STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Sabrina Frey glues together thousands of beads to create eye-catching glass bead mosaics depicting ocean waves, glittering mountain landscapes, aspen groves and even earthly creatures like pelicans and raccoons.

“I wanted to do stained glass but didn’t have the money. So, I came up with this. I developed a special glue called Skinny Glue. I put the beads down, then pour the glue over and it sinks in,” she said. “These pieces love the sun. So, if you have a sunny spot in your house where you wouldn’t dare hang other types of art, this art is perfect for it.”

Frey is among 126 artists at the juried 56th Sun Valley Arts and Crafts Festival running through Sunday, Aug. 10, at Atkinson Park in Ketchum.

Luis Enrique Gutierrez is a Master Artisan of Nicoya Indian ceramic pottery.

The show encompasses the gamut from paintings to clothing and jewelry with some knock-your-socks-off creations.

Luise Enrique Gutierrez lives in Raleigh, N.C., which is not exactly considered the bastion of all things Mayan. But he hails from Nicaragua and so works his clay vases with both ancestral and modern techniques to express his vision of his ancestors, as well as what he sees in today’s modern world.

The pre-Columbian-style pottery features geometric images and abstract images. They’re colorful; some display unique cuts in the lips.

“I’ve been working my indigenous technic traditional artwork since I was 13—I learned it from my father. I learned traditional motif from the Nicoyan and Mayan Indians. Now I am developing my own styles while keeping the legacy of my ancient family.”

Bill Lepek, who calls himself “the wood whisperer,” turns trees into unique bowls, each of which are signed, marked with the type of wood it was made from, the date it was completed and the city it was made in.

Each of Aileen Frick’s art pieces look like paintings from afar. But look closer and you’ll find that they’re torn paper creations with things like notes from a musical score scattered throughout. She creates them with recycled magazines.

“I try to create spaces that will invite the viewer inside. A little bit impressionist, a little expressionist,” she said.

Jonathan Glowacki creates intricately textured relief carved sculptures using hand-held rotary tools, angel grinders and chisels. You’ll have to look twice to figure out if the patterns are painted on or carved.

“I had use handheld tools to create simple geometry, like circles and squares. I use wood from ash trees that are being killed by beetles around Milwaukee, Wis., where I live.”

Can you tell that Aileen Frick’s “paintings” are made with torn pieces of paper?

You’ll become immersed in Lisa Kristine’s amazing photographs shot around the world if you take time to read the brief description that goes with each.

One of her photographs, for instance, depicts a Vietnamese woman sitting amidst a sea of fishing nets that she is repairing with a long needle—the wet nets exuding a bluish hue. Another is of a monk meditating in a vast Thailand cave. And still another reflects the circle of prayer in an Oman mosque.

Kristine calls herself a humanitarian photographer as she tries to honor the innate dignity in every indivision. Her work spans more than 150 countries.

Kristin DeSantis and her husband Marc Kriewaldt are a metal and mixed-media team based in the Rocky Mountains near Allenspark, Colo. DeSantis bought her first piece of aluminum from a scrap yard after working as a graphic artist on computer for years. And she began turning such scraps into metal relief walls and whimsical elephants and other creatures.

Jonathan Glowacki’s wood sculptures are carved and painted.

And the husband-wife team known as FireSmith Copper from Cheshire, Ore., create original wall hangings out of copper. Their Sunburst literally leaps out at you.

The Sun Valley Arts and Crafts Festival continues from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday. There are food trucks, live music, a kid’s activity tent and T-shirts for sale. Dogs are allowed if leashed.