Lewiston Art Festival Best in Show winner Jon Mowell with his “Kaleidoscope (Blue).”
Mon, 12 August 2024, 10:00 am
By Joshua Maloni
GM/Editor-in-Chief
Jon Mowell of Orchard Park was honored with Best in Show at the Lewiston Art Festival on Saturday.
His award-winning work, “Kaleidoscope (Blue),” is a unique, hand-crafted collection of colors and patterns. It’s “super simple,” Mowell explained. “Nine pieces of glass, three covers, three mirrors on the inside, and a viewing window to look through.”
“Kaleidoscope (Blue)” is also a piece of art “that no one really gets to see,” Mowell explained. “Nobody else is doing anything like that. And I feel like it’s a lost art, you know? So I really wanted to learn how to make kaleidoscopes, put my own spin on them, and make them available to the public – because this is something you might only see online. So I want to try to make them more available, charge a good price for them, and we’ll see how it goes – whether people like kaleidoscopes or not (laughs).”
This weekend the answer was a clear “yes.”
“I wasn’t expecting that,” Mowell said of his Best in Show award. “I just thought, ‘Holy cow,’ because there are so many artists here. And you know, the way you choose the artists to be here is one of the reasons I wanted to be here, too, because I know we’re all doing something that comes from the heart. This is not a craft show. This is a Art show.
“That’s why I felt so good when I won, because my competitors here, my friends, my neighbors, are so incredible. I mean, to my left and right – and in both directions – every tent is unique. Everything in the tent is beautiful, hand-made with love, and that made me feel really good because I was chosen for my unique art out of all the others with their incredible art.”
A look at some of the colors and designs in Jon Mowell’s “Kaleidoscope (Blue)”.
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Mowell’s tent was titled “Squash Berry.”
“I specialize in stained glass, but I specialize in kaleidoscopes,” Mowell said. “You could say I do stained glass on the side.”
“My kaleidoscopes are unique and handmade. No computers are used at all, no kits. Everything comes from my head. It’s a great product. It’s something you can have for a very long time and share with your family. It’s always a good topic of conversation.”
“The stained glass is also ideal for your windows.
“I just started making stained glass on a whim. I wanted to try something new. So I started making stained glass. I realized, ‘I’m really good at this. I really need to keep going and progress.’ That was about 13 years ago now and I’ve come so far.”
Mowell attended the Lewiston Art Festival for the first time. He said the event’s reputation inspired him to exhibit his work there.
“I know it’s a good show,” Mowell said. “I’ve heard from other artists that you guys definitely travel a lot, that you guys help out and keep the atmosphere good. It just sounded like something I really wanted to be a part of – just because I’d heard that from other artists who came to the show; and I wanted to see it for myself. I wanted to be a part of it – and I love it. In fact, I’ll be back here.”
Mowell’s work can be found online at www.facebook.com/IamSquashBerry – but he noted, “It’s actually hard to find me. I’m not an online seller. In fact, I want to see your face when I make a sale.”
“I want to start a grassroots effort here in the Buffalo area; maybe later online sales; maybe I’ll get an associate or someone to help me. But right now, it means a lot to me to come to the shows and see the people I’m selling my art to; and I can tell them about the piece they’re getting.”
Click HERE to find the full list of Lewiston Art Festival winners.
