Laguna Beach Pictures
Art Photography
Laguna Beach art is known worldwide
as is Laguna Beach itself. A small California beach community
of around 25,000 Laguna Beach has a history of being both
an artist's haven and a tourist attraction.
In the summertime, hundreds of thousands
of visitors flock to Laguna Beach for the art, sand, sun and
unique restaurants. The Laguna Beach Festival of Arts, which
is a combination of the Sawdust Art Festival, the Art-A-Fair
Festival and the Pageant of the Masters brings busloads of
visitors during July and August.
Hundreds of artists participate in
the Festival of Arts and gaining a spot within one of the
festivals can be quite challenging for some artists. The ones
who do make it can make most of their year's salary from these
two months out of the year.
While other retailers depend upon the
Christmas season to make most of their earnings, many Laguna
Beach artists depend upon summertime.
One of the main attractions of Laguna
Beach is Main Beach, which hosts a wooden boardwalk, monumental
guard tower and a great view of Catalina Island on most days.
To the north is Heisler Park where many families may picnic,
barbeque or stroll down the steps to the beach.
Still further to the north are Shaw's
Cove and Diver's Cove where scuba divers check out the garibaldi
fish and underwater archways and kayakers can launch when
the waves are low.
Along the pathway, it is common to
see artists painting the natural beauty of the Laguna Beach
coastlines with canvas and oil paints right out in the plain
air. Many of these artists just love to chat about their work
and show it off to the passing tourists.
Just as the Festival and beaches are
the destination for many, Laguna Beach also has many fine
art galleries that attract all kinds of people from all over
the globe. Any style or artwork may be found at these galleries
and there is also a First Thursdays Art Tour where many galleries
stay open late, open their doors and serve wine and cheese
to those who visit.
Even though Laguna Beach is the home
to many artists and a long time art colony, it has had its
share of challenges over the years. The Great Laguna Beach
Fire of 1993 was just one such incident. The fire burned 366
homes and 17,000 acres on the hillsides above Laguna. A few
years later mudslides struck, dumping 11 inches of rain in
just 1 1/2 hours and destroying more homes. In 2005, after
months of dry weather, more homes 20 homes slid down the hillsides
in the Bluebird Canyon area causing evacuations and total
losses.
But, the spirit of Laguna Beach is
strong and lives on. The artists stay, develop their crafts
and flourish. This is what keeps people remembering their
trip to Laguna and what keeps people coming back. In fact,
a recent newspaper article stated that Laguna Beach earns
more revenue from its art than many major metropolitan cities.
So, if you happen to be in Southern
California this year, why not take a day trip or more to beautiful
Laguna Beach and watch the art and the artists come to life?
Stop by the fire station and check out the new fountain complete
with statues. See also the flowers and plants that only bloom
in the winter time. Go boogie boarding or surfing in the warm
waters in July. Experience the many exciting art galleries
year round. You'll be glad you did. In addition, take
lots of photos and show them to all your friends and family.
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