Lovely in Laguna

Returned to Laguna Beach for first Thursday Artwalk on August 1. First trip a few days prior was to scope out the galleries, restaurants and the town with the family in tow including my two nieces ages 11 and 9 and my mother-in-law. Plenty of activity and sights to see that are breathtaking and suitable for all ages.

The Artwalk was very well attended, although one of the gallery owners said the turn out was light in comparison to other Artwalk evenings but I still thought the volume of gallery-goers was impressive.

The appeal of the galleries in Laguna Beach is that they are plentiful and offer something for everyone. Landscapes, still lifes, portraits, sculpture, emerging artists, established, local or international, you will find it all in Laguna Beach.

In the heart of the gallery district towards the North end of town was the Laguna Art Museum, which was one of the happening places to be that night. Complete with proper a first Thursday Art Walk celebration and a DJ,  hundreds of eager art lovers flocked to see "Faux Real,"  a collection of works by contemporary artists who mimic reality with a playful twist, in the process raising questions of authenticity and duplication.

The exhibition includes the following participating artists: Michael Arcega, Sandow Birk, Libby Black, Amy Caterina, Daniel Douke, Ala Ebtekar, Cheryl Ekstrom, David Gilhooly, Jean Lowe, Gifford Myers, Kaz Oshiro, Elyse Pignolet, Walter Robinson, and Stephanie Syjuco. 

Head over to the Museum's website to check out the information on the show and more images. www.lagunaartmuseum.org.

A playful twist just about sums up the eclectic mix of art on view at The George Gallery, located a few doors down and across the street on N. Coast Highway. For starters, The George Gallery is named for a woman literary figure, Aurora Dupin who wrote under the male pseudonym George Sand. The gallery represents women artists who create within a wide range: Some boldly portray aggressive sexuality and parodies of domesticity while others deliver art that is, like Ms. Sand’s, uncannily and ironically gender neutral.

And how.

Gallery director Jared Linge gave us an overview of the current show on view "Flux/Quirk". Work from the various artists, emerging and established, belong to the permanent collection of the Eli Broad Collection in LA and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, delivers a taste of life’s flux --- and each does so in her unique way. 

Have a look at the work on the walls:

Carla Gannis, "Everything that Rises must Converge," 50 1/2 x 39 inches, archival inkjet print

Teresa Hackett, Drawing #4

I would post more photos from this gallery as we definitely enjoyed our visit and many of the work there, but I also want to be fair to the other galleries there....

 We had a nice chat with Janine Salzman at Studio 7 that offered a wide range of work from local artists. Beautiful landscapes, local scenes, beach scenes, still lifes and more. Here, she's pictured with some of her work that was on view. The gallery is at 384 N. Coast Highway and has a second location at 1590 South Coast Highway both in Laguna Beach. Website is www.studio7gallery.com.

Janie's paintings are in permanent collections in Newport Beach and has won many awards. www.janinesalzman.com

 Mada Leach was at the opening showing her work at Sandstone Gallery at 384 A North Coast Highway a few doors down. Mada's work, after she explained to us her technique, was rather intricate. Pleasant surprise. More than meets the eye going on in her work.

 Here, gallery artist Lynn Welker is pictured next to her painting entitled "Warm Glow," a mixed media acrylic, gouache. We had a nice conversation about the art in the gallery and were grateful for her time and help in giving us an overview of the work and the artists shown at the gallery. Check out www.sandstonegallery.com for the list of artists, links and images.