Melissa Behr, mixed media » Call it the return of the native. Born in Ogden, Melissa Behr's family left Utah soon after to live in Rockford, Ill. After earning a degree in graphic design at Montana State, followed by 25 years of work in film and modeling in Los Angeles, Behr, now 45, has returned to the land of her family, where her great-grandfather once plowed his fields with Clydesdales.

"I had that whole idea of being Georgia O'Keefe on an island when I was older," Behr said. "Then I thought, 'Wait a minute, I can do that now.' "

Her wide circle of geographic locations may explain the ethereal nature of her mixed-media pieces, which match photography with painting to create almost subconscious works of depth and movement. The artist strives to make subtle and fluid works, using, as she describes it, the techniques of a formally trained artist who "re-taught" herself. "I hate it when a piece feels as if the photography is just plastered on," Behr said.

Galleries have never been her preferred route. Behr said she craves the festival atmosphere, where for five years she has met people interested in her work face-to-face. In addition to a booth at this month's Utah Arts Festival, she has also secured a spot at California's Sausalito Arts Festival.

"When you're in a festival, you can see what people point to in your work and what they respond to," she said. "The artist-buyer connection is much more personal. That's something you don't get at a gallery. Putting something on canvas is such a personal thing, so it's great to know the person who's buying your work."

Kelley Somer, paintings » No one will ever accuse painter Kelley Somer of questing for the big, grand ideas before setting down to her panels, palate knives and paints. At the same time, no one will ever accuse her work of being meek or understated.

It may seem strange, then, that the dinner parties and intimate moments of domestic entertaining inspire her to produce such bold, textured paintings. Unless, of course, you feel as passionate about entertaining at home as does Somer. See her work just once, and it's likely you'll never see a plate of grapefruit or vase of silverware quite the same way again. Her textured use of color and spare lines impart both the strength and delicacy of her subject.

"My work is all about the importance of people connecting over meals," Somer said. "I love to cook and entertain. I hope that other people who have my art can experience that time, even if they're not entertaining at the moment."

Somer is a 40-year-old, self-taught artist with three children who's lived in Alpine for 13 years with her husband. She decided to pursue art after the loss of a parent and close friend six years ago. She loved what she calls the "luscious" feel of oil, but was intimidated by it until she mastered use of the palate knife, an implement she describes as more spontaneous and poignant than the brush. A sense of almost carving the paint is vital, she said.

Somer photographs images of food and tableware just before friends arrive at her house for a meal. But images alone won't do as her inspiration. "I'll think of a conversation I had with a friend during mealtime, and that will spark an image," she said.

Nor does every painting speak to everything that goes right at a party. "There might be a fight that happens during a dinner party, or tears," she said. "Those have their own colors as well. Some of these pieces reflect those experiences I've had, and they tend to be a little sharper and darker."

The Utah Arts Festival will be her first-ever exhibition of her work. "I want to hear what attracts people to my work," she said. "I'm excited to see if they can share any experiences about their daily life, or entertaining over meals," she said.

Shawn Harris, photography » Salt Lake City native Shawn Harris holds tight to memory of the day 29 years ago when he viewed a "Spider Man" comic book through 3-D glasses. "I totally remember that image," Harris said recently from San Francisco, where he moved to become part of a 30-member artists' co-op in a converted warehouse.

So totally, in fact, that the now 38-year-old has worked tirelessly to recreate the effect in his own photography. Devising a method of photography using two digital cameras that shoot simultaneously, he then strips the resulting image of all colors except two: red and blue.

He hopes his series of digital and three-dimensional will appeal to kids of all ages, with or without the special glasses that will accompany his Utah Arts Festival display. "The glasses are hopefully the secondary 'wow!' factor. We'll see how it goes," he said. "If I'm not having fun with photography, I go crazy real quick. Being playful broadens my audience."

As a student at the University of Utah, Harris hopped from painting to print-making to film to, finally, photography before earning his degree. His wide rotation through subject matter has made his work richer. Through it all, however, his art-making has always centered around people. "Even when I'm out shooting landscapes, if it doesn't have someone in the image it's hard to connect to the work," he said.

His 3-D images are still a work in progress, which he started shooting only last December. "With this show, it's something like switching gears," Harris said. "I'm happy with it, and can't wait to see where it takes me."