TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WCTV) - More than 160 artists from across the country are in Tallahassee this weekend to showcase their work at the Chain of Parks Art Festival.

The festival is celebrating its 25th anniversary.

Cover artist Stephen Koury has displayed his paintings at this festival each year since the start.

Koury paints the wildlife that’s all around us. He said it takes about three weeks to finish one of these paintings, and his only rule is that he has to study the creatures in the wild first.

“When I see them do something I say, ‘hey, that’s a painting,’ and you just get excited and you can’t wait to get back to the studio and get to work on the piece. That’s where they all originate from is nature,” Koury said.

His vibrant blue painting of kestrels is featured on festival t-shirts.

“It’s so cool. I’ve been the featured artists in shows before, but this one’s special,” Koury said.

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Tallahassee artist Liz Snowden was busy hanging up her brightly colored paintings and collages Friday afternoon. She makes them with recycled paper.

“See if you look at it, these are old encyclopedia pages and this is sheet music and then I print all the paper and put it together,” Snowden said as she showed off a bright pink flamingo.

Acclaimed painter Eluster Richardson was busy setting up his tent Friday afternoon, and local potter Rusty Miller was putting the finishing touches on his display of mugs, plates and other stoneware.

The festival features more than 160 artists from all over the country.

Festival manager Powell Kay Kreis says walking beneath the oaks and perusing all this art is just what Tallahassee needs right now.

“I think our community has been through a lot lately recently and the need to be together and share something joyful is really important,” Kreis said.

Lemoyne’s Chain of Parks Art Festival consistently ranks among the best fine art festivals in the country.

It runs Saturday 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and Sunday from to 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. in Tallahassee downtown Chain of Parks.

“There are some people that are passionate and avid collectors and some people who are just here for the beer and the music and they walk away with their first painting and I just think that’s really special,” Kreis said.

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