A Day at the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach

Introduction

One of my favorite things to do in Laguna is my annual visit to the Sawdust Art Festival. For 58 years, the Sawdust Festival has been a main fixture of Laguna Beach art culture. Located in Laguna Canyon, tucked between the Art-A-Fair and the Boys and Girls Club, Laguna Beach artists showcase their amazing talent and skills at this relaxed, friendly, western-themed festival of art.

Laguna has long been known for its art. The Festival of Art and Pageant of the Masters have drawn art enthusiasts for decades. What makes the Sawdust Festival different is its mandate to showcase local artists’ work. It is not a juried show, and all exhibitors who apply for the summer festival must be residents of Laguna Beach. That makes it so special - I felt like I was surrounded by my talented neighbors, and I was!

When I was a girl growing up in Laguna, I admit I didn’t understand and appreciate the artwork that the Sawdust Festival showcased. The Sawdust was where my friends had summer jobs, and where I would meet up with them during a break from my job on Forest Avenue. The Sawdust was a fun place to hang out, but I didn’t really look at the jewelry, photography, textiles and painting. Now I have a huge appreciation for art and am always blown away by the skill and creativity in Laguna. There are more than 180 artists, three stages with live music, food and drink, free art classes, studios, demos and shows. The Sawdust Festival is always a great time!

Amazing Artists

The artists at the Sawdust Festival are so friendly and take the time to discuss their work with contemporaries and non-artists, like myself. It makes me feel like I am in a beautiful outdoor museum with the added benefit of having the artist right next to me, telling me the backstory of a piece, as well as how and why it came about. 

I’m always drawn to seaside paintings and particularly liked the work of Carole Boller. She is in booth 303, very close to the entrance. Carole is a delightful person, and was thrilled to talk about her beautiful pieces. I was envisioning a whole wall of her work in my tiny Laguna apartment.

Another amazing artist is David Kizziar. I was drawn into his booth because we saw a piece with the bells of Mission San Juan Capistrano. My wedding took place there, so we are always looking for art of the mission. David’s techniques of using pencil, ink, oil and more for his highly-detailed pieces is so unique and beautiful.

Along with the Sawdust Art Festival, he also exhibits at the Festival of Arts and will have another exhibition in Italy in October. I was in the presence of a true master artist as he explained his work. Thrilling.

My husband bought a great Laguna Beach themed shirt from Debra Covern. She designs and sells textiles and jewelry. The artwork on the shirt is her own. She is so friendly! I think we are going back to buy her San Clemente shirt. 

We were amazed by the terrific photography by Paul Renner. His photos of African wildlife and scenery are probably the best wildlife photography I have ever seen. His booth at the Sawdust Festival makes it seem like we’re taking a walk on the African savanna, with lions and elephants ready to come around the corner. 

Our time at the Sawdust Festival was drawing to a close, but we came upon a bright and fun small booth with a splendid artist in booth 106. Robert Holton specializes in vibrant pop-art drizzle painting for his one-of-a-kind pieces. He has worked with a great number of high-profile clients and is very successful while also supportive of other local artists and talent. I enjoyed talking with him, and thought again how lucky we are to have the chance to meet and talk with such wonderfully skilled Laguna Beach artists at the Sawdust Art Festival. 

Winter Fantasy

The summer Sawdust Art Festival runs through September 1st, and opens every day at 11am. But there’s more! The Winter Fantasy at the Sawdust runs for five weekends in November and December. I’m already looking forward to the amazing art and crafts, talent and good cheer. 

Conclusion

I’m a proud Laguna native, and cannot stress enough how great I feel having the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach. It is a true fixture of our artistic heritage and shows the talent, passion, and skills of the amazing artists of our town.