The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, (CLAS), Holiday Fest has been a part of Eastern’s winter festivities since 2018.
The festival includes multiple events such as an opportunity for young children to meet Santa Claus in Doudna Fine Arts Center and a theatrical performance, this year’s being the concert Messiah.
However, one of the events at CLAS Holiday Fest has been around much longer, the holiday art sale.
The holiday art sale has been around for 36 years, and a lot of local artists are contacted via a mailing list to promote their work and sell their art. There are various mediums that artists use with their own work including some creations being clay-made cups and plates while others are sketches and drawings.
Jon Schubert, a Charleston local, began making art on the side in 2013, but doing it full-time since 2018. He was one of the artists selling and promoting their art at the event.
Schubert’s art is made primarily on a commission basis, meaning that he will create a piece based on what people ask him to make. The commission basis also determines how he prices the art.
Something Schubert finds interesting is how people are unaware of how helpful technology is to art. Schubert would take a photo of what he is drawing rather than having them pose for hours on end to ensure he captures every detail, allowing for the piece look more lifelike which is a genre of drawing known as hyperrealism, something that serves as an inspiration for Schubert. More information on Schubert’s work can be found on his website.
For instance, a woman once asked him to create a portrait of her, her husband and their cat. After the initial request, she was given the choice of having the portrait be in black-and-white or color, and if she wanted the details to be finer and more distinct. The more time and effort the piece takes, the more expensive it will be.
All of the art at the event is made with extreme care and detail, allowing for each piece to be a “one-of-a-kind” and “perfect for someone who is hard to get gifts for,” , according to the Director of Programming, Publicity, and Promotion Dennis Malak.
CLAS Holiday Fest will continued through the weekend, including the holiday art sale, multiple events for families, like a reading of Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and a second performance of Messiah on Sunday.
Luke Brewer can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].