The Sawdust Art Festival will turn 59 years old next summer, and while the Winter Fantasy show isn’t quite that old, the holiday favorite has become nothing short of tradition in Laguna Beach.
Opening weekend had everything one might expect to see on the grounds, from visits with Santa Claus to dozens of his little helpers — the approximately 180 artists — stationed throughout, showcasing creative gifts for festival-goers to take home to their families and friends.
“I think people come to the winter show to get that spirit of the holiday,” said Nancy Villere, a nine-year exhibitor whose media include clothing, jewelry, painting and photography. “We have such a beautifully decorated square, all of the fun that happens there. … I think our guests love to shop for their holiday gifts here. It’s really a time for people to be buying for other people … how wonderful is it to have a gift that’s made by an artist.”
Sandpiper owner Chuck Harrell prepares for an afternoon of Santa Claus photos during the Sawdust Winter Fantasy show on Sunday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Villere’s booth displayed an abundance of wearable creations, including hand-dyed overalls she said were a popular pick among shoppers in the summer.
“It’s people coming back and going, ‘I bought this last year, and I wear them constantly. I have to have two more pairs,” she said of the colorful linen get-ups.
Clothing artist Nancy Villere prepares for an afternoon of shoppers during the Sawdust Winter Fantasy show in Laguna Beach.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Across the way from Villere’s station, visitors find a new exhibitor. John Glass, with a name fit for his field, has worked as a glassblower for the past eight years at Knott’s Berry Farm. That’s where he said he met his fiancee and her daughter, both of whom were dressed as elves at the festival last Sunday evening.
Glass traveled west from Tennessee to pursue opportunities in film and television. He made appearances in “Elizabethtown,” “Malcolm in the Middle,” and “Desperate Housewives,” but a starring role did not come along until he wound up working as a glassblower.
A super-heated piece of glass is turned into a vase in the glassblowing studio by John Glass at the Sawdust Winter Fantasy show.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
“Johnny Glass has kind of a ring to it, but what it really did is open doors for me,” Glass said. “… As a glassblower, when I went to sign up for my first glass class, it was full. They said, ‘You can’t get in the class.’ I signed my name Johnny Glass. They said, ‘Your name is Glass? You have to be a glassblower,’ and they bumped me to the top of the list. It was the first time my name had opened doors for me. I loved it. I took to it like a fish to water.”
While he said he hopes to participate in both the summer and winter shows at the Sawdust Art Festival next year, Glass also has a longstanding commitment to the Gatlinburg Craftsmen Fair in his home state. He said he has shown his work there for 10 years.
Visitor Daniel Nguyen waits for a balloon at the Sawdust Winter Fantasy show in Laguna Beach on Sunday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
As Glass looks to put down roots in Laguna Beach, Henry White is building on a family legacy. His grandmother, Mary Keating, is among the longtime Sawdust exhibitors.
“The first job I ever had, when I was about 10 years old, was sitting in her booth,” said White, who is now a marine safety officer for the city. “… It’s an honor to be able to be here and have an opportunity to continue the legacy and make my own kind of art. I try to put my own flair on it.”
A member of the Battles Duo plays Christmas favorites during the Sawdust Winter Fantasy show in Laguna Beach on Sunday.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
Although he remarks that he is a “body surfer by trade,” White’s booth offers an assortment of boards that might appear as though they belong in the skimboarding scene. White said he furnishes them out of upcycled wood, and he rides the boards — after painting them — before putting them on the market.
“I think Laguna Beach is uniquely excellent for skimboarding and body surfing,” White added. “What Tex [Haines, owner of Victoria Skimboards ] does and what’s going on at [Victoria Beach with the skimboarding championships] is incredible. I haven’t been a part of it, and I have the utmost respect for it, but I’ve always been more of a body surfer. That’s kind of what I go for with these shapes. It’s something that’s certainly inspired by the shape of a skimboard in the planing surface, but it’s not quite the same thing. It’s more something to enhance your body surfing ability.”
A piece by artist Shane Dunlap, “Grateful Road Trip,” on display during the Sawdust Winter Fantasy show in Laguna Beach.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)
White is sharing a booth with woodworker Garrett Hartley. In high school, they shared the pool as part of a CIF Southern Section Division 3 boys’ water polo championship team in 2014.
Winter Fantasy, which opened on Nov. 22, runs Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. The show will go on through Dec. 22. Admission is $12 for adults and $5 for children. Laguna Beach residents get in free on Fridays.
One of several Christmas ornaments, including this list to Santa Claus, adorns a tree during the Sawdust Winter Fantasy show.
(Don Leach / Staff Photographer)