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Hyde Park North: Komater arts show embraces part-timers

Saturday's small show welcomes new artists, many of whom pursue their creative work outside of other jobs.

The Komater Sisters Arts and Crafts Show will never be the biggest art show in town. It only attracts about 300 people every year, and only a dozen or so artists and craftspeople show their work.

But the two sisters who put the show together - and the artists and patrons who look forward to it every year - wouldn't have it any other way.

"A lot of shows are hard for artists to get into," said Carol Komater-Hewitt, who organizes the show with her sister, Sue Komater. "People who are just learning how to show their work can do our show. For a lot of them it's the only show they do all year."

The seventh annual sale, held Saturday at the Friday Morning Musicale, features whimsical hats, clothing, watercolors, jewelry and other one-of-a-kind homemade goods. Items range from $3 to $500.

One advantage of having a small show, the sisters said, is that they can be selective about the artists and their wares. You won't find sea gulls sitting on driftwood or tacky ceramic figurines.

The show began mostly as a way for the sisters to show their work.

"I was making these hats, and Carol is a fantastic seamstress," said Sue, 50, a massage therapist who lives in Bayshore Gardens. "So the idea at first was that we had all this stuff, and we'd get people to come and buy it."

To generate more interest, the sisters decided to make the show interactive by asking customers to try on their items and pose for a photo. Their album boasts hundreds of snapshots of people smiling in their elaborate hats or clothing made from recycled materials.

Most of the artists in the show take the same approach as the sisters. They hold regular jobs but work as part-time artists in the Tampa Bay area. They don't feel pressured to make pieces that appeal to buyers and don't tailor their work to impress judges. There's no prize money.

They view the show as a fun day of art not devoted to sales or competition.

"It's much a cooperative effort," Sue said. "Everybody in the group is dependent on each other."

- Marty Clear is a freelance writer who lives in Tampa. He is scheduled to perform a unique musical instrument - his nose - at the show.

The Komater Sisters Arts and Crafts Show runs from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday at Friday Morning Musicale, 809 W Horatio St. Free. For information, call 251-0197.