Experiencing Joy Through Art

   Good morning! I hope this summer Wednesday finds you well and enjoying your week so far. Last evening, I attended the Festival of the Arts in Laguna Beach as well as the showing of the Pageant of the Masters. For anyone who has never been, let me tell you this is always one of the highlights of my summer! 

   The Pageant of the Masters is a blog entry in its own right, so for now let me just say it was wonderful! The 90 minute show of Tableaux Vivant (“living pictures”) is something everyone should see at least once in their life. For today’s blog entry though, I want to share with you some highlights of the Festival of the Arts. 

   Held in Laguna Beach, CA each summer since 1932, the Festival of the Arts is a showcase of some of the most talented artists from that area of Orange County. The range of work is quite varied and runs the gamut from traditional painting and drawing to glass making, jewelry and hand-made furniture. Artists must be juried into the show by judges and being in the FoA carries a certain level of prestige for artists in Southern California. I'd like to share with you some of the beautiful works and talented artists I saw there this year…

   As a lover of the pastel medium myself, I have always admired the work of Mary Aslin since first seeing her paintings at the Festival in 2009. Her still lifes of flowers are so incredibly beautiful with the way she captures light and color and so much more comes through than just a painting of objects. To see the work in person is a special treat. She is clearly a master of her craft. It is my good fortune to have gotten to know and become friends with Mary over the past six seasons, and she is a dear, sweet lady. 

“The Abundance of a Summer Afternoon” • Mary Aslin

   Josh Corbin was also at the Festival last night and I have really enjoyed looking at his work there for the past several years as well. I met Josh in person for the first time yesterday and he is a genuinely nice guy. His work his fantastic as well as captivating. The interesting mix of past and futuristic elements that comprise his paintings make them really unique and memorable. In talking to him, I learned that he creates a story behind each work that is meaningful to him before he begins a painting. That thoughtfulness comes through in his art and creates real depth in his works.

“Estate of Mind” • Josh Corbin

   Another notable stand-out were the paintings of Michael Situ. His landscapes are filled with color and atmosphere that captures that elusive quality that seems to be unique to Southern California sunlight. At this year's show he was there doing a demonstration which I loved! It is always a wonderful experience to see an artist at work while he or she creates one of their masterpieces. Each artist is so different in how they approach their technique, and to see that in progress helps humanize the finished pieces hanging on the gallery wall. 

“Spring in Heisler Park” • Michael Situ

   Finally, I always enjoy seeing the work of Stephanie Cunningham and Betty Haight known collectively as Cunningham-Haight. As far as I know, they are the only collaborative effort in the Festival of Arts, and their work is very unique. They paint each painting separately with Haight doing figural work and Cunningham doing landscapes. They then meet up periodically to mix, match and test out different combinations of their painting. Once they find the perfect match the pieces are joined into a single work and framed. What a neat idea! Despite each artist having her own voice, the works seem to marry seamlessly and each one tells a story that is printed on a tag on the back of the artwork. Their art has been featured on the sets of many films and TV shows as well as being in private collections.

“Magic Tiger” • Cunningham-Haight

   There are far too many wonderful artists at the show to cover in one blog post. I will cover additional ones in the future. Art however, is so subjective, and many of these are my personal favorites. If you are in Southern CA and can get to the Festival, I encourage you to go and find your own beauty!