They are the artists of the Festival of Arts — 140 of them — who will display their wide range of talents during this year’s Festival Art Show from July 6-Aug. 30 in Laguna Beach.
The artists are all local, but their experiences span the globe, and it shows in their work. They are wood craftsmen, jewelry makers, glass blowers, photographers, digital artists, watercolor painters, oil painters, sculptors, and more.
They share art as their passion, but their lives and history couldn’t be more different. And let’s face it; artists are different. All of this year’s 140 artists have a story to tell. They speak through their art, but they are also available for interviews.
Below is a small sample of a few artists and a brief description of how they are unique. And feel free to read the bios on all 140 artists by going to http://www.foapom.com/summer-art-show/gallery/
Gary Zuercher
Zuercher specializes in digital imaging and High Dynamic Range photography. Getting personal: While serving in the U.S. Army in Korea in 1968, he was subjected to ionizing radiation. As a result of the radiation exposure, he developed an incurable bone marrow disease, Polycythemia Vera. For the last seven years, he has undergone chemotherapy and other treatments that have so far been successful. He has a studio in San Clemente.
Michael Jacques
Jacques’ current medium is wire sculpture, and also has a history of success as a painter, combining oils and acrylics on panels and canvas. Getting personal: As a child, Jacques asked his father for a new bicycle, and his father directed him to the local junkyard, where it took Jacques months to gather the material to build his own “new” bike. That type of upbringing had a profound impact on Jacques and his brother, Russell, who also is an exhibitor at this year’s Festival of Arts. “We were busy, industrious boys who, out of necessity learned to use hammers, nails, wrenches, saws and even learned to sew, all the while developing hand-eye coordination that prepared us for our adult lives as artists,” said Jacques, who also has an extensive comic book collection. He is an artist and teacher at the Laguna College of Art & Design and has had a number of his works purchased by the Smithsonian.
Marcus Thesing
Thesing specializes in glassblowing: Getting personal: Thesing grew up the son of a sculptor. He was sure he wanted to be an artist, but couldn’t figure out which medium to specialize in. While at Orange Coast College, Thesing took every art class there was available, but didn’t know which direction to take. Then one day he met John Barber, a master glassblower in Laguna Beach. Barber invited him to visit his glass studio to witness molten glass being made into art, and Thesing was hooked. After working with Barber for nine years, Thesing opened up his own glassblowing studio in 2003.
Rachel Young
Young’s primary medium is sculpture. Getting personal: Young’s sculptures include those of both man and beast, and often are a combination of the two. “I delight in giving tangible, dimensional form to the fantastic beasts wrought from millennia of oral tradition, our collective imagination, and the ephemeral but savage creatures that lurk in the subconscious,” she said. Young has been working with clay since childhood, but she is much more as an artist. She also is a photographer, painter, illustrator, as well as a metalsmith/jeweler. She lives in Dana Point.
Sean Hunter Brown
Brown specializes in surf/ocean photography. Getting personal: A surfer for 30 years, Brown uses his understanding of the ocean to capture the essence of a wave breaking wildly and freely through the lens of his camera. He has a passion for nature and the environment, stretching beyond the ocean, evidenced by his work as a consulting arborist, with emphasis on protecting native oak tree resources in California.
For contact information on any of the artists or information on artists from specific towns, contact Joe Haakenson at joe@juvecreative.com.
About The Laguna Beach Festival of Arts
The Laguna Beach Festival of Arts is a 501c3 with a mission to promote, produce, and sponsor events and activities that encourage the appreciation, study and performance of the arts. Throughout each year the Festival of Arts sponsors art education and provides art scholarships and grants.
Every summer the organization hosts California’s premier open-air fine art show and produces the Pageant of the Masters. For general information, call 949-494-1145 or visit the website at www.LagunaFestivalofArts.org. The event is located at 650 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California.
