Wyland

Although Wyland’s art brand has gone global, with only one remaining gallery in Laguna Beach, his focus on ocean conservation is unchanged. “Our message has never been, ‘Buy this painting!’” he said. “It’s to learn everything we can about our environment, and use art to educate and inspire people to get involved.” Wyland will feature his new Olympic art at a reception from 6 to 10 p.m. May 23 at his 509 S. Coast Hwy. gallery, which will include live painting demonstrations and signings.

"I always do what I say. Sometimes it just takes awhile." So said artist Wyland at the Boys & Girls Clubs last week, after conducting an art class that he had been promising the clubs for 10 years. Along with teaching kids to paint, Wyland donated the painting he made as an example to the Clubs, in addition to art books and other materials. The artist is known for his natural ability to engage youth. "Painting keeps you young," said Wyland, who celebrated his 50th birthday last year.

Laguna College of Art & Design sent 50 graduates off into the world on May 14. Marine life artist Wyland was the guest speaker at the commencement ceremony. He was also honored by the college with an honorary doctorate in Fine Arts, although the college only offers bachelor and master degrees to its students. The Laguna College of Art & Design Class of 2007 is as follows: Ulysses Albert, Mayte Aristondo, Louisa Benhissen, Shelly Birch, Ryann Brady, Eddie Brisco, Jessica Bulinski, Norwood Cole, Maliah Coolidge, Christopher Corona, Henry Cram, Tam Doan, Christian Enns, Scott Gordon, Anna Harrah, Youseff Hassanein, Amber Henry, Corie Hinton, Steven Huerta, Lindsey Jaggers, Lisa Johnston, Min Kim, Si Ko, Erik Kowalski, Khoa Le, Tony Lemos, Ian Liu, Daina Mattis, Aubrey Mennella, Matthew Nishi, Julie Papple, Amelie Pourtau, Josh Reed, Kathleen Schmid, Tyler Siegel, Cassandra Siemon, Errol Silverstein, Nickole Squires, Catie Staley, Adrienne Stein, Winston Suk, Adam Sweet, Noah Thomas, Haiyun Tung, Galina Vishnevski, and Matthew Zumberge.

As a young boy, when Wyland saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time, he felt something shift within him. Moments later, two gray whales peeked out from the surface of the water. A lifelong connection was formed. "I saw two gray whales spouting right in front of me," said Wyland, 56, of his earliest memory of Laguna Beach in 1971. "I saw their barnacle-encrusted backs and their beautiful tails. After that, the whale tail has became the symbol of my art. What happens to you when you're a kid can really be profound.

Ring in the holidays with ?green? wreaths Worn-out bicycle tires, dental floss holders, plastic water bottles, political pins and old guitar strings are just a few of the materials used in holiday wreaths made from recycled content on display at Laguna Green. The exhibit will be on view from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Saturday as part of the Recycled Wreath Contest sponsored by Waste Management. Jessica Destefano, organizer of the exhibit, was inspired by how much fun it is to make something out of recycled items instead of buying new. ?

Two immovable objects — the California Coastal Commission and the marine artist Wyland — have butted heads for three years and the result is a missed opportunity for the public and the state. Wyland's hugely popular design of a humpback whale tail on a specialty state license plate has been replaced by another humpback whale tail design, and apparently quite a lot of money was spent on it. The commission itself says the Wyland plate has been the best-selling of the state's pricey specialty plates, which cost vehicle owners $50 to purchase and an additional $40 to re-register every year.

Laguna Beach graphic artist Bill Atkins and Contra Costa County landscape painter Elizabeth Robinette Tyndall were feted Tuesday as the California Coastal Commission officially announced its new "whale tail" license plate. Atkins is the second Laguna artist to be involved in a specialty license plate featuring the tail of a humpback whale. Atkins was the star attraction at a press conference at Dana Point Harbor — the same day that a pod of rarely seen blue whales was reportedly passing by that area.

Suzie Harrison It's Laguna Beach -- the musical, the spoof, the roast and the town's favorite show every year -- it's "Lagunatics." "Lagunatics," in its 10th year, was started by Bree Burgess Rosen and her husband Leon. "It started because my husband and I were adding a balcony to our home and went through the classic Laguna Beach design review," Burgess Rosen said. They thought it would be fun to do something about Laguna Beach. "That night my husband and I came up with the idea of 'Lagunatics,'" Burgess Rosen said.

Tom Titus When the cast members of "Lagunatics," the musical roast of life on the coast, draw a blank on a line or a dance movement in rehearsal, they usually ask the kids. Samantha Morrice, 13, and Kira Josephson, 14, are the youngest performers in the cast of the No Square Theater's offbeat variety show, which will be presented next weekend at the Forum Theater on the Festival of Arts grounds. Already accomplished performers, the girls are featured singer/dancers in the production and also serve as dance captains to the sometimes-forgetful adult hoofers.

Plate designer, artist to speak at LOCA meeting The Laguna Beach artist who co-created the image on California's new "whale tail" license plate will be the featured speaker at Tuesday's Laguna Outreach for Community Arts annual meeting. Graphic artist Bill Atkins will lead a discussion about the role he played in creating the new design for the plate, according to a news release. He will show various versions of the new digital design that went into its development. Atkins worked with a Northern California landscape painter, Elizabeth Robinette Tyndall, to design the "whale tail" plate for the California Coastal Commission, the new plate's sponsor.

As a young boy, when Wyland saw the Pacific Ocean for the first time, he felt something shift within him. Moments later, two gray whales peeked out from the surface of the water. A lifelong connection was formed. "I saw two gray whales spouting right in front of me," said Wyland, 56, of his earliest memory of Laguna Beach in 1971. "I saw their barnacle-encrusted backs and their beautiful tails. After that, the whale tail has became the symbol of my art. What happens to you when you're a kid can really be profound.

On sunny days, from the right spot in its terraced courtyard, future residents of Glennwood House of Laguna Beach will see two Catalinas. One, of course, will be the island itself, a familiar hazy brown sliver visible on the distant horizon. The other sits atop the aquamarine waters of a seascape mural some of those prospective residents painted Saturday morning - with the help of Laguna artist Robert Wyland. Glennwood Housing Foundation Inc. is in the process of converting a senior assisted living facility off South Coast Highway and Ruby Street into a house that will provide services to about 50 young adults with developmental disabilities.

Water was liquid gold in the Old West, and not much has changed. With sources drying up, conservation is the battle cry. Mayor Jane Egly will join Newport Beach Mayor Nancy Gardner on Friday to kick off the monthlong Wyland Mayor's Challenge for Water Conservation to see which city in the country can be the most water-wise, not to mention earn bragging rights. The mayors will be joined by artist Robert Wyland, whose foundation is presenting the challenge, representative Michael Rouse from Toyota, and Nancy Stoner from the Environmental Protection Agency, among others.

Plate designer, artist to speak at LOCA meeting The Laguna Beach artist who co-created the image on California's new "whale tail" license plate will be the featured speaker at Tuesday's Laguna Outreach for Community Arts annual meeting. Graphic artist Bill Atkins will lead a discussion about the role he played in creating the new design for the plate, according to a news release. He will show various versions of the new digital design that went into its development. Atkins worked with a Northern California landscape painter, Elizabeth Robinette Tyndall, to design the "whale tail" plate for the California Coastal Commission, the new plate's sponsor.

Two immovable objects — the California Coastal Commission and the marine artist Wyland — have butted heads for three years and the result is a missed opportunity for the public and the state. Wyland's hugely popular design of a humpback whale tail on a specialty state license plate has been replaced by another humpback whale tail design, and apparently quite a lot of money was spent on it. The commission itself says the Wyland plate has been the best-selling of the state's pricey specialty plates, which cost vehicle owners $50 to purchase and an additional $40 to re-register every year.

We all know about crab mentality. You put a bunch of crabs in a bucket, and when one tries to escape the others, they try to pull it down, rather than allowing it to get free. When Wyland, the famous environmental artist, lent one of his signature works of art to the California Coastal Commission for a new license plate 16 years ago to fund environmental awareness programs in the state, I'm sure the last thing on his mind were attempts by the "friends of the Coastal Commission" to pull his years of environmental outreach efforts down.

Laguna Beach graphic artist Bill Atkins and Contra Costa County landscape painter Elizabeth Robinette Tyndall were feted Tuesday as the California Coastal Commission officially announced its new "whale tail" license plate. Atkins is the second Laguna artist to be involved in a specialty license plate featuring the tail of a humpback whale. Atkins was the star attraction at a press conference at Dana Point Harbor — the same day that a pod of rarely seen blue whales was reportedly passing by that area.

1 Voters shift political power: Voters shift political power: The winds of change that swept Democrats into office in Washington D.C. also shifted the balance of political power in Laguna. Mayor Jane Egly and former City Clerk Verna Rollinger were elected to the council Nov. 4, joining Councilwoman Toni Iseman to create the first Village Laguna-endorsed majority in power for the since 1994. “There will be a shift in political philosophy,” Egly said. “I haven’t quite figured out how the votes will come out, but it will still be one vote at a time.

Ring in the holidays with ?green? wreaths Worn-out bicycle tires, dental floss holders, plastic water bottles, political pins and old guitar strings are just a few of the materials used in holiday wreaths made from recycled content on display at Laguna Green. The exhibit will be on view from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Saturday as part of the Recycled Wreath Contest sponsored by Waste Management. Jessica Destefano, organizer of the exhibit, was inspired by how much fun it is to make something out of recycled items instead of buying new. ?

Recently, the Coastline Pilot’s editorial about Wyland [“When art and commerce collide,” July 4] noted how regular economic conflicts develop as a natural result of the perceived value art has between buyers and sellers. This is common, particularly if the buyer, in this case the California Coastal Commission, has an unclear understanding of how to value art in the form of intellectual property. At this point, we have a creative force in conflict with a bureaucracy, untrained in artistic-economic valuations.