The Sawdust Artwork Pageant began within the mid-Sixties as a response to — or a “revolt,” as one of many collaborating artists put it — Laguna Seashore’s extra uppity Pageant of the Arts, dwelling to the long-running living-pictures present often called the Pageant of the Masters. At present, it’s a professionally-run affair, a spot to hold and drink and dine as a lot as it’s to discover handmade artwork.
And within the winter, its hippie edge is arguably softened somewhat extra. For that’s when Santa Claus strikes in for 5 weekends all through November and December.
Kids discover the gingerbread home at Sawdust Winter Fantasy.
Millie Johnson, 5, and Gunner Johnson, 9, fifth-generation Laguna Seashore residents, sit on Santa’s lap.
However regardless of, if Sawdust is now not a feisty little upstart it as soon as was, it’s nonetheless a house for anything-goes, left of heart artwork. Extra engaging: To step into Sawdust is to wander right into a theme park-like world of winding paths lined in wooden chips, one the place artists cubicles are customary as mini cottages and each flip is filled with surprises — psychedelic ceramic mushrooms nest round one bend, a waterfall and a live performance stage round one other.
Sawdust is an artist-filled wonderland, and by no means is that extra obvious than throughout its Winter Fantasy occasion, which is able to wrap Dec. 21. Christmas lights glisten, a communal tree beckons to be embellished and a marionette handler wanders the grounds. Artist cubicles place an emphasis on smaller, gift-ready gadgets — suppose ornaments, colourful sweet dishes, mini plates designed to nest a wine bottle — however Sawdust’s Winter Fantasy stops simply wanting going full vacation social gathering, as that is nonetheless an art-driven occasion the place one can be a part of a pop-up ceramic class or crowd round a desk and join with strangers for a portray session.
“Sawdust is an expertise,” says the competition’s President Jay Grant, noting that even at this time it conjures a special vibe than the concrete grounds of the close by Pageant of the Arts. “You stroll by way of the entrance gate and also you’ve obtained sawdust-strewn paths. You’ve obtained a country village. You’ve obtained waterfalls. You’ve obtained three phases, and also you’ve obtained demonstrations happening. There’s an pleasure to watching artists create their artwork.”
And if one is just too shy to carry out their internal artist, they will grasp with a spiced wine within the eating alcove.
Sawdust’s winter version launched in 1991, though the crew had been speaking about it for the reason that ’70s, says Grant, who has been concerned with the competition for 52 years, first as a gross sales supervisor however sometimes as a collaborating artist promoting ceramics and wind chimes. As for why a vacation occasion took about twenty years to get off the bottom, Grant cops to being a “canyon hippie” and says, “We took it one 12 months at a time.” It’s shifted through the years — there have been stilt walkers for a bit, and Sawdust’s historic website notes there was as soon as a mascot in “Jelf,” half jester, half elf.
Petey the canine peeks out as his house owners, Erick and Natasha Blaha, not pictured, purchase paintings from artist Tim Hahne.
Jelf didn’t stick round lengthy, and when requested why there’s no formal mascot at this time, Grant laughs. “Now we have sufficient characters simply within the artists themselves right here,” he says. “We don’t want to rent any characters. They’re a number of the most eclectic, attention-grabbing ex-hippies.”
Muffin Spencer-Devlin might not be an ex-hippie, however she is a former professional golfer, as soon as an outspoken superstar persona on the tour. At present, she’s a Laguna Seashore resident and a full-time glass artist, her work experimenting with dashes of colour trapped all through her creations. I met Spencer-Devlin whereas eyeing her tiny glass angels with multicolored hearts.
Glasswork began as a ardour venture, however then turned a second profession for Spencer-Devlin. “I want it was a pastime,” she says with amusing. “I’ve to make a residing one way or the other. I didn’t save all that cash that I made, however I’ve been actually good at spending it.”
She’s been attending Sawdust for the reason that mid-2000s, and labored as an apprentice glass artist earlier than ultimately beginning to promote her personal work round 2009. The occasion has been a refuge, she says.
“I felt like I had discovered my peeps,” she says, “the people who I resonated with. Anytime I had an opportunity in these days, I used to be speaking glass with any person, and there have been every kind of individuals to do it with right here, so it was an training for me.”
1. Shamus Skoch, a discovered object artist, shows his work. 2. Gabe Sullivan is a high quality artwork photographer and director. 3. Michelle Burt, an expressive impressionist artist based mostly in Laguna Seashore, stands in her sales space. 4. Artist Lupe Blanton makes ceramic backyard artwork.
Folkloric and kooky ceramic artist Lilia Venier has been exhibiting at Sawdust’s winter fest for 22 years. Sawdust’s predominant summer season occasion permits solely Laguna Seashore residents to have a sales space, however within the winter, the competition is open to these from different cities. Venier, based mostly in La Crescenta, has discovered it welcoming, a lot in order that Sawdust Winter Fantasy is essentially the most profitable present the full-time artist presents at.
“The individuals who go there are very loyal,” says Venier, who additionally teaches on the Inventive Arts Group in Sierra Madre. “Yearly, individuals come to see me and say, ‘What do you’ve gotten this time?’ I’ve clients in Laguna which have 40 to 50 items of mine. It’s essential that competition. It’s individuals who get what I do.”
Sawdust is on the verge of turning 60, which it should do when it returns to Laguna Seashore subsequent summer season. It continues to evolve.
“Sawdust was a sort of revolt from the Pageant, which was first. That’s very high-end and fashionable,” says Venier, when requested how the competition has modified in her twenty years of coming. “The Sawdust is extra artful. After I began, there have been plenty of artists who have been hippies. They have been having enjoyable, promoting browsing clothes. You recognize, hippies on the seaside. There’s not many anymore — a number of.”
David Zhang holds his granddaughter Zoey Huang, 5, whereas viewing Santa.
A priority amongst many artists was the price of residing in Laguna Seashore, which has Grant questioning methods to get youthful artists concerned once they can’t afford to dwell inside metropolis limits. As Sawdust heads into its sixth decade, Grant acknowledged they might have to chill out some guidelines for the summer season exhibition, comparable to permitting non-Laguna residents to current.
“There’s every kind of concepts,” he says of attempting to recruit youthful artists.
However no main adjustments are but on the docket for subsequent season. Sawdust remains to be, in spite of everything these many years, taking it one 12 months at a time.
