Art for history’s sake

Paul Clinton

CRYSTAL COVE -- Their artwork will be used to preserve a slice of

history.

Forty oil and watercolor paintings of Crystal Cove by a group of

Laguna Beach painters will be judged and sold today to help pay for the

expensive restoration of aging cottages at Crystal Cove State Park.

Proceeds will go to the Crystal Cove Conservancy, a nonprofit group

working to preserve the 46 cottages in the cove’s historic district.

The paintings are part of “Images of Crystal Cove,” a contest

organized by Irvine Co. heiress Joan Irvine Smith, who founded the

conservancy earlier this year.

Laura Davick, who created the Alliance to Rescue Crystal Cove to halt

a now-defunct hotel project, helped organize the event.

“The purpose is to raise funds for the conservancy for the restoration

of the cottages,” she said. “Also, to raise public consciousness.”

Twenty members of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. submitted two

paintings each of scenes at the serene cove, which has been a favorite

setting for local artists for decades.

On Thursday, the painters headed down to the cove for a “paint-off,”

in which they were given two hours to complete a painting.

Many of the 40 paintings entered in today’s judging were done over the

last two months, Davick said.

Irvine Smith has put up $10,000 in prize money to be given to the

first-, second- and third-place winners.

Winners will be chosen after a 2 p.m. news conference with Rusty

Areias, director of the California Department of Recreation and Parks. A

reception at 5 p.m. will follow.

The event will take place at Joan Irvine Smith Fine Arts Inc., 1550

South Coast Highway, Laguna Beach.

Information: (949) 494-0854.