ArtWalk: An international attraction

LISA ADAMS/The Acorn CARIBBEAN COLORS-Daniela Came, left, and her husband, Garret, spin a brightly colored sculpture made from recycled metal objects during ArtWalk 2002 sponsored by the Conejo Valley Art Museum. The recent event in The Oaks parking lot was free. For details, call (805) 492-8778.

Jamaican-based artists Daniela and Garret Came came to Thousand Oaks to display their wares during ArtWalk 2002 in the parking lot of The Oaks Mall last weekend because they heard about the show from other artists.

"We’re in Jamaica six months out of the year," Daniela said. "When we’re here, we usually only show around Los Angeles and Beverly Hills." Other artists told them about the T.O. show and recommended it, she said.

Displaying about 40 pieces of brightly Caribbean-colored "found object art," their work proves the old adage, "One man’s trash in another man’s treasure."

"Everything here is made out of stuff like recycled tools and car parts," Daniela said. "I come to America for the trash, take it home to Jamaica to work, and come back to sell the art and pick up more trash."

Daniela said the rubbish of third-world countries doesn’t reflect affluence like American trash does.

"Nobody throws out anything that is worth anything there, (Jamaica)," Daniela said. "So, with I see all the waste laying around here, it’s like seeing piles of gold."

Daniela said that she and husband Garret collaborated on their art.

"I sort of come up with the concept and he helps me put it together," she said. The works are all cut into odd shapes and then welded together.

"Then we use bright colors, the one that are all around the Caribbean, to color the pieces, and then they are primed so they may be placed indoors or out," she said. "What I’m selling is a nice collection of American junk and Caribbean color."

ArtWalk, a two-day art fair, is a juried fine art and designer craft show of artists from throughout California and other states. Displaying their best work, for viewing and for sale, 170 promising emerging and established artists participated. ArtWalk attracts an estimated 16,000 to 18,000 patrons and buyers.

The Conejo Valley Art Museum (CVAM) sponsors the event. Call (805) 373-0054 for information.

The museum is a nonprofit corporation opened in 1978 with "Navajo Rugs" as its first exhibit in a donated space at the Janss Mall. In its first five years, the museum presented 35 exhibits, including Prehistoric Indian Pottery, Guatemalan Folk art, California Landscapes of the 1920s, and Early American and Contemporary Quilts.

CVAM’s primary fundraiser is the annual "ArtWalk."