Making a good impression: Thousands turn out for ArtWalk at Liberty Station

The estimated 5,000 people who strolled through Liberty Station on Saturday for the San Diego Foundation ArtWalk included Marjorie Montemayor of Otay Mesa, who brought her two school-age sons.

“I wanted to just expose my two young kids to art … and get them out and away from video games a bit,” she said with a laugh.

It seemed to work, because her 11-year-old, Johan, was impressed.

“It’s pretty cool to just see what people are capable of,” he said. “It’s pretty amazing how you get an idea, you can put it on a piece of paper and it turns into artwork.”

Now in its 20th year, the weekend-long celebration featured more than 175 artists selling their paintings, photography, glass, ceramics, sculpture, jewelry and other works of art.

The vibe was relaxed, with attendees from a wide cross-section of ages and backgrounds browsing through displays at dozens of booths in a low-pressure sales atmosphere. More than a few attendees brought along their dogs, as live music played from a nearby stage.

“You can go to a big-box store or online and buy generic pieces of art,” said Curt Brooker, director of ArtWalk San Diego. “But this is a chance actually to talk to an artist and figure out what inspires them and what makes them do their art.”

Pop artist Jon Max of Garden Grove, who goes by the name J MAXX, aims to make a strong impression on viewers with mixed media work that often incorporates striking colors with animated images.

“Art’s about taking it to that next level,” he said. “A lot of times you want to have that ‘wow’ effect and depending on scale and imagery, I think it comes off really nicely with these vibrant colors.”

The festival features creative work from artists from several states, plus Mexico.

The display from abstract painter Alejandro Martinez-Peña of Tijuana included a striking acrylic-on-canvas piece called “Luciérnagas,” the Spanish word for fireflies.

Art is “like a triangle,” Martinez-Peña said. “It’s about me the artist, the piece and you who are watching. You are part of the creativity because you are imagining something inside of you.”

Just a few steps away, Tom Marosz of Spring Valley displayed his glass art sculptures and crystal cubes.

“I just flat-out like to make things that look cool,” Marosz said. “I do work occasionally that is ‘this is supposed to mean something,’ but not very often … I like doing the process itself.”

Vanessa Peacock of University Heights bought two prints of illustrated Southern California beach scenes from Vista artist Joe Vickers that featured cresting waves, a whimsical pair of seagulls and palm trees reaching toward the sky at sunset.

“I just love the colors of it, they are so vibrant — typical San Diego,” said Peacock, who came at the suggestion of her friend, Suzanne Hitztaler.

“I’m not artistic myself, so I enjoy seeing what other people will come up with in their mind, how they put that on paper or whatever their medium is,” Hitztaler said. “I just find joy in that.”

The ArtWalk at Liberty Station continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Admission is free. The San Diego Foundation will host another ArtWalk on Sept. 20 and 21 in Carlsbad.