Sawdust Festival 2011

Just some fun shots of the trees at the Sawdust Festival in Laguna Beach this year.  Each tree was adorned with either a knit or crocheted legging.

They were made by the Laguna Beach Fiber Guild.  A great venue to show off their work!

Laguna Art Festival

This last Monday my son Zach and I made our yearly pilgrimage to the Main Art Festival in Laguna Beach. It did not disappoint. Outstanding ceramics, gorgeous paintings, crazy amazing metal sculpture, and the most beautifully designed jewelry were to be found. Granted, the prices are a bit high, cuz this is a juried show of the very best of the Laguna artists. If you want to spend a bit less, then go across the street to the Sawdust Festival, and if you really want a deal the The Art-A-Fair next to the Sawdust is the place to be.

This year I purchased 2 pieces by Laguna artist Bridget Hoff. I love her work and plan on using her pieces to teach with this coming year. She is a mixed media artist and collects plant life, twigs and rocks on her daily walk in San Juan Capistrano. Then she comes back to her studio in Laguna and paints, collages, resins and stitches thru the plant material. Then she layers all her finds until she has a pleasing composition.

What I really love about her work is how she combines found objects from nature with man-made found objects. I also love the layering but most of all the threads and stitching that seem to pull her pieces together.

The piece above was Zach's favorite so I bought it for him for when he has his first home. I'll take good care of it till then. LOL

For 10 points of EXTRA CREDIT to start the new school year off with, bring me your ticket stub from any of these 3 Art Festivals when you walk into my room on the first day of school.

Laguna Beach Art Festivals 2009

Every summer since my 20 year old son Zach could walk, I've been taking him to Laguna Beach to see the art work at the 3 art festivals. Our favorite has always been the Main festival where the art is juried in and is of very high caliber. The Main (pictured above) is also where the Pageant of the Masters is performed in the evenings. Below is a shot of the interior of the Main where they currently have a live art display being added to everyday in the middle there.


This costume display really intrigued us. It was made from all recycled plastics. And there was a photo next to the display showing actual people wearing these outfits.


But our very favorite part of the Main is the student art work sent in from all the Orange County School Districts from grades kindergarten thru senior high. The fractured portrait below was done by a senior and won first place in it's division.



The other two festivals are the Sawdust (above) and the Art-A-Fair (below). The Sawdust is my daughter Dani's favorite, and over the last couple of years we have run into April Strong, a Whitney alum, who is the balloon lady there every summer. She always makes us balloon bracelets that we wear around the fair grounds. Congrats go out to her younger sister Rachel, also a Whitney alum and one of my all time favorite students, who just recently got married this year.