Welcome To My Dundalk Art Show Photo Blog Entries

The 2009 Dundalk Art Show was held on Sunday, May 31 in Dundalk's nice little Veterans Park. The event had been rained out on its first scheduled date, two weeks prior, and it was almost rained out the second time. But the merciful sky ceased its mournful crying at about 8 AM on Sunday morning, and the show was a go. The artist and crowd turnout was down in numbers, because of the rain delays, but everyone there was shor'nuff up and at 'um with their friendly, peaceful, artistic spirits creating considerable comradeship and generalized relaxation. It was a typical bright and sunny day in Dundalk Village, with a decent selection of art and music to be enjoyed in, tree shaded, Veterans Park.

Those triangular monuments are in remembrance of the Dundalk residents who have given their lives for American freedoms.

Photography by David Robert Crews

Click on the photographs on this blog to enlarge them and see the details clearly.

Mike Dewitt, Butterfly Phreak and Photographer

Doin' that creepin'-cartoon-character-style butterfly sneak!

Photography by David Robert Crews

This blog post features Dundalk Art Show entrant, butterfly photographer, Mike Dewitt; he is a well known local authority on butterflies and off-the-wall humor. Mike maintains an extensive portfolio of his butterfly photographs, and well honed skills at jokin' 'n jivin'. He ain't jiving that lady in the white shirt, though, as he graciously reveals his skills at sneaking up on butterflies to photograph them. Some photographers keep that kind of a successful technique a secret.

Then, in the bottom shot, Mike chaws on a celebratory cigar and happily tips his hat to this photo's viewers, 'cause he won second place in the nonprofessional photography category-- he earned a red ribbon -- for his butterfly photos.

Entertainment at the Dundalk Art Show

Photography by David Robert Crews

Billy-O (Owen) acoustically Rocks 'n Rolls; Bill is my favorite local singer/song writer/guitarist.



Photography by David Robert Crews

My life long buddy -- since our 1965 era days pumping iron together in the Olde Dundalk YMCA weight room -- Tommy Beavers, whoops!, kids, I mean JoJo The Clown making a boy's head disappear into his chest, then making the head pop out of his forearm as a girl's head. Good trick, 'ey? JoJo does other magic tricks and balloon art too.

A Nice Selection of Senior Citizen Created Arts Were Availible For Viewing and Purchase

Hand knitted doll clothing. The lady in the photo below with the red shirt on is the artist at her Dundalk Art Show table.

Photography by David Robert Crews

One handy aspect of this entire series of Dundalk Art Show photographs is that all together they reveal the comfortable size that Veterans Park is for the Art Show. And its convenient location in the historic commercial district of Old Dundalk. This info can be very important and influential to any artists or art lovers who have never been to Dundalk Village Shopping Center and who are interested in participating in or attending a future Dundalk Art Show. These photos also honestly portray the endearing personality of the event. It is a good day in a proud community of southeastern Baltimore County.

Long Time Baltimore Area Guitarist, Dale, Perusing The Dundalk Art Scene

Photography by David Robert Crews

Don't it kind'a look like Dale's a mildly aggravated grandfather trying to help his very aggravated 30-some-year-old daughter (in the white jacket with her hand on her head) to get through to her daughter (Dale's blue skirted granddaughter) tryin' to get the teen girl to listen to some common sense? Don't it?

A Stainless Steel Scale Model of the Millers Island Light(house)

Photography by David Robert Crews

That's Bill Elliott talking about one of his far out, fantastic crab sculptures. Bill lives in the right place to be a crab lover -- on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay in Millers Island, Maryland. He is a professional welder. Monsieur Elliott and family are a gregarious bunch, and they've lived in Eastern Baltimore County for years. Bill and I swapped a steady flow of quick old and new Millers Island stories.

That 8 ft tall lighthouse there behind Mr. Elliott is a scale model of the Millers Island Light. That famous structure is right there at a nice distance from the Elliott family's shoreline backyard -- or is it the front yard? Millers Island Light stands solid and secure out there in shallow waters of the Chesapeake Bay. The aesthetics of the scenery along that section of Eastern Baltimore County shoreline often include -- depending on the weather -- a straight shot way down the bay all the way to the Bay Bridge. And Bill's an artist! What stupendous artistic inspiration =-= the Chesapeake Bay beginning at the end of his front yard, and just a hoot 'n a holler across the water is Millers Island Light.

All during Sunday afternoon at the 2009 Dundalk Art Show, the bright, clear, spirit lifting sunlight spraying down from the heavens above was creating a drastic contrast with the darker, cool, welcoming shade provided by the park's healthy and mature tree population. Consequently, some of my film's images are difficult to present on here with nice and evenly balanced bright and dark areas. I was using a borrowed point-and-shoot 35 MM film camera; a good one, but its automatic lens adjustments couldn't deal too well with having bright, blue skies above effecting the camera's light meter while I'm shooting into places where solid shade is scattered all around. I did the best I can to enhance these images using my limited Adobe Photoshop skills, and this miniature Millers Island Light shot shows how bad the natural contrast got to be in my Art Show photo series. But I have to include this photo on this blog because the shot is the best one of the multiple exposures I made that include the scale model of the Light.

I love visiting that Millers Island area and seeing its lighthouse out there in the middle of shallow waters, whilst I take a gander off down towards the Chesapeake Bay Bridge.

That scale model of the Light is awesome.

Watercolors by Jackie Miller

Photography by David Robert Crews

Click on this image to enlarge it, and see better detail in her paintings. It's best to check out all the photos on here by enlarging them.

Photography by David Robert Crews

This shot has a half-decent view of the quaint, fantastic looking buildings of Historic Dundalk Village Shopping Center in the background.

Star Wars Based Art Portfolio

Photography by David Robert Crews

Yup! He's into Star Wars characters.

Some Of The Children's Art

The name of this artistic photo of local elementary school children's art is "Nice Ankle", can ya' see why?

Photography by David Robert Crews

Crazy creatures from creative young souls. Click on this photo to enlarge it and take a look at Flying Deer Mouse Man. Then over on the left is some character with either a flower watering can for a head or a tea pot. The spout is his nose. There are some cool ideas being used on all of these artworks. Old V Head is a weirdo, ain't 'eey. And I hope that turtle gets away.

Michael Andy, A Valuable Member of The Dundalk Community

Photography by David Robert Crews

That is Michael Andy on the right, relaxing with his best friend Joe on the left. Michael deserves to be seen in his own little pair of informal portraits on here. Michael is instrumental in producing the Dundalk Art Show, the Dundalk 4th of July Parade, Dundalk's Heritage Fair, he is active in the Dundalk Patapsco Neck Historical Society, and he single handedly creates and displays a very well attended -- deservedly so -- Christmas Train Garden in the Historical Society's museum, etceteras.

Watching The Awards Ceremony

Photography by David Robert Crews

Here you can see the veterans monument in the background and you can see on down past Ye Olde Dundalk Fire and Police Station. Too bad there's no breeze to wave the flags for us. That tall tower brick structure is where the fire hoses were hung and dried. But it was before I was born.

The 2009 Dundalk Art Show Awards Ceremony

Photography by David Robert Crews

Jordon Hadfield MC'd


Photography by David Robert Crews

Jordon and Jean with the list of ribbon winners.

Photography by David Robert Crews

Two nice women.

Photography by David Robert Crews

Bill Elliott is a welder who welds great crab sculptures and an 8 ft tall scale model of the Millers Island Light(house). He can see the lighthouse from the Chesapeake Bay shoreline of his yard at home. I sho' wish I could afford to have him weld me one of them lighthouses. That's a lot of work. His stainless steel crabs are really neat too.

Photography by David Robert Crews

Nice shot of halfway in the park out to Shipway.



Photography by David Robert Crews

Mike Dewitt receives his award with humble grace, because he knows of all the volunteer work that Jean Walker does for our community.