Plenty to view this time of year

EYE ON ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Holy head spin, there’s so much going on in Laguna Beach in the

coming week that even the biggest do-er, i.e. my mom, would have a

hard time fitting everything in while still having time to breathe.

Last night’s Art Walk was a great precursor to the week to come.

Getting another chance to enjoy the “Menage a trois” experience at

Marion Meyer Contemporary Art was fantastic. There’s still the

fireworks to look forward to. I’ll be up at Heisler park, a joy I

look forward to every year.

DE JA VIEW

I didn’t have enough time during Art Walk to get one final look at

the exciting exhibits at Laguna Art Museum, which will be taken down

Sunday.

When I went back for a closer look at “Waking Dreams: The Art of

Leonard Kaplan” I discovered new elements. Kaplan’s work has a

surreal essence making it intriguing and inviting.

“Whiteness” is a sociology/psychology/history hybrid of thoughts

about the concept of being white in our country.

“Greetings from Laguna Beach” is an exploration of Laguna since

the 1900s, it’s transcendent, taking me back to what it would be like

to live in Laguna Beach during these different times.

NEW VIEW PREVIEW

Saturday night should be an absolute blast at the Festival of Arts

preview party. It’s a great chance to check everything out, see the

artists, chat with them about their work and check out the new

artists and things going on at the Festival. It’s another reunion

event in the Festival realm that happens at the beginning of the art

season. It’s exciting to see the artist’s new work. Though I’ll be

thrilled to check out all the renowned artists, I am especially

looking forward to seeing Tim Shockley, Anne England, Christopher

Schultz and Chris Hoy, as well as work by Bill Agee, Ken Auster, Hedy

Buzan, Mark Kerckhoff and Pat Sparkhul.

Last year at one of the Festival of Arts Youth Art Education days,

I had the opportunity to chat with instructor Kerckhoff, while he was

teaching a plein air class. I really enjoyed his philosophy of

letting the kids create and not limiting themselves to staying within

the lines, so to speak. He really encouraged creativity and

individuality. The kids were digging the day.

There are a plethora of special events going on at all the

Festivals -- from classical music, jazz and wine tasting and youth

art education and workshops to the wine and jazz, rock and eclectic

music, one could spend a lot of time at the festivals.

THE PLEIN VIEW

Another event to keep an eye on is the fifth annual Laguna Beach

Plein Air Painting Invitational. The invitational will be happening

throughout Laguna all week, with 50 top plein air painters from

around the country, going around town painting and participating in

different events. Laguna Art Museum and the Laguna Beach Plein Air

Painters Assn. host the event.

The opening of the Pageant of the Masters is next week and is

always an experience that astounds me. Though I’ve seen previews,

tiny snippets and backstage happenings, I always can’t wait to see

the entire show. This year’s theme “Seasons” should offer a lot of

interesting pieces.

Wow, my plate is full and I like what is being served.