Modern art goes on gallery walls and in humungo coffee table books and sometimes it goes on your feet.

Local artists used canvas shoes as, well, their canvases on Saturday at Pioneers Park for the second Style Your Sole.

The event, created by The Public shoe store, 1033 O St., invited people to buy a pair of TOMS white canvas shoes. The shoe-buyer could then either create their own design on their new kicks or have one of the designated artists give it a go.

"This was something to get a lot of people together and have fun," said Jesse Flinck, manager of operations and part-owner of The Public. "Whatever anybody wants to make their shoes into, all they've got to do is come with their ideas."

At Saturday's event, which had food, live music and the feel of a tiny festival, the artists scattered about the green and turned their blank podiatric canvases into something special. Using markers, fabric paint, screen printing ink, thread, ribbon and buttons.

Artist Norm4Eva was designing a pair of shoes for Katy Cummins, a layout based on Cummins' ankle tattoo of a little puppy paw made of hearts. Cummins' kept checking up on Norm, seeing how her shoes were coming along.

"I like them," she told Norm, who was about half-done with the first shoe.

"I'm glad you like them," said Norm, "because you're going to have to wear them."

The Style Your Sole event was irresistible to Cummins when she heard about it, the idea that she could have a say in what a pair of her shoes would look like.

"I like that they'll be totally unique," she said, "that they kind of tell a story."

Reach Micah Mertes at 473-7395 or mmertes@journalstar.com.