Arts festival’s promo ads feature work of local artists

The Commonwealth Council for Arts and Culture and the Flame Tree Arts Festival Committee are featuring the artwork of local artists in the promotional materials for the 30th Annual Flame Tree Arts Festival.

Posters and flyers for this year’s festival feature Leslie Ware’s photograph dubbed “The Red Carpet” as the main background and another photograph from Lorraine Liwiski.

Ware’s snapshot—flame trees and fallen flame tree leaves—was the same winning entry in the 2009 Channel 2 Flame Tree Photograph Contest.

According to Ware, he was at the “right place at the right time” when he took the photograph at the Last Command Post in Marpi near the Japan Peace Memorial.

“I happened to be there one early morning after a night of rain showers. The showers had knocked a lot of blossom off the trees but that year was exceptional for the full trees and the sun was just coming up,” he said.

Ware, who has lived and photographed on island for 10 years, said part of his daily routine is a morning trip to the Marpi vicinity “to photograph and enjoy the uncluttered beauty of the area.”

Ware said living on Saipan is “incredibly inspirational artistically.”

“The flame tree season is one of my favorite times of the year and every year is a little different than the previous,” he added.

Being an artist himself, Ware hopes for Saipan to have a well located gallery that will display the artwork of local artists to be viewed by residents and tourists alike.

“Venues like the Flame Tree Art Festival allow artists to display their arts and talents while interacting with the public and hopefully become known in the community, while making a few bucks to help support their work and artistic endeavors,” said Ware.

Ware’s booth at this year’s festival will feature his latest photography, photographic prints on metallic paper, and cutting edge metal prints or aluminum.

Visit Ware’s website at http://www.flickr.com/photos/leslie_ware/ to see his other photographs.

The 30th Annual Flame Tree Festival will be held from June 9-12 at the American Memorial Park, west of the Bell Tower in Garapan,

The largest cultural event in the Commonwealth and renowned in the region, the Flame Tree Arts Festival promotes and perpetuates the knowledge and skills of gifted local artists by providing an avenue for them to demonstrate and display their exceptional arts and crafts.

This year’s theme is “Celebrating 30 years of Uniting Cultures and Traditions.”

For more information, call the Arts Council at 322-9982 or 83 or email at ftaf30@yahoo.com.