RUMFORD — For four consecutive months, a local production company will host a series of live artist and vendor shows at the Rumford American Legion.

Kris Howes, a tattoo artist from InkMaine on Congress Street and head of Gaskyl Productions, said that he has hosted tattoo conventions and art shows over the year and is looking forward to hosting his first series of shows.

“This is our first time doing a series like this, where there’s one show a month for four months,” Howes said. “We did an art show at the American Legion about four years ago, so this new art show is kind of like starting over.”

“With the holidays coming, people produce stuff that they can sell as gifts,” Howes continued. “It seems like there’s a lack of these kinds of things around the holidays, especially artwise.”

The first live artist and vendor show will take place 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 16.

Howes said there “should be a wide variety of vendors” at the show, including vendors selling art, canvases and a large number of handcrafted items, including candles, soaps, jewelry and clothes.

“It seems like nobody’s doing the same thing,” Howes said. “We have a good mix of stuff for people to look through.”

There will also be a “community art table” for children to use, Howes said.

“If people come and they have kids, the kids can come to the community art table and do some painting and make their own art,” Howes said. “We’ll have some clay and other art stuff out for the kids to interact with.”

Howes said he hopes to have music at each of the art shows, but was unable to track someone down for the Nov. 16 show.

“I was looking for local musicians to do a solo acoustic set, but, unfortunately, I couldn’t find one for this weekend,” Howes said. “I do have a band booked for the last show in February. They’re a bigger band from New Hampshire.”

Although the first show has yet to happen, Howes said that he has planned out “my entire year, in terms of art shows.”

“This ongoing art series is going to end in February, and then in March, we’re hosting our tattoo expo,” Howes said. “After that, there’s going to be a six-month series of concerts where local bands have the chance to perform. That’s taking place at the Sons of Italy building. After that, we’ll do the four-month art series again.”

Vendor space can be rented for $10, Howes said.

For more information on the art series, call Howes at 364-1550, or email him at KrisHowesTattoos@hotmail.com.

mdaigle@sunjournal.com