WATERLOO -- Will Gethmann is soaring.

Fellow pilots snap up his hand-crafted airplane weather vanes at fly-ins, but it wasn't until this year that he realized what he creates is considered art. He's tickled pink that he's been selected as one of 20 new artists among 60 participants featured at next Sunday's 33rd annual Holiday Arts Festival, sponsored by the Waterloo Center for the Arts.

The show and sale offers artwork from Midwestern artists working in wood, jewelry, clay, metal, glass, print, painting and more. There will also be music, demonstrations and a cafe.

"I'm a newbie on the art scene," says the semi-retired Gladbrook farmer. "My thing is airplanes. I build my own airplanes and fly, and making the wind vanes was just something I enjoyed doing out in my shop. I wanted to make something that is useful."

The authentic detailing and craftsmanship he lavishes on each airplane -- available in three styles -- has transformed a hobby into functional metal art. His cousin, artist and knifemaker Doug Gethmann, encouraged Gethmann to sell the pieces at art fairs.

Set on its tripod stand, the airplane vane can be a conversation piece indoors or becomes a practical tool when mounted on a post or topping an outbuilding or garage. Each sells for $125, which includes mounting post and bracket.

"I use roof flashing material because it's weather-resistant and durable. My designs come from R&D -- my own research and development. Ideas plow through the mush in my brain," Gethmann says, laughing.

He spends a minimum of 16 hours building each weather vane. "I cut, solder and 'eyeball' everything by hand. I kinda live out in my shop because it's time-consuming. But if you're going to throw something together in a minute or two, it's not going to be worth anything."

Bruce Wilson, another festival newcomer, contends with a different kind of time constraint. The Fairfield artist, who paints abstracts in oil, plays the "hurry-up-and-wait" game while participating in 20 to 25 Midwestern juried art festivals each year.

"It can take 3 to 9 months for a painting to dry before I can varnish it and take it to market. Essentially, I have four months in the winter to paint in my studio, and I have to be six to 12 months ahead in my work so I can have paintings to sell," explains Wilson, who briefly lived in Waterloo as a child.

Like classic European masters he admires, Wilson uses a natural linseed oil base and natural pigments for color. "Acrylics dry faster, but it looks and feels like plastic to me. Ultimately oil is more satisfying and natural. It's the difference between using something from the earth that the Creator made or something synthesized. I also like that oil paint is malleable. I can set it aside and come back the next day," he explains.

Participating in the Holiday Arts Festival was appealing, the artist says, because "I've heard it is a well-managed event and the artists are treated very well -- plus it's indoors and that's welcome after a season of selling outdoors."

The sale generates about $5,000 for the Waterloo Center for the Arts, which goes toward providing free and low-cost public programming. No admission is charged.

"Primarily it's not a fund-raiser, but a community service. It's a way to bring in Midwestern artists who represent some of the best arts and crafts being produced in the Midwest, and to provide a chance for the community to shop for holiday gifts or add to their own collections," says Cammie Scully, director of the Cultural and Arts Commission/Waterloo Center for the Arts.

Artists appreciate service provided at the sale, which includes volunteers who greet them at the door and help unload merchandise and set up booths. A patrons party promotes interaction between the public and artists.

Scully says the festival has evolved in recent years, while maintaining its tradition of quality.

"We've had ebbs and tides. For a couple of years, we were floundering and even considered suspending it. Several years ago, we reinvented the event and made it more of an arts festival, fleshing it out with music and demonstrations. People have responded to that," she adds.