Winter Fantasy brings holiday-themed creative wonderland back to Laguna’s Sawdust Festival
It hits like the Christmas music that takes over the airwaves following Thanksgiving, a sensory overload the moment guests walk through the front door.
Winter Fantasy has returned to the Sawdust Art Festival in Laguna Beach, a creative’s wonderland with 168 artists exhibiting throughout the grounds.
The local art festival has put on its holiday show for 33 years, and it now features more days to visit, as it has opened its doors Friday through Sunday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. every weekend until Dec. 17. Laguna Beach residents receive free admission on Fridays.
Boughs of holly lined with red and silver ribbon, a sleigh with gingerbread passengers and peppermint candy canes greet attendees. Along with that, there are 18 community trees within the venue.
A tree-lighting ceremony was held on Nov. 18, during the opening weekend, at which time winners were selected in six categories from among the community tree program.
The winners were Blue Bell Foundation for Cats (Most Creative), Waymakers Youth Shelter and El Morro Elementary (Most Unique), Art-A-Fair (Best Holiday Spirit), Top of the World Elementary (Most Artistic), Laguna Beach Parents Club and Pacific Marine Mammal Center (Cutest) and Festival of Arts (Best Overall).
“We provide a tree to these groups for free, and we put lights on it, we give it a stand, and all we ask is that they decorate it with a theme of their choice,” said Franky Duschane, director of marketing and public relations for the Sawdust Art Festival. “I love to see them come together and create something beautiful each year, something special, especially when it’s named.
“Each group comes out with something different and unique. The public votes on the trees on opening day. … I like to see what the public responds to because I see the love that is poured into every tree, but it’s really fun to see what the public perceives from each one and what they end up voting as their favorite.”
The artist and maker booths are filled with artwork waiting to be taken home for the holidays. Many of the artists continue to create on site, including Nansea Williams, a mixed-media exhibitor who has turned her booth into a variation of Santa’s workshop.
Williams creates “monsters,” and she assigns names and personalities to each one before they meet their new owner.
“My builder creates a spot for me where I can work every day that I’m here,” Williams said. “I have a workshop in the back, so this really is like Santa’s workshop. I can be back here. I have materials. I never wanted to make the same thing, so I don’t get bored, so I have multiple things. It depends on my frame of mind when I come in or who I’m talking to.
“I might be drawing, I might be sewing, I might be coming up with random sweaters, making monsters. Everything’s one-of-a-kind in my shop. … You got to come here and experience it. You have to hold stuff, you have to touch it, you have to see if you connect with it. It’s an experience.”
Santa will be on hand for photos from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day of the Winter Fantasy show. Live performances of holiday music will also bring good cheer.
Glassblowing tends to draw a crowd. Mary Ann Guerra, who was crafting hand-blown glass at the festival on Tuesday, said the art form is a welcome challenge, as she claims it is one that she will never master.
“What drew me to glass is that it’s organic,” Guerra said. “It’s liquid, and it has no form other than the form that you give it. That’s the magic, I think, of glass. It’s all minerals, and we’re using gravity, we’re using water, we’re using mineral oxides.”
Art classes will be offered at a trio of demonstration booths — Studio One, the Children’s Art Spot, and the Ceramic Center.
General admission is $10 for adults, $7 for seniors and $5 for children between the ages of 6 and 12. Veterans and children age 5 and under are allowed in free.
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