The Glass artist Maggie Spencer welcomes visitors to her studio this weekend.Festival of Arts purchased Baldemar Fierro’s color photograph, “Favela Morro do Cantagalo,” an image of the slums above Ipanema Beach in Rio de Janeiro, to add to its own collection.
Fierro exemplifies a new breed of photographers, whose documentary work often reveals the incongruity of slum conditions adjacent to affluent neighborhoods, said board member and photographer Tom Lamb.
Fierro, a four-year exhibitor at the Festival of Arts, is a freelance photographer based in Laguna Beach.
The Festival’s collection spans 1,150 pieces that date back to the early 1900s.
Gallery Celebrates Racing Film
Forest and Ocean Gallery celebrates the 50th anniversary of the “Grand Prix” film with a 5-9 p.m. reception on Saturday, Oct. 4, for the unveiling of still photographs and a discussion with award-winning cinematographer John Stephens.
The exhibition and reception takes place at 480 Ocean Ave. while the short “Making of Grand Prix” will screen at the Lumberyard Restaurant, 384 Forest Ave., at 9 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 5.
For more info: www.forestoceangallery.com
Artists Open Their Studios for Visitors
The sixth annual Artists Open Studios tours resume from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4.
Take advantage of free parking at the ACT V lot in Laguna Canyon and use the shuttle to explore the studios of 31 Laguna Beach artists working in fused glass, painting, printmaking, bronze, silk painting, ceramics and wood.
The tour offers bronze lost-wax demonstrations and the opportunity to make a piece of kiln-formed glass.
For a full artist list: visit the Cultural Arts Department page at lagunabeachcity.net or call 949-497-0722.
Gallery Reception Holds Down a Beat
484 North Gallery exhibits the work of artist Steve Felix and hosts an artist reception from 7 to 10 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 7, 484 N. Coast Highway.
The opening will include special guests, The Dupp Bros, playing live, as well as food and drink.
Gallery Showcases Female Pop Artist
JoAnne Artman Gallery in October showcases the works of pop artist Marjorie Strider, one of the pioneering female figures in the Pop Art movement.
Strider stood out as a clever and critical voice, producing deceptively simple pieces that offer playful commentary on the objectifying gaze that with which many of her male counterparts approached their subjects.
The gallery is located at 326 N. Coast Highway.
Learn the Art of Mineral Painting
Classes in Nihonga, traditional Japanese mineral pigment painting, will be offered in two sessions, Oct. 16-19 and Oct. 23-26, sponsored by SEEDS Arts and Education.
Artist Judith Kruger will teach adult students how to make pigment from organic and inorganic matter, like cured shells, semi-precious minerals, exotic soils, pine soot, indigo and silica. Metallic leafing and oxidation techniques will be covered. Emphasis will be on the creation of multi-layered paintings, stemming from ancient practice, that embody the power to nurture the spirit.
Each class session, $980, will be held at 2925 Laguna Canyon Rd. For more information contact Sharael Kolberg at SEEDS: seedsed.org, e-mail, [email protected], 949-395-7116.
DeBilzan Gallery to Remain in Town
Artist William DeBilzan has recruited contemporary artist Shane Townley, who also runs his own eponymous gallery in town, to also run the DeBilzan Gallery on Forest Avenue.
Townley will also be working with the DeBilzan gallery in DelRay, Fla., and will be representing DeBilzan and his art at Art Basel Miami in Dec. 4-7, says a statement.
