ARTICLE FROM OC MAGAZINE  - August 2008 ISSUE

Sawdust Art Festival   *   Art-A-Fair   *   Festival of Arts & Pageant of the Masters

Summer in Laguna Beach… time to get not only a little sand between your toes, but a little sawdust, too. This picturesque artists’ village offers both casual and serious art lovers year-round delights, the most acclaimed of which are summer’s Sawdust Art Festival, Art-A-Fair, and Festival of Arts, featuring the Pageant of the Masters. This triumvirate of outdoor art fairs along Laguna Canyon Road lends a gala atmosphere to the whole town and attracts visitors from around the globe. Although these popular art happenings sometimes leave traffic a bit constricted, they never fail to leave minds considerably expanded.

Of the three events, the Sawdust Art Festival is the most laid back and family-friendly. It prides itself on its alternative, environmentally-conscious spirit and is the only non-juried festival of the group. Its booths meandering throughout an enchanting setting among eucalyptus trees and waterfalls, this cheerful arts-and-crafts fair displays the work of about 200 artists, all residents of Laguna Beach and some of whom have exhibited their work here since the festival began 42 years ago. The artists are personable but not pushy and invite you to watch them work, promoting one of the main objectives of the non-profit corporation that runs Sawdust: to educate the public about art.

As you stroll the sawdust-strewn grounds, you can watch a glass blowing demonstration while listening to live acoustic rock and sipping a cool fruit smoothie from one of several food, beverage, and libation booths. The relaxed atmosphere allows artists to work on their craft and visitors to share in the magic of watching a piece of art come to life.   

If you get the overwhelming urge to create rather than to just watch the creators, there is plenty here to tempt your palate, pun intended. Studios and classes in varied media are available daily for both kids and adults, either free or for a minimal material charge. That teapot you’ve always dreamed of making? Visit the Ceramics Booth, where you can not only fashion it, but have it fired, as well.

Attending the Sawdust Art Festival has become a summertime tradition for many Orange County families who eagerly return to see what’s new as well as to visit old favorites. One yearly attraction that stands apart from all others is the booth of Ken Denton, known as “The Butterfly Man.” His display of artwork that features butterflies rescued from poachers and raised peacefully on butterfly farms is breathtaking in its natural beauty. Another longtime exhibitor and winner of Sawdust’s “Favorite Artist” award for 2008 is Douglas Miler, whose booth is tiny yet houses more artwork than perhaps any other on the premises. Miller’s masterful brushstrokes have graced over 10,000 acrylic paintings, most of them small canvases capturing scenes of Laguna Beach and of the Sawdust Art Festival itself. The paintings, like Miller himself, are colorful and charming.

The variety of arts and crafts at Sawdust is prodigious and it’s hard to walk away without falling in love with at least one objet d’art to decorate your house or adorn your body. The reasonable prices may just allow you to do that. For your home, there’s everything from the requisite oil and watercolor paintings to fused art glass vases to raku ceramics to hand-carved curly maple rocking chairs. For yourself or that special someone, choose from handcrafted silver and gemstone jewelry to hand-painted silk shawls to hand-tooled leather belts to airbrush face and body art.  

In addition to live music on three stages, the Sawdust Art Festival showcases unique entertainment such as “Wildlife Days,” a must-see event on August 13 from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m. on the Main Entertainment Deck. Guest artist Chris Hoy and associates will present an up-close look at some of the exotic animals that inspire Hoy’s acrylic wildlife paintings, such as an American alligator, a Burmese python, and a kookaburra.

Named the “Best Festival of 2007” by OC Weekly, the Sawdust Art Festival not only meets its goals of promoting the art of Laguna Beach and educating visitors about art, but also offers one of the most fun and creatively inspiring ways to spend a summer afternoon in Orange County.

Like Sawdust, Art-A-Fair first took place in 1966 and is only a few minutes’ walk south, but it’s miles away in ambience. Billing itself as “The Finer Arts Festival,” Art-A-Fair is more formally laid out, more upscale and reserved, and probably not for any but the best-behaved children. Featuring 125 artists, both established and emerging, this juried show is the city’s only international art fair and emphasizes high quality art and master craftsmanship.

Housed in the elegant Palazzo Laguna, Art-A-Fair features a Venetian theme this year and invites patrons to “See The World Through an Artist’s Eyes.” The artists occupy spaces that are mini-galleries for display more so than mini-studios for work. A broad spectrum of art media is represented, including paintings in oils, acrylics, watercolors, and pastels; photography; mixed media; sculpture; pottery; glassworks; furniture; and jewelry.

Watercolor artist Leo Simone was happy to spend a few moments discussing his paintings, including a large, beautiful beachscape canvas that left me wondering how long it took to complete. Simone made the process sound deceptively simple. He smiled and stated, “Sometimes you pick up the paintbrush and you just watch it happen.”

Much of the artwork displayed at Art-A-Fair would seem to blend comfortably into a traditionally well-appointed Southern California home, and then some of it is so astounding in its originality that it would turn heads no matter where it might be placed. Darcie Copeland’s painted rebuses, paintings in which the objects pictured represent words or phrases, are stunning in their realism and intriguing to unravel. Then, there are the jaw-dropping sculptures of Lorene Ireland, which include life-size vixens with Betty Grable legs and torsos inexplicably comprised of mini-chests of seashell-clad drawers. Booker Preston’s prize-winning intricately carved gourds make amazingly chic handbags, lacquered on the outside and padded and lined with brocade on the inside. Carrie Bradshaw would jump at the chance to add one of these fabulous purses to her collection!

A free daily workshop is offered for those who would like to try their hand at creating a painting, a birdhouse, or even a Venetian mask. An additional workshop that takes place Fridays from noon to 3 p.m. in the Central Gazebo is “Through Artists’ Eyes,” in which exhibiting artists study the same model to create different works of art, each in a different medium. After watching or participating in an art demonstration, enjoy a bite to eat at Tivoli Too, the fairgrounds’ romantic restaurant, which boasts the “Best Margarita in Orange County.”

In addition to featuring live music on Saturdays and Sundays, Art-A-Fair is excitedly preparing for a performance unlike any other at the three art shows. On August 7 from 6 to 8 p.m., singers from the renowned Opera Institute of California State University Long Beach will fill Piazza Venezia with rich voices singing arias from beloved operas. This not-to-be-missed evening is made possible through a grant from the non-profit Art-A-Fair Foundation, whose variety of programs to promote participation in fine arts includes funding for art education in public schools, as well as scholarships to several high school students each summer, allowing them to professionally exhibit their work at Art-A-Fair.

When it comes to narrowing down your wish list from the overwhelming variety of consummate artwork on display, Art-A-Fair Foundation President Ron McWhorter has this piece of sage advice to both serious players and first-time investors: “Buy it because you like it.”

Across the road is the oldest of the three art fairs, the Festival of Arts, first hosted during the summer of 1932. Voted one of the top ten art festivals in the United States by American Style Magazine, this juried show features the original work of about 150 of the southland’s finest artists, all of whom are award-winning. Art connoisseurs are likely to find just the right piece among the paintings, photographs, prints, sculptures, handcrafted wood furniture, ceramics, glass, and jewelry on exhibit. Whether you are drawn to the staggering, thought-provoking mixed media artwork of Pat Sparkuhl; the sleek images of vintage automobiles in the photo art of Breck Rothage; or the serene, plein-air oil paintings of Michael Situ; the Festival will regale you with art treasures galore.

In addition to displaying two-dimensional and three-dimensional art, the Festival of Arts is famous for presenting living art in its much-anticipated attraction, the Pageant of the Masters. This 90-minute production of tableaux vivants, or “living pictures,” brings in over 100,000 visitors annually, its tickets invariably selling out. In faithful recreations of classical and contemporary works of art, the players – all volunteers – are suitably attired and carefully positioned to appear exactly like their counterparts in the original paintings, posters, or sculptures. The players remain silent and still throughout the duration of each display. Impeccably designed sets and theatrical lighting complete the scenes, most of which occur onstage but some of which occur in surprise locations throughout the amphitheater. A professional orchestra and live narration enhance the production, as do occasional bursts of live singing and dancing.

The theme of this year’s Pageant, “All the World’s A Stage,” marries the realms of art and theater, showcasing the works of artists inspired over the ages by performances in theaters, circuses, dance halls, and cabarets. Celebrating its Diamond Jubilee, this season’s Pageant includes a look at the remarkable history of the show and ends, as it has for nearly all of the past 75 years, with an awe-inspiring rendition of Leonardo da Vinci’s masterpiece, “The Last Supper.”

Like the Festival itself, the Pageant of the Masters is run by a non-profit organization whose mission statement is as follows: “to promote, produce, and sponsor events and activities that encourage the appreciation, study, and performance of the arts.” Towards that goal, as if the outdoor art gallery and the Pageant were not enticing enough for art enthusiasts, the Festival of Arts features art workshops, a junior art exhibit, “Art of Cooking” demonstrations, live music from blues to Beatles covers to jazz, and wine and chocolate tastings.

For more substantial fare, enjoy freshly baked pizzetta from Gina’s Alfresco on the Festival premises or visit Tivoli Terrace next door, a restaurant that feels more like a French garden, nestled in the canyon and overflowing with bougainvillea, bird of paradise, and allure.   

An Orange County summer just isn’t complete without experiencing the premier outdoor art shows of Laguna Beach. Whether you’re a hardcore patron of the arts, a casual collector looking for the perfect painting to hang above your mantelpiece, or a fashionista searching for a dazzling new pair of earrings, you’ll find an incredible amount of masterworks to choose from at the Sawdust Art Festival, Art-A-Fair, and the Festival of Arts. To cap it all off, treat yourself to tickets to Pageant of the Masters and see one of the world’s most vivid displays of “living pictures.”

At the summer art festivals of Laguna Beach, enter a world where the natural blends with the man-made, traditional forms twist into innovative new shapes, imagination blossoms into reality, and the boundaries between art and life exquisitely blur.

                                ~ Dalia van den Boogaard


Sawdust Art Festival           Art-A-Fair            Festival of the Arts
935 Laguna Canyon Road           777 Laguna Canyon Road    650 Laguna Canyon Road
949-494-3030               949-494-4514            949-494-1145
www.sawdustartfestival.org      www/art-a-fair.com        www.LagunaFestivalofArts.org
10 a.m.-10 p.m. daily           Sun.-Thurs.: 10 a.m.-9 p.m.    10 a.m.-11:30 p.m. daily
Through August 31               Fri.-Sat.: 10 a.m.-10 p.m.        Through August 30
                       Through August 31        (Closed August 23 at 2 p.m. for Gala)
   
                                    Pageant of the Masters Tickets
                                    949-497-6582 or 800-487-3378
                                    www.PageantTickets.com
                                    8:30 p.m. nightly

Parking for All Three Art Festivals:

Free trolley service is provided to and from the city-run Act V parking lot, which is located on Laguna Canyon Road about one-half mile north (inland) of the art fairs. The fee for all-day parking at the lot is $7. There are also metered parking spaces along Laguna Canyon Road for $1 per hour.