township, heard someone mention an art festival going on in the township.

"I asked and found out there was no art show, so I thought we needed one," said Valimont, 63, who attends art shows weekly. "I thought art shows needed a shot in the arm, something different."

Valimont said he got a permit to rent the park at the township offices and officials said they wanted to be a part as well. The township formed a committee seven months ago, Valimont said. As he attended art shows around the area, he asked the top artists from those shows to be a part.

One of those artists was 54-year-old Kamara Hosic, who lives in Sterling Heights, but grew up in Bosnia.

Hosic won the Best In Show award during the festival for his mixed media, wood-framed pencil drawings.

"I usually attend shows in the Detroit art market, but I was asked to come here," Hosic said. "It is really nice. I would come back."

Valimont also asked several of his neighbors to participate in the festival. One of his neighbors, known as the Painting Pastor, is Cornell Hall.

"I have been painting all my life. When I was 3 or 4 years old, my parents bought me a paint-by-numbers kit," said Hall, 59, who ministers to incarcerated youth at the Eliot Center in Detroit. "I worked in auto design and retired from Ford Motor a few years ago. Now I paint."

Hall, who specializes in oil paintings, was sitting on the back porch of his home when Valimont saw him.

"He told me to paint and don't stop until the festival," Hall said. "I completed 39 paintings."

Clinton Township artist Sue Forbes decided to join the show because it was close to home and supported local artists.

"Every thing is all fine art and crafts that are handmade," Forbes said. "There are some very creative people in Clinton Township."

Forbes is the owner of Heart & Soul Designs, which specializes in jewelry. She quit her job as a graphic designer nine years ago to pursue the art of jewelry making.

Forbes uses freshwater pearls, precious and semi-precious stones for her jewelry as well as 14-karat gold, sterling silver and Swarovski crystal.

"I think this festival is fantastic for the Michigan economy," Forbes said. "The response from the public has been overwhelming."

Contact MELANIE D. SCOTT at 248-351-3681 or mdscott@freepress.com.