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By JOYANNA LOVE | Managing Editor

The Chilton County Arts Festival saw several new artists participate as vendors this year on July 16.

For Jael Wall of Shelby County, the festival was a way to sell her art ahead of her store opening next month.

“I heard so many good things in my Facebook community about the art festival here,” Wall said of why she wanted to participate.

She said she was “really impressed … a lot of great vendors.”

Wall said she started her business two months ago and “does a little of everything,” including commissioned paintings and customized items.

The festival was the first ever for Kathy Hale of Andalusia after she turned her enjoyment of candles into a hobby and started making them six months ago. Hale said she enjoys all the scent options she has when creating a candle. During the festival, she enjoyed talking to the other vendors.

Gabrielle Briggins, who is 16 years old, said she was using the festival to “test the waters out” to see how people would respond to her paintings and handmade jewelry.

Her interest in painting came from watching her grandmother paint.

Returning vendors created a mix of familiar work and new things to choose from.

For Dan Modak of Shelby, it was his second time to bring his pallet art to the festival. He said he enjoyed that the event was inside, “so it is not impacted by the weather.”

“(There is) a wide variety of vendors, so you never know what you are going to see,” Modak said.

He also commented that the coordinators were really nice.

Robin Griffin returned with her pottery.

“It’s just so much fun to play with clay,” she said.

Griffin began pursuing pottery after securing a kiln a friend was no longer using.

The Chilton County Arts Festival is just one of the annual events hosted by the Chilton County Arts Council. The council has increased activities this year, including Art Quest events on the first Friday of each month. It is also planning another art festival for October. More information is available at chiltoncountyartscouncil.com.