Marysville artist part of Sacramento festival's 15-year history

More than 225 contemporary fine craft and art exhibitors will have their wares on display at the juried 15th annual Sacramento Arts Festival, which runs through Sunday at the Sacramento Convention Center.

Among the ceramics, woodwork, paintings, sculpture and more, exhibitors include jewelry artist Jo Stafinbil of Marysville, who has attended the festival since it debuted in 1998.

"This is an excellent show — and the only show in our area that's like it because it concentrates on fine arts and fine crafts," Stafinbil said. "I'm always pleased to be a part of it because they do a great job jurying. You are going to see a variety of high-quality work."

Assisted by her husband, Richard Rawlinson, a sixth-grade teacher at Andros Karperos School in Yuba City, Stafinbil said she exhibits at about 12-14 shows per year. "My husband is wonderful and always helps me with the shows. And he does all my photography and website work," she said.

Stafinbil said she crafts her pieces in sterling silver and copper, with semi-precious stones, acrylic, glass and shells. "I design everything I make. Each piece is constructed from scratch, so I fabricate metal. I don't do any casting," she said.

"I do rings, bracelets, pendants and pin-pendants, which give you the option of either wearing the piece on a chain or as a brooch."

Jewelry is not a necessity, Stafinbil said. "But it does benefit the wearer. It's a personal piece of art. And if you have something on that you really like, it makes you feel good. It kind of unconsciously lifts your spirits," she said.

Festival promoter Warren Cook said the show includes artists from all across the US, plus many from California. To new artists looking to get involved, he said complete application information for the 2013 show can be found at the festival's website — sacartsfest.com — after Jan. 1. Applications are due by April 30.

"You will see spectacular art here," Cook said. "And every artist or craftsperson is on hand at the festival. It's a fantastic place to Christmas shop for handmade gifts. We have pieces in all price ranges, from less than $5 all the way up to several thousand dollars.

"You can also see entertainment. We have a great lineup of musicians, we have some comedic jugglers — so there is always something happening on the stage in the back, where there is lots of seating if you want to take a break from shopping," Cook added. "It really is for the whole family."

Stafinbil said, "A lot of people come and spend the day. You will want to take your time going through to look at each booth."

Cook said there will also be a variety of food vendors on site. "Hopefully, there is something to suit everybody there," he said.

"My favorite is the Indian food booth," Stafinbil said.

To encourage people from the Yuba-Sutter area to attend, Stafinbil offered a complimentary admission ticket to local residents who go to the will-call window and say they are guests of Jo Stafinbil Jewelry.

"There is also inexpensive parking fairly close by the convention center over on 16th Street. That's two blocks away. There are parking garages where you can park all day for about $6 or $7 — and if you come on Sunday, the street parking is free," Cook said.

In conjunction with the festival, Cook hosts the Sacramento Area Schools Art Competition Gallery, which showcases artwork produced by K-12 students in the region. He said he hoped that Yuba-Sutter schools would be interested in joining next year. For more information, schools should contact Cook at 805-461-6700.

"It's fun. I always look forward to this show," Stafinbil said.

CONTACT Susan Benitez at sbenitez@appealdemocrat.com or 749-4773. Find her on Facebook at /ADFeatures or on Twitter at @adfeatures.