After a yearlong hiatus due to the pandemic, the Festival of Arts Fine Art Show in Laguna Beach, California, is back in action. Having first opened in 1932, the Festival of Arts is one of the oldest and most beloved fine art shows in the country, offering collectors a wide range of fine arts to explore and purchase, including paintings, photography, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics and much more.
Michael Situ, Heisler Park, oil on canvas, 12 x 16"
The 2021 Fine Art Show will showcase the more than 100 artists whose works were juried into the 2020 art exhibit that was unable to be displayed last summer. Among these are works by Lyn Hiner, Mary Aslin, Susan Jarecky, Michael Situ, Pil Ho Lee, Kate Cohen, Peggy Chang, Echo Baker, Kris Lael Temple, Janine Salzman and Scott Albert, to name a few.
“We are overjoyed to reconnect our community and visitors with our exhibiting artists again this summer,” says Christine Georgantas, exhibits director at the Festival of Arts. “We missed the in-person [element] last year because of the pandemic, so this show carries inspirational importance and has generated excitement in our artists and within our entire organization.”
Pil Ho Lee, Busan Harbor, oil on canvas, 24 x 36"
Mixed media artist Brad Neal’s works combine the traditional mediums of watercolor and pen and ink line drawings. His Musee D’Orsay Café Compana, Paris transports viewers into a bustling scene of the café of the famous Paris museum, perhaps during the rush of midday. “I look for memorable places, both iconic and ordinary, to develop in my work,” says Neal. “The play of light, the balance of color and texture, the organization of space and form and how people use and animate a place all play a part in my visual vocabulary to capture the essential character of an environment.”
Lillian Anna Blouin, Oxygen O8, oil on canvas, 23 x 23"
Artist Lillian Anna Blouin says, “Science has always been a subject that fascinates me. I love learning about how the world works and how through science we break down all the complicated functions of the universe into little pieces. Because of this my art often reflects this interest.” Her series A Million Little Pieces, for example, includes still life paintings that represent the periodic table of elements. Among these is Oxygen O8, depicting multicolored paper cranes flying out of a glass pitcher. “Each painting characterizes a different element on the table, and each communicates through objects the essence of that element,” she says. “The goal of this project was to depict the unique properties of each element indirectly through symbolism and association.”
Brad Neal, Musee D’Orsay Café Compana, Paris, pen and ink and watercolor on paper, 11¾ x 10¼"
The Festival of Arts Fine Art Show takes place July 5 to September 3. Running in conjunction with the show is the Pageant of the Masters, which will be held from July 7 to September 3. —
Festival of Arts of Laguna Beach Fine Art Show
When: July 5-September 3, 2021
Where: 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, CA 92651
Information: (800) 487-3378, www.lagunafestivalofarts.org
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