At 94, Festival of Arts still bursts with life and creativity

By Daniella Walsh, Laguna Woods Globe

Laguna Beach’s venerable Festival of Arts is celebrating its 94th year. Once again, more than 120 artists are displaying works in a wide array of media – painting and printmaking, drawing and photography, glass, ceramics, jewelry, sculpture, furniture and multimedia pieces.

More than a dozen newcomers have joined the festival this year, including Marjan Rajaei, who introduces viewers to intriguing combinations of Persian and Western painting and motifs (Booth 83).

Many show stalwarts are back, like mosaic sculptor Marlo Bartels (Booth 31) and furniture sculptor Randy Bader (Booth 116).

Others, like James Hendershott, can be described as still fairly new. Last year, he introduced urban vistas centered on the industrial soul of Long Beach and its harbor. This year, he follows the same path; his painting of a calm cat sitting before an open window looking onto a fire-spouting electrical plant is a thought-provoking example (Booth 13).

Given the Village’s sizable number of artists, it’s not surprising to find three residents who have booths here.

Sheri Cohen designs and makes jewelry that is hard to resist. Rings and intricate necklaces made from bronze or sterling silver and exotic stones with names like wulfenite are created to look fantastic on anyone, she says: “I can do with bronze what others can do with gold.”

Those with a penchant for exotic heart-shaped stones can find them in her booth. “I am a heart girl,” Cohen said, holding an intricate mixed-metal pin (Booth 59).

Mike Tauber creates his appealing ceramic tiles with the eye of a painter when it comes to grout lines and glazing color and finish. His works can be found as close as Palm Springs and as far afield as Australia. They are also in the Festival of Arts Permanent Collection (Booth 15).

Photographer Rick Graves celebrates his 19th year at the festival. Known for his impressive panoramic photos, many focused on wildlife, Graves has recently trained his eyes on the track of the Grand Prix Porsche GT3 race in Long Beach.

Other images this year are from a January trek to Alaska.

“There were only a few hours of sun, but I went to take pictures of dog sledding and found a musher gracious enough to let me do long-format images of him and his dogs,” Graves said (Booth 105).

Along with Graves, 20 photographic artists with varied points of view are vying for attention at the festival. Standout Carey Schneider documents his trips to Arizona in memorable black and white shots of cowboys and the horses and cattle that form their livelihood.

“Cowboy Contemplation,” Schneider’s portrait of an old cowboy seated in a dark barn, is outstanding with its details of the man’s weathered features, the holstered pistol and the small finger missing from one hand.

“I spent my professional life in wealth management for Merrill Lynch, but after retirement, playing golf just wouldn’t cut it,” Schneider said.

He initially took color photos, but somehow they moved neither him nor others, he said. He hit his mark in black and white, not only with the cowboys but with urban and architectural photography (Booth 24).

Watercolor artist Kirsten Whalen takes inspiration from old maps, items that are threatened with extinction, along with photographs of other objects that catch her eye, to capture her fleeting dreams and fantasies in paint.

“We are at the point of lots of changes, but maps are still with us,” she said.

Whalen has been exhibiting at the festival since 2008 and is firmly rooted in the fabric of Laguna Beach and its art scene (Booth 85).

Watercolorist Becky Ryan, a third-year exhibitor, finds her inspiration locally: “There is so much beauty here, I never have to go far,” she said.

Her landscapes, some painted in plein-air and others from photographs, evidence her strong connection to nature and mastery of her medium. Note “Rosy Hills at Dawn” (Booth 36).

Repeat visitors to the festival will have noticed Michael Ward’s evolving depictions of disappearing Americana. One of his more compelling paintings is “The Land of the Free.” It might remind some of road trips through the hinterlands with its dense forests, old houses, plenty of flags and a rusting car out front, only here it’s a gleaming motorcycle.

Time at once stands still and moves on in Ward’s world (Booth 34).

Printmaker Anne Moore takes viewers into novel territory with her monoprints featuring layered forms and calligraphy melding into a personal shorthand.

“I create focal points, balance and beauty with a sense of mystery,” she said, describing the desired impact of her work (Booth 60).

Adam Whobrey’s whimsical glassworks are eye-catching. A bicycle riding octopus?

His masterpiece is an airplane made from slightly iridescent glass crafted in a process he describes as “flameworking.” Apparently that differs from glassblowing as we know it (Booth 16).

Last but not least, it’s fun to revisit Paula Collins’ newest additions of ceramic friends to a growing collection of small tile portraits of everymen and women. The crew has been growing since the pandemic, Collins said, when she started making the portraits to stave off boredom (Booth 122).

As every summer, the Festival of Arts is a treasure trove for art aficionados, newcomers to art appreciation and collectors perhaps eager to discover new talent. The grounds are fairly easy to maneuver; music and entertainment are part of the experience as are food and libations.

The display grounds may appear smaller this year, but that turns out to be an optical illusion. According to festival data, the number of exhibitors has been capped at roughly 120 for some time.

What is slightly different this year is that there are fewer large-scale works in favor of smaller ones with, as one exhibitor noted, lower price points.

“It’s easier for people to take home a treasure, and this year we appear off to a good start,” Graves said.

Last not least, and not to forget: the children’s section from kindergarteners to high school seniors to warm festivalgoers’ hearts – emerging talent in the truest sense.

For more information about the Festival of Arts, call 800-487-3378 or visit foapom.com.