Delaney was sequestered in the somewhat unflatteringly titled "Emerging Artists" section of the fair on South University Avenue. His work is comparatively unproven, and his booth - tiny and sparse - reflects that. The art itself, though, does not. His simple pen and wash drawings of the human form are imbued with remarkable strength, a memorable force one would normally associate with a well-recognized artist.

Colin Delaney, ink or pen and wash

Delaney's work ranges from pure ink to colorful pen and wash. His direction seems a bit uncertain, but it's a fresh uncertainty. He has great faith in the power of simple expression.

"Sometimes a sketch is all you need," he said. "When you can say, 'That's it, I'm done, right there' - that's great. When a figure is perfect, it's perfect."

At a fair filled with wild mediums and off-the-wall innovation, simple ink might seem a tad quaint. But the idea that his work is unoriginal, even overworked, Delaney shakes his head firmly.

"People really respond to the human form and gestural mood. It's universally appreciated - I think it has an intrinsic appeal to us. After all, everything old is new again, right?"

Lisa Kristine, photography

Photography is a medium that risks being cliché more than almost any other medium. The volume of photographs we see almost daily is stifling, and the photographers must go far afield to blaze a new trail.

Lisa Kristine has traveled to, by her count, more than 60 countries. She began taking pictures at age 11, and has since worked 25 years as a professional photographer. Kristine's photography centers on the vastness of humanity, on mankind in all its forms. Her interest extends to every culture and every society. Still, it's not the scope but the focus of her work that makes Kristine unique.

"I'll stay in an area for a few months - sometimes go days without taking a shot, just to get a feel for it, you know?" Kristine has a remarkable dedication to making a connection with her subjects.

"I'm so taken with anthropology. With old, old traditions," she said.

Her work seems to capture the fascination humankind inherently has with itself. Many of her photos are hardly more than portraits, but they convey astonishing depth and context. Each one acts as a tiny anthropological vignette.

Of her focus, Kristine said, "I think I'm just drawn to people's intensity - to the strength of the individual."

Jane DeDecker, bronze

It's rare to see sculptures filled with as much motion and vigor as Jane DeDecker's. Her subjects might seem old-fashioned - after all, she works in bronze - but the emotion they carry is not.

Rather than remaining simple expressions of human form, DeDecker's works need interpretation. Each bronze seems to have something to say, and it's almost invariably a message filled with hope.

"I guess I'm really hopeful," said DeDecker. "I have a basic faith in the human race, and when I think about describing people it always comes with an element of hope."

Many of her sculptures are scenes: a father tying his son's shoes or four children leaping gleefully off a dock - but not all. Other pieces are more contemplative: "Setting the Pace" traces the form of a man walking atop a huge ring, meant to encourage us to think a bit more with each step.

DeDecker doesn't fit the artist stereotype, and that might be part of her appeal. Pure, approachable and cheerful, her sculptures attempt to capture "emotions that we've all felt."

"Humans are an unfinished story," she said, "I'm just working to explain that story."

Dylan Strzynski, Mixed Media

The art fair can be so predictable. Year after year you can roam State Street and Main Street and expect to see a multitude of booths filled with garden ornaments and paintings fit for the lobby of a dentist's office. While predictable is comfortable - and sellable - the art fair needs artists like Dylan Strzynski to keep pushing forward.

Strzynski's work is initially attractive on the aesthetic level. It draws you in with bright, contrasting colors and sharp lines. Then, it hooks you with the deep narrative that the paintings offer about global communication and the environment.

"When you are at an art fair, you see a lot of product. I don't do that," Strzynksi said.

"If you don't have contemporary art, you have a bunch of things that look like a remake of a famous artist."