An artisan’s paradise

Bryce Alderton

A bright blue sequin pattern rough to the touch graces the front of

one of Cherri Segall’s original handbags.

Turn the purse to the opposite side to find a mask with feathers

sticking out, resembling a mask worn by Mardi Gras revelers.

This was one of many handbags Segall displayed Sunday during the third

annual Pacific Craft Show at the Orange County Museum of Art in Newport

Beach.

Segall’s home in Laguna Beach doubles as her studio, where she has a

hard time stopping once beginning a new handbag.

“Sometimes I get so involved I don’t even eat,” Segall said.

She creates her handbags mostly out of fur, sequins, leather and

masks.

“I like to be original,” Segall said. “These are all handmade, there’s

not one alike.”

A piece of cheetah fur is glued to the bottom of one of Segall’s “boot

bags,” which are handbags that use anything from cowboy boots to high

heels as the base for the bag. Animal fur often lines the inside and top

edges of her boot bags.

One of Segall’s creations is a Marilyn Monroe bag that two executives

from Chicago took to this year’s Academy Awards. The pink bag is in the

shape of a dress and is made out of a chiffon material that has tiny gems

sewn into the fabric to make the dress sparkle in the light.

This was Segall’s first year doing the show, but the former Manhattan

resident wasn’t without reservations as she considered Tuesday’s

terrorist attacks on the East Coast.

“To see [the towers] collapse was overwhelming,” Segall said. “It was

a sad and surreal moment.”

Nonetheless, Segall was glad she attended the show.

“I’m glad to be a part of a beautiful show,” Segall said. “It’s been a

good release.”

Shari Fraser, a Newport Beach ceramist, has been a docent at the

museum for 10 years and said Sunday’s crowd was typical of past Sundays

and was glad to see the show go on.

“You need a break to have some fun and take your mind off [the

attacks],” Fraser said. “I identify the most with this show. You get to

have face-to-face contact with the artists who made these things.”

The show brought together more than 50 prominent national craft

artists who create art out of glass, metal, fiber, clay, wood, and other

materials.

Joel Rubell, a Costa Mesa resident who represents 76 artists to the

Interior Design Community, called the work found at the show “fabulous.”

“The color and the shapes of the glass are made by artists who are

exceptionally talented,” Rubell said.

Balboa Island resident Celia Swanson showed off her mahogany colored

ceramic vases and plates, each displaying a Southwestern influence.

Swanson also has a studio in northern Arizona where she gathers pieces

of manzanita wood from her property to place on the tops of her vases.

She and her husband, Richard, have been married for 25 years and have

been professional artists for 20 years.

“We are so close, but I’m the boss,” Swanson said laughing. “He keeps

the kiln warm in [Arizona].”

Swanson uses an ancient “high-firing” Japanese technique called “Raku”

to form her plates and vases.

The technique involves throwing clay into a shape, such as that of a

vase, and heating it in a kiln at 1800 degrees Fahrenheit. The piece is

then covered with a glaze and put into a kiln again, which causes the

glaze to harden, forming a smooth glass covering on the piece.

Once the glaze turns to glass, Swanson puts on a mask and protective

clothing to shield herself from the immense heat and removes the object

from the kiln, placing it in a trash can filled with organic materials

such as newspaper clippings.

“You want to put a lid on the can and leave the lid on for about 35

minutes depending on how big the piece is until the fire inside stops

smoldering,” Swanson said. “You want the smoldering smoke to permeate the

piece.”

Ann Green of Irvine walked by Sandra James Campbell’s glass vases with

red, green, orange and red glass pigtails streaming from the top in

amazement.

“We don’t have words for it. It’s definitely museum-quality and I

can’t afford it,” Green said with a laugh.

* Bryce Alderton is the news assistant. He may be reached at (949)

574-4298 or by e-mail at o7 bryce.alderton@latimes.comf7 .