Plein

OUR LAGUNA The art on sale Saturday night at the fifth annual Plein Air Painting Invitational Gala was a link between to the Laguna Art Museum's past and its present. "The early plein air artists came to Laguna Beach because of our light, and these artists are doing the same thing," museum board member John Bing said. "And every year, the art has gotten better." Plein air artists work on location, dependent on the light, some of which is considered better than others -- France, for instance, and of course, Laguna's.

SUZIE HARRISON Don't expect a break this weekend from all the art events. The fun, popular, annual Tie-One-On event at the Festival of Arts arrives Saturday, followed later in the day by the museum's annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational. TIE-ONE-ON I have not missed Tie-One-On since its inception. It's one of the most unique art events I've ever experienced, a brilliant concept that Anne England came up with. Each Festival of Arts artist designs in their medium an original artwork using a tie as their canvas.

Professional artists will once again flock en masse to Laguna’s most scenic vistas, as the 9th Annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational takes place from Oct. 7 to 14. The annual Invitational is hosted by Laguna Art Museum and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. “It gives the public the opportunity to view 50 of the finest plein air painters in the nation, scattered throughout Laguna Beach,” said Theresa Marino, the organization’s executive director.

The Crystal Cove Alliance will hold its third annual Tropical Gala and Coastal Splendor Plein Air Invitational Art Show & Sale beginning at 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 24, on the beach at Crystal Cove. The event features great cuisine, a martini bar, and the sights and sounds of a tropical South Seas beach soiree. Coastal plein air paintings created specially for the event will be on sale. A highlight of the event will be a "raise the Martini-flag ceremony."

Suzie Harrison A plein-air invitational that organizers are calling world-class and second to none kicks off Sunday with 50 of the best painters in the country coming to town. Laguna Art Museum and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. work together for 7th annual Plein Air Painting Invitational, which benefits both nonprofits and the artists. It runs Sunday through July 17. French for "open air," plein-air painting became popular in the early 19th century and has deep roots in Laguna Beach that run through legendary artists Edgar Payne, William Griffith, Guy Rose, Joseph Kleitsch and Anna Hills.

Library art exhibit features children's plein air pastels Friends of the Laguna Beach Library is hosting an art exhibition of paintings sponsored by Laguna Outreach for Community Arts, known as LOCA. The oil pastel art pieces, depicting Main Beach, were created by third-grade students from Top of the World Elementary School. Local artist and author September McGee instructed the students in the classroom using a process of building up layers of oil pastel combined with "texturizing" techniques.

Light and color are plein-air artist Margot Lennartz's inspirations. The La Crescenta resident uses them in her oil paintings, especially one in which she has captured the brilliant oranges found in California poppies. The piece is on display in her show, "California Style" continuing until June 1 at the Boddy House Gallery in Descanso Gardens. "My favorite in the exhibit is a painting I painted at the poppy reserve in Lancaster in the Mojave Desert," she said. "It's titled 'Desert Magic, Mojave Desert in Bloom.

The 10th anniversary of the First Thursdays Art Walk will be from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday. Free shuttle service starts from the Laguna Art Museum and Bluebird Center at 6:15 p.m. and runs until 8:45 p.m. An anniversary party will be from 9 to 10:30 p.m. with live music, performances and refreshments. The party is by invitation only; e-mail events@firstthursdays artwalk.com. In addition, the city will dedicate a new piece of public art, ?Laguna Locals? by Terry Thornsley, at 5 p.m. in Crescent Bay Point Park.

For Alexandra Knoff, her new storefront is a lifelong dream come true. In Art Lab, Knoff's realm of imagination, children in particular are welcome to participate in art classes and open studio hours. Parents and adults are also free to get away from the "real world" and experiment with new art materials at the 1705 So. Coast Highway hot spot. Knoff's background as a preschool teacher and arts and crafts instructor is augmented by the experiences of her mother Heidi, who has operated a preschool in South Laguna for 32 years, and her entrepreneur father.

Musical instruments focus of gallery show A show of sculptural pieces crafted from musical instruments will run Saturday to Wednesday at Pure Color Gallery, 570 S. Coast Hwy. The works are by Rebecca Apodaca, a Laguna Beach local of Navajo/Mexican descent. The art is formed from horns, violins and fretted instruments. Apodaca is also a state-certified musical instrument-repair technician and is currently working on her certification through UC Irvine in appraisal studies of fine and decorative art, specializing in musical instruments.

Thomas Jefferson Kitts is inspired by nature. Also, given a choice, he prefers not to rely on memories, photographs or drawings. The result? A prolific 30-year career as a plein air painter. An avid follower of John Singer Sargent, Joaquín Sorolla and Anders Zorn, the Portland resident is driven by the challenges posed by this style of painting. He stands in agreement with Paul Cézanne's words: "Nature is the best instructor. " "It simply comes down to the fact that the world is more complex a place than anything I can make up in my head - I become lost in it as I paint," said Kitts, 52. "It's the closest I can come to God. " Kitts is one of 40 plein air painters who donated original work to the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn.

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.

The Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. was founded in 1996 by local artists Ken Auster, Jacobus Bass, Cynthia Britain, Saim Caglayan and John Cosby to restore landscapes to artistic prominence. It has grown beyond their wildest dreams, with 300 members and the presentation this year of the 14th annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational, in which 40 artists from across the country participated. "What really pleases me is that one visiting artist said Laguna's invitational is one of the two top plein air events in Northern America," said invitational President Greg Vail . "Plein air" is a derivation of the French phrase for open air, which is where public events in the weeklong annual invitational were held.

The annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational, a weeklong event dedicated to the art of plein-air painting, kicked off Sunday. More than 600 guests attended the Quick Draw Paint Out, which took place at Heisler Park where 40 of the nation's top plein-air artists completed their paintings in under two hours, according to a news release. A silent auction followed the paint out. "This is the first time in recent memory that we have sold every Quick Draw painting in the silent auction," said Rosemary Swimm, the executive director of Laguna Beach Plein Air Painters Assn.

Plein air painter Greg LaRock can't count the number of times he has painted Monument Point in Laguna Beach, but he never tires of the view. "It's different every time," he said. "Depending on the time of day and year you have different paintings. " LaRock spends hours at his portable easel, working quickly with one brush and a full palette of colors to create realistic but impressionistic landscapes that draw viewers in. "You don't have to do much more than suggest" a scene, LaRock said.

City's plein air heritage imperiled If you were out and about the week of Oct. 15, you probably saw some 50 artists from 13 states painting Laguna's landscape in town and in the canyons and hills. All this activity was part of the 12th Annual Plein Air Invitational sponsored by the Laguna Art Museum and Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. (LPAPA). You may have even taken the opportunity to see the fruits of their labor at the Saturday night soiree and auction and public sale on Sunday.

Best of Plein Air named The Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. recently held an opening reception and awards ceremony for their sixth annual "Best of Plein Air" show at The Esther Wells Collection, where 60 of the 200 paintings entered by LPAPA members were on display for purchase. As a juried exhibition, first place went to Julia Seelos, second place to Walter Porter and third place to Niles Nordquist. Thomas Kitts received honorable mention. Seelos and Porter have been invited to participate in the 12th annual Laguna Plein Air Painting Invitational in October, held in cooperation with the Laguna Art Museum.

Massage Envy, a nationwide wellness clinic that offers therapeutic massage and customized facials at discounted prices, recently opened its 600th franchise location in Laguna Beach under the ownership of John and Barbara Meeks. “I was so impressed with my own Massage Envy experience, I wanted to bring it to Laguna Beach,” Barbara Meeks said. “We are very excited to bring the Massage Envy vision of offering affordable services to our hometown. “We especially like that we can extend them outside of the elite circle.

I got my hands dirty — well, paint-smeared — a couple of weeks ago at an art workshop in Laguna, and I went home with a wonderful work of art that I’d have never done if not for the guiding hand of mandala artist Jo Ellen Byrnes. Mandalas are ancient Sanskrit art forms designed to help people find their “centers.” I find mine is useful to focus on while performing yoga moves in front of the TV, which is my particular form of late-night relaxation. I find it calming to breathe slowly and hold a pose while watching a grisly crime case unfold.

Despite gloomy skies and spurts of rain, the 11th annual Laguna Beach Plein Air Painting Invitational, hosted by the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. and Laguna Art Museum, has seen a successful week for its 50 noted artists, who will present their paintings at a public exhibition and sale at Sunday’s closing soiree. Forty artists were chosen to return based on past participation and their sales, while 10 new artists, including the first place winner of the association’s Best of Plein Air show, Erich Neubert, were also invited to partake in the prestigious event.