We woke up this morning to a symphony of birdsong outside our windows. From the soft cooing of mourning doves and the piercing melodies of the eastern bluebird to the complex arrangements offered by the northern mockingbird, the spring air is filled with song. That’s the inspiration for our first themed Marketplace, which centers on our fine feathered friends. Let Paradise City artists take you on your own flight of fancy. In painting, sculpture, jewelry, home furnishings, works for the garden and more, you’ll get to experience the whole panoply of avian splendor.

Dozens of artists and makers on the Marketplace incorporate bird imagery into their work. For some it’s a central theme – for others, a creative sidetrack.

Few artists are content with monotony. They experiment with style, color, form, and sometimes even medium. Sometimes creating in an entirely new medium can be purely intellectual effort: what would happen if I tried this?

But for some of Paradise City’s longest tenured exhibitors, there are all kinds of other motivations. Sometimes the artists are rediscovering an old love, finally feeling the freedom to create in the way they’d always wanted to. The irritating necessities of life can push all of us in a direction we didn’t necessarily foresee. But at a certain point, we all have to at least try to do what makes us happy and fulfilled.

Prime Magazine’s October issue cover story highlights the history of the Paradise City Arts Festival.

“It started as a dream for Directors Linda & Geoffrey Post. A quarter-century later Paradise City Arts Festival has become one of the premier art and craft shows in America. It draws artists – and visitors – from across the region and the country. Find out how it all began, and where they see it going.”

The Paradise City Arts Festival in Marlborough, Massachusetts showcases 175 of the “best-of-the-best” of America’s most exciting independent artists, designers and master craft makers. This November, dozens of remarkable artists were selected to exhibit here for the very first time.

The brand-new exhibitors in this show selected for the Directors’ Picks feature four intriguing new artists, all of whom deserve recognition for their accomplishments. Meet a woodturner from Florida, a fiber artist from New York State by way of Lithuania, and two exhibitors from Massachusetts: a maker of digital art quilts and a creator of exquisite dolls.

Who among us does not love wildlife and the opportunity to watch animals go about their business? Eagles soaring overhead, alligators basking in the sun, dragonflies dancing among the cornflowers, graceful gazelles leaping across the African savannah – all of these creatures inspire wonder and awe.

For many artists, wildlife offers rich artistic opportunities. They choose to paint animals for all sorts of reasons. They are fascinated with their shapes, colors and unique abilities that are so different from our own – like flying or living under water. They love to capture the intricate beauty of feathers, fur, scales or leathery hides. They appreciate the chance to lose themselves in the natural world. Whatever the reason, artists who paint animals give the rest of us the chance to experience the same joy and wonder.