When OddBird Art and Craft Fair returns to the Old Strathcona Performing Arts Centre from May 8 to 10, first-time vendor Quinton Hylton will be among the flock. Known as nutfreegallery on social media, Hylton is one of about a dozen artists making their OddBird debut. “OddBird just kind of felt like a natural fit because they celebrate work that’s kind of unconventional, and also kind of weird,” Hylton told Taproot. “I feel like that’s the perfect fit for me because I feel like my art is pretty weird.”
Hylton is a collage artist, with many of his works having vintage, apocalyptic, and sci-fi motifs. “It really was something that I started doing during the lockdowns,” Hylton said. “Originally, I was making book covers and just graphic design kind of things, and then I just stumbled into the world of digital collages.” Hylton pointed to a particular piece as being reflective of making art during the pandemic. “It’s a robot, and he’s painting a beautiful, beautiful scenery, but the background is actually the apocalypse,” said Hylton. “It really felt applicable to the times when I was making it, and also, even now, it could be still pretty applicable.”
While OddBird is his first fair, Hylton hopes it won’t be his last. “This is kind of like me testing the waters,” he said. “We’ll see how it goes.” He’ll find himself selling his work alongside two fellow collage artists who he considers inspirations: Zeph Mind and Paper Moon Collage. The spring fair will also feature ceramics, jewelry, apparel, books, beverages, fibre arts, and much more, as the robust vendor roster shows.
