Cove Gallery in Laguna Beach has teamed up with Laguna Beach High School to create an exciting new program that gives LBHS artists the opportunity to not only show some of their art in a Laguna Beach gallery, but also gives the student a “total gallery experience”.
The program kicks-off at the upcoming First Thursday’s Art Walk on November 2, and the first two artists selected by the school are Zander Raymond and Sophia Diaz Anderson. Both Raymond and Diaz-Anderson are based in Laguna Beach and attend Laguna Beach High School. Both Zander and Sophia will be showing their work at the gallery, and learning about how a gallery works from top to bottom.
According to Bridget Beaudry-Porter, Art Teacher at Laguna Beach High School, “We’re very excited to work with Cove Gallery on this unique opportunity. It gives our emerging young artists first-hand experience of gallery life, and great exposure of their work. Zander and Sophia, the first students to be involved in this innovative program, are both students in Advanced Placement Studio Art 2D Design and Drawing and have shown great promise as artists of the future.”
Steve Bernstein, one of the permanent artists at Cove Gallery, said the gallery is “proud to be helping nurture and encourage such talented young artists in the Laguna Beach community.”
Zander Raymond
(http://www.zander-raymond.com/recent-work)
Artist Biography
Raymond is an interdisciplinary visual artist who is currently based in Laguna Beach.
The majority of his drawing work is related to empty space and its connection to him. Often times his drawings start with a process of stripping down places he sees into abstraction and then creating the work on a larger scale.
Artist Statement : As I have started to focus on my work more in-depth in the past couple years, I have explored a handful of different mediums. Whether it be a drawing, video, or installation, I try my hardest to maintain a feeling of elegance, restraint, and quietness throughout each piece.
Each work starts with a sketchbook brainstorm. Once I figure out how I want to accomplish something, I choose what medium I will be working in. I create the work I do for a number of different reasons. For one, it is my preferred way to communicate concepts to an audience. Second, I thoroughly enjoy the process of making work regardless of the medium. And lastly, I believe that there is a universal desire to connect with people through showing work and this is my main inspiration for me as an artist to continuously make work and experiment.
The majority of my drawing work comes from a place of nostalgia and observation. The nostalgic aspect of my work comes from places from my childhood and everyday life of the past few years that served a purpose to me. Whether it be the laundromat down the street from my childhood home, my neighbor’s house, or motel in a familiar part of my hometown. I use pen and ink to recreate how they looked in the past.
For the observation aspect of my work, I often photograph shapes that I see in public that is made effortlessly by plants, trash, and architecture. These serve as my inspiration for abstract works. Through many series of refinements made in my sketchbook, I add and delete portions of the photograph to create a developed composition.
Sophia Diaz Anderson (https://sophiadiazanderson.carbonmade.com/)
Artist Biography
Diaz-Anderson is a Southern California native who grew up in Laguna Beach, and is currently a senior at Laguna Beach High School.
Her works often depict expressive portraits incorporating modern social themes and challenges that her generation faces. She primarily works in watercolors, pen and ink, acrylic and sculpture.
Growing up in a creative environment, she finds inspiration in her family, friends, and observations of everyday occurrences.
Her works have been shown at the Laguna Art Museum and have been featured on Volcom apparel on multiple occasions.
Artist Statement: My artworks address the emptiness of our overly connected society and how people, particularly the youth, react to personal challenges.
The Grand Opening and first showing of the student’s work will be inside the Cove Gallerys’ “First Thursday’s Laguna Beach Art Walk” on Thursday, November 2, 2017, 6pm – 9pm
Come meet our first two Student Young Artists,
Zander and Sophia, and view their latest works, along with
those of the permanent Cove Gallery artists and their original art!
About Cove Gallery
Cove Gallery is an artist-owned gallery featuring 14 accomplished artists specializing in a contrast of styles of beautiful original art in the mediums of oils, acrylics, watercolor, mixed media along with 3-D photography, digital art and traditional photography. They are presented in an ever-changing exhibition with the artists there for you to meet and enjoy.
When you buy at Cove Gallery, you are buying original fine art DIRECTLY FROM THE ARTIST. YOU SAVE because there are no added gallery fees on top of the artists’ work.
Email: info@covegallerylaguna.com
Cove Gallery is directly across PCH from the front entrance to the Surf & Sand Resort at 1550 South Coast Highway, and next door to Vertigo Home, in the historic Granada Building.
Photo Credits: Cove Gallery
