The 10th annual Urban Air Market took place yesterday in Hayes Valley. We got a chance to walk through the event and meet some of the vendors, including one artist who didn't discover his talents until a few months ago.
Jason Oliver, a Santa Cruz resident who makes trees out of metal wires, grew up in a family of artists. "They were great at drawing and painting" Jason began. "I tried and was really bad at it. Because I couldn't paint like they could, I assumed I wasn't artistic."
It wasn't until a few months ago when he was playing around with wires that he discovered he could bend them into shapes. Specifically in the shape of trees.
"Making these trees and seeing how popular they've become made me realize I am an artist. Not a painter. But the kind who makes art with physical objects. It's been great."
We also spoke to an employee who works with StudioNico, a full-service screen printing business located here in San Francisco.
"We're really proud that we do everything here in San Francisco" she told us. " And good grammar really is sexy."
One of the most unique finds of the afternoon was Graffiti Glass, a company that recycles old liquor bottles and turns them into lamps.
Kalani Lombardi, an artist who grew up in Hawaii and SoCal but attended the Academy of Art University here in San Francisco, followed a similar path like Jason did with his wire trees. Her mother loved to paint, but Kalani was unsatisfied doing her work on a canvas.
The lamps use antique style bulbs and look like the ones featured below.
If you happened to miss the entire event because you were at home mourning the Warriors' loss, you can relive the afternoon with the photos below. And make sure to mark September 14 down on your calendar. That's when the Urban Air Market returns to Hayes Valley.
If you have any feedback for the event, write your suggestions in the comments below and we'll be sure to pass them along to the event's organizers.
