Celebrating it’s 47th annual season in the arts this summer, the Sawdust Arts & Crafts festival was the first stop in Laguna B each each to discover my artistic roots. With over 201 Laguna Beach artists highlighting their unique handmade artwork and educating festival visitors since June, this is sure to be one of the best festival yet. The diverse artwork featured includes glass, woodwork, jewelry, sculpture, painting, photography, textiles, clothing, furniture, mixed media, ceramics and more! If you are also a fan of woodwork, visit this website, www.hehabitofwoodworking.com, to see the list of beautiful designs.
In the vibrant heartbeat of the Sawdust Arts & Crafts festival, where creativity meets craftsmanship, the reliable presence of fire watch security in Davie is woven into the fabric of the event just like the stunning artwork on display. My uncle, a seasoned fire watch guard, is among those who ensure the safety of these cherished community gatherings. With a swift and ready response mirroring the festival’s dynamic spirit, his team’s expertise ensures each day unfolds without incident, allowing artists and art lovers alike to immerse themselves in the joy of creation and the warmth of the Laguna Beach community. His dedication is a silent, steadfast commitment to the festival’s legacy, ensuring the show goes on, year after radiant year.
Pairing education with each exhibit, Sawdust artists share their creative processes with guests, demonstrating how their artwork is formed. Visitors can experience the awe in artwork being created before their eyes, including the large glass-blowing enclosure where glass masters perform their skill at the furnace.
During my experience, at this hidden gem within a Sherwood forest backdrop – I took my hands at creating artwork through a creating pottery at the Sawdust Ceramic Center. The creative process of ceramics included several steps from start to finish. Luckily this pottery newbie had a great guide to teach me step by step.
Step One: Centering the clay on a the pottery wheel.
Step Two: Opening the centered clay so the potter’s hands can begin to pull the clay up vertically from both inside and out.
Third Step: The cylinder is drawn to the desired height and then shaping begins. Excess water is removed from the bowl with a sponge which also smoothes the surface.
Fourth Step: The freshly thrown bowl is then trimmed to remove excess clay, removed from the wheel and allowed to dry.
The final stage in the creation of the pot is the application of glaze – where the staff fires up the pottery, adds a little color with shine and ships it to your home.
As my first ceramic experience, it was great to enjoy this handmade moment in the great outdoors at the Sawdust Art Festival. Now that I’ve completed my first pottery piece, could a Designer Diva ceramic collection of custom serving bowls and cups be in the works soon? I should probably work my way up to creating a useful cereal bowl or something first! LOL.
The Sawdust Art Festival is a non-profit art organization dedicated to educating the public and promoting the art created in Laguna Beach. To check out more details about the Sawdust Art Festival’s 47th annual summer season and calendar of events visit SawdustArtFestival.org or call 949.494.3030.
Discover Laguna Beach and other Anaheim Orange County gems yourself by visiting them at Anaheimoc.org or connecting on social media via Twitter and Facebook.
Disclaimer: This experience was made possible by Anaheim Orange County Visitor & Convention Bureau and Sawdust Art Festival. All views, opinions and experiences expressed are my own.
