Artists to share work at craft fair

As an artist, Sigrid Hobbs will paint on anything, anywhere.

“I don’t think I have a pair of clothes that doesn’t have paint on them,” she said. “Even my nightgown has paint on it.”

But her preferred medium is to paint on functional items, the way she has for 57 years, ever since a carpenter in the small German town where she was raised gifted her a set of wooden plates when she was 8.

“We were so poor, we couldn’t afford canvas,” she said. “I painted on anything I could. I painted on rocks, dishes, on furniture.”

She will be showcasing some of her pieces — restored antiques and other collectibles, Santas painted on logs, pressed and painted flowers, among other items — at the Carson High School Craft Fair this weekend.

She will be one of 120 vendors at the 19th annual fair, which raises between $10,000 and $15,000 each year for the high school. Each year, the craft fair displays a variety of vendors, selling an array of goods, including soaps and candles, woodwork, rope baskets, photography, stockings, and more. This year’s youngest participant is 11-year-old Shayla Rogers from Reno.

“It’s absolutely the best shopping experience in Northern Nevada,” said organizer Cathy Barbie. “They can see Santa and shop for everything on their list.”

The culinary arts class will have lasagna on Friday night, and Carson City BBQ will be available Saturday.

It will be Hobbs’ fourth year at the fair since moving to Carson City from Burbank, Calif., as many years ago.

She and her husband, Ron, a retired school teacher, work together on the projects — he restores the antiques, often destined for the trash otherwise, and she paints them.

Sigrid, who is also retired, said she often spends entire days painting any assortment of items. One of their most popular items this time of year, they said, is a Santa Claus painted on shaved logs collected from Lake Tahoe. It’s arduous work, Sigrid said, made possible only through her husband’s assistance.

“He lets me fulfill my dreams because he helps me with everything,” she said. “I couldn’t do it without him.”

Ron said he is equally fulfilled.

“I love to share her art,” he said. “We’re just thankful she has this talent. Whatever I have to do, haul it, fix it or prime it. I get to help her change something that’s going to be wasted into something that’s wonderful.”