Sawdust Winter Fantasy

Each winter the Sawdust Festival grounds transform into a winter wonderland. Thousands of holiday decorations cover the festival with a "Towne Square" in the center complete with Santa's sleigh and house. The festival also includes special activities for families and kids.

Holiday Happenings in Laguna Beach

Artist Open Studios

*Photo Credit: Laguna Beach Indy

Get a look inside 25+ artists in working studios, the first Saturday of the month, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. now through March. Trolley service is available at 1900 Laguna Canyon Road every 15 minutes.

5 Ways to See Art in Laguna Beach; Five for 5

Our Five for 5 blog series focuses on what to visit, see and do while in Laguna Beach. The second story in the series will explore "Five Ways to See Art in Laguna Beach."

Winter Fantasy 2012

As the warm summer heat slowly cools to crisp winter temperatures, the Sawdust Festival grounds prepare their own transformation of a Winter Fantasy wonderland. We have been attending the Sawdust Art Festival Winter Fantasy for the last four years. On the third weekend of November we loaded our gaggle of spunky kids in the car and headed out to the canyon to see Santa on his special visit to Laguna Beach. Adorned in our warm winter coats (warm enough for the not-so-cold Southern California temperatures) we make a beeline for Santa's house in the Towne Square. The front entry of the grounds is designed to look like Santa’s town square in the North Pole including Santa’s house, his sleigh, the reindeer barn and decorated Christmas Trees (all decorated by different non-profit community organizations). After we finished telling Santa what we wanted for Christmas (I asked for a day off) and grabbed a few photos in the Towne Square we meandered down the aisles of the festival to see what we could find for the people on our holiday list. You never know what unique treasures you’ll find.

First up was a booth featuring a mother, daughter and son-in-law team of artists. Jane and Patty work with fused glass making tea light candle holders, star ornaments, serving plates, earrings and much more. The brightly-colored glass danced in the sunlight and grabbed my attention. I am a sucker for the use of color in creating a visual treat and I certainly was seeing that here with the Slowsky’s work. Jane and Patty have been working in fused glass since 1981 and have shown at the Sawdust Festival for 43 years! If you are looking for the perfect stocking suffers for Mom, be sure to stop by and see the earrings, ornaments and candle holders here. 

Jane moved from Denver to Laguna Beach in the late 1940s after visiting family and falling head over heels in love with Laguna. Patty, her daughter, was born and raised here and also met her husband, Laguna Beach native, John Enfield. John is also an artist and you can often find him in the booth whittling away at his latest creation. Clearly John is a wood worker and his specialty is carving and shaping beautiful cutting boards, chopsticks and other items. I thought the cutting boards with inlayed designs were ideal for the foodies and chefs on my list.

Jane and Patty Slowsky

sloweskyglassart@cox.net

949.494.6601

John B. Enfield

949.338.6899

Next we wandered into Steve Dennis' booth where the tall walls were lined with brightly-colored birdhouses. Don't get the wrong idea, these aren't your ordinary birdhouses, these are made from repurposed wood, garden tools and other trinkets. Much of the wood is 100 years old and carries with it all the character of that time. Steve crafts all of the houses by hand and each one is a one-of-a-kind piece of art. These are perfect for not just the garden enthusiast on your list but also for the home decorator who values pieces with turn of the century and mid-century sensibilities. Steve does not show at the summer festival, so be sure to catch him at this year's Winter Fantasy.

Steve Dennis

323.934.7665

Over at Alex Fritz's booth we fell in love with his intricate lamp work glass. He has a wide selection of bottle stoppers ranging from swirl and spiral designs to tidepool and critter-inspired ones topped with frogs and geckos. He also has a collection of custom wine glasses featuring his detailed glasswork on the stems. If you think you might recognize Alex’s work you are probably correct, he has exhibited at Art-a-Fair for the last three years, and this is his second year at Sawdust Winter Fantasy.

As you make your way through the festival grounds you’ll hear live music from strolling carolers or from one of the three outdoor stages.

Andrew Corradini

There really is something for everyone at the Sawdust Art Festival Winter Fantasy so load up your kids or grab a friend or two and head out this weekend to the Sawdust Festival.

Sawdust Winter Fantasy

Open weekends through December 9^th

10am to 6pm

Tickets: $6 Adults, $5 Seniors, $3 Children (6-12)

For a full listing of daily events click HERE 

Bring an unwrapped gift for Toys for Tots on Sunday November 25, December 2 or December 9 and receive free admission.

By Anne-Marie S.

Summer 2012 Art Festivals

Art-A-Fair

777 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

June 29 - September 2

10am-9pm, Sunday – Thursday

10am-10pm, Friday and Saturday

As always Art-A-Fair brings together international, national and local artists for a compelling display of art. Ranging from paintings and photography to ceramics, textiles and jewelry this festival has something for everyone. In the shaded and garden-like grounds of Art-A-Fair it’s easy to get lost in the aisles of artwork that surround you as you explore looking for your next treasure. This year the work of Bonnie Leigh caught my eye. She carves and paints intricate sculptures from gourds. Some of the pieces can take over a year to make, depending on how long it takes for the gourd to dry.

Another artist who caught my eye was Melissa Culley. She creates delicate and gorgeous teapots that look like angel fish. Each one is unique and utterly breathtaking.

Sawdust Art Festival 

935 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

June 29 – September 2

10am – 10pm, Daily

The Sawdust Art Festival showcases arts and crafts from 200 artists that live and work right here in Laguna Beach. This year they welcomed  quite a few new artists to the mix.  As I wandered the grounds, I came across two artists I haven’t seen before, Art Zdanowski a photographer, and Michele Holt a mixed media artist.

Art’s eye for capturing the stunning imagery of nature is unparalleled. In fact his photo of the iconic Laguna Beach lifeguard tower won him a blue ribbon at the Orange County Fair in 2011. It took him nearly 8 months to find just the right moment when the clouds formed and the sun began to set behind the tower to capture the perfect image. See this and many other images from around the world at his booth.

Michelle’s work is an eclectic mix of textiles, signs and paintings. All her work has an eastern organic flare to it that is both colorful and vibrant. Michele specifically focuses on the ancient art of batik and dye-making peace flags and hemp pillows.

Festival of Arts

650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach

July 1 –August 31

10am – 11:30pm, Daily

This year Festival of Arts celebrates its 80^th year! Again they bring us some of the finest artwork from 140 of the area’s artists. New to this year’s show is the ability to listen to pre-recorded interviews with select artists on your mobile phone. I loved getting a window into the artists mind and finding out what inspires their work and motivates their creativity.  Also new this year is TGIF@FOA which is a celebration of the weekend with craft beer, pretzels and folk music. It’s a fun way to ring in each and every weekend throughout the summer.

Passport to the Arts 

Don’t miss a moment of the festivals! Return again and again for the special events and food with the Passport to the Arts. The Passport gets you unlimited admission throughout the summer to all three festivals plus a one-time parking pass at ACT V for $21.50

By Anne-Marie S.

Laguna Beach Arts and Culture featured at John Wayne Airport

The Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau formed a committee of the major non-profit arts destinations of Laguna Beach to showcase Laguna’s art past and present as part of John Wayne Airport’s exhibition program titled: “Orange County: Destination Art & Culture.”  The exhibit debuts on July 15^th, 2012, and runs through October of this year.

The Laguna Beach exhibit entitled “A Legacy of Art” features – Laguna Beach Yesterday, Laguna Beach Today and images from Sawdust Art Festival, Art-A-Fair, Festival of Arts/Pageant of the Masters, The Laguna Playhouse and Laguna Art Museum, dating from 1904 to the present.

John Wayne Airport Orange County launched the new program in conjunction with the opening of its new Terminal C in November 2011. The program allows the airport to highlight Orange County’s non-profit arts and cultural venues to the millions of passengers and visitors who travel through the airport each year.

“Laguna Beach has long been synonymous with the arts – both visual and performing,” said Alan L. Murphy, Airport Director. “We are delighted to help showcase these amazing venues and hope that passengers and local residents alike will be moved to see some of them first-hand in beautiful Laguna Beach.”

The 11 wall-mounted art display cases are located along a pedestrian walkway between Terminal B & C ticket counters, prior to the security checkpoints, and are open to the general public for viewing.

“We are honored that Laguna Beach has been chosen to feature its wealth of arts and cultural organizations in the summer/fall 2012 exhibit at John Wayne Airport,” said Judith Bijlani, president and CEO of the Laguna Beach Visitors & Conference Bureau.

Cynthia Fung, exhibit curator and Marketing Director for Sawdust Art Festival, explained “the showcases tell the story of the arts of Laguna Beach and the history of our festivals through both two and three- dimensional works of art and photographs.”

Sawdust Winter Fantasy 2011

The Sawdust Winter Fantasy is in full swing! It’s the perfect weekend outing that the entire family can enjoy. With over 170 artisans who create and showcase original works of art, you are sure to find unique gifts for everyone on your list. The Winter Fantasy has become an annual tradition for my family with my kids eagerly anticipating the trip to this cheerful wonderland.

If you have been to Sawdust’s summer festival you will notice that as soon as you walk into the Winter Fantasy things look a little different. The center of the festival grounds is transformed into a Winter Wonderland called Towne Square. Here you’ll find Santa’s Sleigh, a life-size playhouse, a reindeer barn, Santa’s house (complete with Santa!), decorated community trees and even falling snow. My husband and I look forward to the great photo ops in Towne Square perfect for our holiday cards.

Snow flurries at the Winter Fantasy

My kids enjoy all of the special holiday-themed activities at the Ceramic Center and Children’s Art Spot. This year they chose to make air-dry clay ornaments.

Mary Marquez, an artist and exhibitor at the festival, helped my girls make their ornaments at the Children’s Art Spot. She was extremely helpful and explained each step of the process for making the ornaments. Even my 2-year old was able to make ornaments with her help. I just love the small community feel this places offers.

Another highlight for the kids was getting balloon animals made by Balloon Diva, April Strong.

We stopped by a must see at Sawdust, Patti’s People. The kids got a real kick out of seeing all their favorite cartoon characters and super heroes made into clay ornaments. Patti makes custom ornaments for you that make the perfect gift!

We wandered over at Brett Keast’s booth after listening to live music at the Main Entertainment Deck. There we found a variety of island-inspired artwork.

These holiday stockings are made from leftover materials from Brett’s
swimwear collection, Tidepool Swimwear.

After enjoying hot cocoa and a visit with Santa we headed home with our hearts full of holiday cheer. Thank you Sawdust for getting us in the spirit and for all of the great family memories!

Be sure to visit the Sawdust Winter Fantasy 

Open weekends only: November 19 & 20, 25-27; December 3 & 4, 9-11, 2011
10am to 6pm

$6 Adult one-day; $5 Senior one-day (65+); $3 Children (6-12); FREE Children (5 & under); $9 Season pass

Information Line: (949) 494-3030

note: this is an outdoor festival.

By Anne-Marie S.

Sawdust Art Festival 2011

The 45^th summer Sawdust Art Festival is here!!! As always, my entire family was eager to head over to the festival to see what this year’s show had in store.  With over 200 artists, 30 of them new exhibitors, I knew that we would all find something to enjoy.

For the kids their all-time favorite Sawdust Art Festival activity is the Ceramic Canter’s potters wheel. Here, they get to have a hands-on experience with throwing clay. We opted for the $15 option, so we could get the clay fired, glazed and shipped to our home. The kids are now starting a collection of bowls and cups that they've made over the years at Sawdust.

I always look forward to seeing what the new theme will be at the Patch Toe ring booth. This year it is 'Toe Story.’

See if you can find all the toe rings.

This year I brought my sister along for her first visit to Sawdust. She fell in love from the moment we crossed through the front gates. The Sawdust Art Festival seems to have that affect on people. You get transported to another place while inside…its walls under the canopy of eucalyptus trees, the feeling of wood chips under your feet and music floating in the air.

My sis gravitated toward the Earl Reid booth where his sterling silver and gold hair comb clips are one of the most popular items at the festival.

By far, the most exciting part of our day at Sawdust was learning about rings that were passed down to us from our Mother. When I began writing for the Laguna Beach Visitors Bureau my mom told me that the rings she had given my sister and I were purchased at the Sawdust Art Festival in the 70s. So this year my mission was to find the jeweler that made those rings. And we did! John Skaggs has been exhibiting at Sawdust for over 40 years making beautiful jewelry. His stylized rings are recognized by Laguna Beach locals and as soon as we walked up to his booth, we knew that we had found the jeweler that made our mom’s rings.

John Skaggs’ stylized rings

Mom’s ring from the 70’s

Another family favorite are the sculptures of Dion and Ruth Wright. We enjoy seeing the creative ways they manipulate sterling silver utensils and other common items into all sorts of sculptures. My twins especially liked the Pegasus and fish. You can often find Dion and Ruth working right in their booths manipulating metal.

After our first of what I am sure will be many visits to the 45^th Sawdust Art Festival, it looks like it's going to be an exciting year!

Sawdust Festival

Open now through August 28^th

10am to 10pm Daily

Mark your Calendars for these special events:

Wine-tasting Wednesdays - Every Wednesday, 6-10 pm

Hawaiian Surf Day – Saturday, July 9

Green Day – Saturday, July 23

80s Day – Thursday, August 4

Artists' Benevolence Fund Auction - Sunday, August 7, 2-5 pm

Beatles Day - Saturday, August 20

Original Collectors' Panels Auction - Sunday, August 21, 3-5 pm

Honda Car Raffle - Sunday, August 28, 4 pm

For complete listing of Special Events HERE 

A Passport to the Arts season pass can be purchased for $19 and allows unlimited access to Art-A-Fair, Sawdust Art Festival and Festival of Arts all summer long. You will also receive a free, one-time parking pass and various merchant discounts around town.

By Anne-Marie S.

Art with Mom

I grew up in a home where there was always a craft or project being worked on. For every holiday or birthday, we made our gifts. Ranging from baked goods to candles, soaps, and jewelry. My mother instilled in us an appreciation for the creative process and the pleasure of giving something that your hands fashioned. I’ve kept that with me into my adult life and jump at any chance to create.

On my mom’s recent visit to Southern California I knew I had to take her to experience a Sawdust Studio Art Class at the Sawdust Art Festival grounds. The classes offer the rare opportunity to work with real artists to create your very own piece of art. Classes range from jewelry making, ceramics, fused glass, print making and even glass blowing. I had taken a class on copper jewelry making a few months ago and now I had the opportunity to take my mom to one of these fabulous classes.

We arrived in the canyon on a perfect Laguna day…bright blue skies, a light breeze and a comfortable 71 degrees.  (It may seem like I say this often, but the weather is truly amazing in Laguna Beach! Every time I come into town I am reminded of the pure beauty of this coastal village.) Mom hadn’t been on the festival grounds since 1974, even before I was born, but thought it still held all the charm and wonder that she remembered. Once in class, we were acquainted with our artist and teacher for the day, Lorraine Hornby. She is a gemologist and jewelry maker from Laguna Beach. We were learning about water casting, one of the oldest forms of jewelry making. We would be taking silver, heating it to a temperature of at least 1600 degrees and then pouring it into cold water. How fantastic! Lorraine introduced us to the torch and how to use it and adjust the intensity.

Next she demonstrated how to use the torch to heat the small silver pellets down to molten metal using the torch and a crucible.

Once the metal was heated completely the crucible is lowered and the metal poured into water. The shape of your now hardened metal will depend on the height and speed of the pour. It was a surprise when you would reach into the pot of water to pull out the metal and see what treasure you’ve created. Not one piece in the class came out the same.

Next, we jumped deeper into the creative process by deciding how to transform our silver pieces into a pendant or broach. I decided to use one small bead and a jump ring to turn mine into a broach.

Mom decided to add two beads and a pin to transform her piece into a lovely broach.

Wearing our finished art pieces, mom and I walked out of the festival grounds feeling like an artist, even if it was for just one day.

Sawdust Studio Art Classes are offered every Friday and Saturday at 10am and 2pm. Visit the website for more information and register for classes.

By Anne-Marie S.