Laguna Art Museum

After 13 years, the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. will no longer host its annual Plein Air Invitational with the Laguna Art Museum. The association, known as LPAPA, first got word about the decision in December, according to President Greg Vail. It's already had discussions to continue the event at Aliso Creek Inn & Golf Course, which itself is in the midst of a pending sale. The decision was made official earlier this month, Vail said. Several things were cited as a reason, he said.

Laguna Art Museum 307 Cliff Drive (949) 494-8971 http://www.lagunaartmuseum.org Open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays and Fridays through Sundays; 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursdays; and closed Wednesdays. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for seniors, students and active military. Children younger than 12 are admitted for free. The museum is closed on the Fourth of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's days. Through Jan. 20: Two new exhibits, watercolors by "Timothy J. Clark" and "ex·pose: Macha Suzuki," sculptures by the artist, will be on display.

One newcomer to local politics and one veteran were featured in news stories from the day they announced their candidacies for City Council until the day they were installed. There are similarities between newly seated councilmen Robert Whalen and Steven Dicterow. Both are attorneys, both have raised their children in Laguna, and both have a histories of local public service. Both consider fiscal stability and public safety to be priorities. The Laguna Beach Police Employees and the Orange County Professional Firefighters Assns.

Why wouldn't you want a water-spitting hippo? People shop in Laguna Beach during Christmas for a reason: We have weird stuff. So if you are still shopping for last-minute gifts, here are some hand-picked, original suggestions sure to enliven every holiday gift exchange. Some, however, may not be appropriate for the office party. Dave's annual top 10 skewed Laguna gifts: No. 10 : Succulent crosses, Blast Consignment, 1936 S. Coast Hwy.; $250. Starting off in a sacred mood, consider these works sustainable spirituality.

The museum that William Wendt helped to create has taken in another of his works. Last week, the Laguna Art Museum announced it has added an untitled 1933 oil painting by Wendt to its collection. Montebello residents Robert and Shirley Foster, who received the painting from the estate of their friend Janet W. Wood, donated it to the museum because of Wendt's strong connection to Laguna Beach. The artist, who came to the United States from Germany in 1880, co-founded the Laguna Beach Art Assn.

Revamped museum store offers discounts Laguna Art Museum's revamped museum store officially reopened Nov. 3, according to a news release. The new shop sells affordable and portable local gifts that are reflective of Laguna Beach. Items and local artists featured in the store include jewelry by Ray Caruso, Karen Feuer-Schwager, Adam Kaplan and Hodel McRae; glass and ceramics by John Barber, Jesse Bartels and James Lashley; totes and bags by Leanne Belyn, Jeremy Fish, Rosalie Marsh-Boinus and Macha Suzuki; and scarves by Erica and Olivia Batchelder, according to release.

Ferdinand Deppe's painting of the San Gabriel Mission underwent a long journey before landing in the Laguna Art Museum's permanent collection. But it didn't always travel first-class. In fact, when collector Nancy Moure first encountered the painting two decades ago at a gallery in Pasadena, the dealer told her that the painting had recently been found in a drawer. And not to protect it from sunlight or dust - the painting was serving as the liner of the drawer. Moure, though, saw a unique value in the piece and gladly shelled out for it. Thanks to her efforts, Deppe's landscape, which curator Janet Blake believes to be the oldest oil painting completed in California, has a home in the vault at 307 Cliff Drive.