View from the loft at Sawdust

CHERRIL DOTY

My View from the Loft at the Sawdust Festival this year opens me to

marvelous and sometimes mysterious vistas.

First, let me explain the “view” thing. The wonderful found-object

sculptor, James Koch, has chosen to be with his father in Wisconsin

this summer following the death of his stepmother. Being the creative

person he is, this has opened up new possibilities, one of which is

his column in the local paper there titled View from the Stump. Not

to be outdone, artist Susan Wade and I decided to have our own

versions of this.

Susan, whose booth is under the entertainment deck, next to the

beautiful small pond there, has named her writing spot, the View from

the Lesser Pond. My own vista stretches from an elevation on the

slope easing down from the glass demonstration booth to the front of

the grounds -- and beyond to the hillsides across Laguna Canyon.

Long summer days are upon us, and we have lengthy hours of

observation time from our two perches. As I continue to chase down

the muse, here is the first of my views from the loft.

This year, there are 211 artists in the Sawdust Festival. I’m sure

it is often difficult for visitors to take it all in on one visit.

Sometimes I hear that it’s always the same old stuff. Yet, from my

experience, new and returning artists alike are pushing their own

creative envelopes, experimenting, and exploring. It may take a

closer view to see the different and new.

From my loft I can see many of the booths of this year’s new

artists. There are 31 adventurous new artists this year, and I can

directly see eight of these from my loft. Rachel Goberman has

beautiful handmade jewelry at reasonable prices. I can see the

pleasure she finds in creating and sharing these beautiful pieces as

I watch her with customers. Penny Steris’ Pineapple Kid line of baby

items draws a steady crowd of young parents and doting grandparents

to her homey booth.

The gift of image and color found in Amanda Burke’s unusual

paintings draws my eye in glimpses of the edges from my aerie. On the

other side of my view, uphill, I can see the unusual shapes in the

young Katlin Evans’ paintings. With their primarily neutral shades,

they might be overlooked, but I find my eye returning again and again

to study the images there.

Past Katlin’s booth in the grounds’ sole pomegranate tree --

almost lost among the giant eucalyptus -- is the booth of the new

glass blower, Christopher Jeffries. This young man brings yet another

expression to the fine glass art to be found in the festival each

year. With his quick smile, he is a welcome addition.

Another new artist in my view corridor is photographer Jay Panish.

From my spot at a distance, his black and white images seem all

contrasting, angular, geometric shapes. Then there are the graceful

paintings of Amy Jackson. Jeweler Hodel Perlman rounds out my view.

She creates unusual pieces in silver and leather on display in the

booth that she shares with returning artist Nicole McQuaid.

These are just a few of the new artists exhibiting at the Sawdust

Festival this year. In fact, these are only the ones in my “view.”

There are some 23 more. A vast array of creative talents from

returning and new artists is here for the seeking.

At times I think my view is a luxury, for I find myself looking

more closely at the work of these artists nearby. I can well imagine

that it is hard for a visitor to really see the work of so many

artists in just one visit. I count myself lucky to have the nine

weeks of the show for looking. I only hope that I will put this good

fortune into play and get out of my loft to check it all out. I have

no doubt that my own creative urges will be sparked and challenged by

what I see

I hope I have titillated the reader with this spare listing of

some of the new artists at the Sawdust Festival this year. Perhaps

you can come out to our grove in the canyon and do some exploring.

And if you see someone staring out into open space, it just might

be me. Please stop in and say hi. I’m sharing booth No. 148 with

mixed-media artist Michele Taylor. So long from my View from the

Loft.

* CHERRIL DOTY is a creative life coach and artist, exploring the

mysteries of life as they come. You can reach her by e-mail at

cherril@cherrildoty.com or by calling (949) 251-3883.