STATE COLLEGE — Traveling long distances is no obstacle for artists attending the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.

Not only did wire sculptor Josh Cote travel more than 2,700 miles from his home in Blachly, Ore., to State College for this year’s event — he drove.

Joining the other artists for the festival that draws more than 120,00 people to State College, Cote said Saturday he does not mind traveling long distances to attend art shows because it gives him time to think about his new creations which are inspired by “waking dreams and nature,” he said.

Though he travels around the country to do shows all over, this is his first year at the arts festival and he said it is a positive experience.

“I would come back,” Cote said. “It is an excellent show.”

A bright career

Though Grant Massey enjoys going to art shows and meeting people, he said the aspect that keeps him coming back is money.

“It has been a great career,” he said. “It is nice to meet people, but we are here to sell work.”

Massey, of Roxana, Del., makes custom post lights, window hangings and mobiles and he said his favorite part about his work is the problem-solving.

He said he sometimes does not even have a finished idea about what the piece will look like when he starts to create it.

“It can be rewarding when some things finally click,” he said.

Endless possibilities

Beth Aten began sewing when she was a small child.

The dyed textile artist used to play with her mother’s sewing scraps at a young age and turned the hobby into a career.

Aten, of Lewisburg, said her designs come from trees and nature and the environment helps her come up with ideas for new designs.

She said she keeps going and working with her designs because there are so many possibilities and she wants to exhaust all of them.

“It is not humanly possible,” she said. “But I will reach more of them than if I did not try.”

Having fun with designs

Terri Eagles is working to make the clay medium less serious.

She makes stoneware rabbits and pigs and has them in various “whimsical” positions.

“This goes to show you do not always have to do serious things,” Eagles, of Milesburg, said.

She has been coming to the arts festival since its inception, but did not start selling her own art until 1995.

Eagles said she will certainly continue to come to the arts festival as an observer and as a vendor.

“This is just fabulous,” she said. “I have not heard anyone here who is unhappy.”

Matt Morgan can be reached at 235-3928. Follow him on Twitter @MetroMattMorgan