“The artists were happy, the energy was positive and the amount of attendees we had was crazy, it was packed,” managing director of Mission Federal ArtWalk at NTC Liberty Station Sandi Cottrell said.

The sun glistened on artwork comprising of paint, photography, sculptures and even dominos Saturday Aug. 24 and Sunday Aug. 25 at the ArtWalk. Formerly known as ArtWalk on the Bay, the free outdoor art festival moved this year to the NTC Liberty Station location in Point Loma.

Liberty Station has long been regarded as an arts and culture center in San Diego. With the new location, Cottrell had some initial concerns.

“When I first was here doing setup I was concerned about the planes flying overhead; we even got earplugs to offer guests just in case, but my concerns about that were dissolved once the event began,” Cottrell said.

Read about the Coronado ArtWalk here.

More than 130 artists from various locations, inspirations and walks of life gathered at the event. Some artists such as Uganda-born Paul Nzalamba revisited the event. Nzalamba mingled with visitors and explained the meanings and stories behind his African-style paintings.

Other participants were not so familiar with the event, or even art altogether.

“I’ve actually only been doing this for one year, if you can believe it,” Ray Kinne said. “I came to ArtWalk last year and was really inspired by all the art so I decided to go home and make something of my own.”

Visitors walked through his exhibit examining his artwork closely because of its medium: dominos, thumbtacks and thousands of drops of wax upon wood canvases. From afar, the face of Albert Einstein in black and white dominos is easily seen, yet it’s hardly recognizable closer.

“I made a lot of ugly things in the process and almost burned down my house a few times,” Kinne laughed.

Along with the artwork available for viewing and purchase for adults, the children’s section of ArtWalk, KidsWalk, offered a variety of interactive art activities for children.

“I learned about ArtWalk through a group of moms in my neighborhood,” attendee Katie de Freval said. “I would definitely bring (my daughter) back next year.”

Freval sat with her 2-year-old daughter, Elise, while she colored at an activity stand. The kids’ activities included drawing and coloring for children to create their own masterpieces.

“KidsWalk is a key element of what we do,” Cottrell said. “We feel that since our education in schools has been cut so much this is one way of giving that back.”

Along with children’s activities, families enjoyed live music performances and snacked at several food stands while walking through the artists’ exhibits.

While ATM machines were present and available to anyone looking to purchase the art, many guests just enjoyed viewing the unique art on display.

“ArtWalk is all about finding your favorite, and the art that speaks to you,” Cottrell said.