Season’s start tempers stress of picking a booth

SUZIE HARRISON

Walking to work Monday morning, I ran into long-time local artist

Hedy Buzan Williamson near the post office. She was beaming. She told

me she had just returned from a trip to Canada and was looking

forward to all the work she has to do. Art season has indeed started,

and of course that made us both grin. Buzan Williamson is an

incredible artist and teacher and certainly one of the many artists

who are an asset to our community.

Tuesday I ran into her again -- this time at the often-stressful

event of booth picking at the Sawdust Art Festival. She was still

smiling. The grounds were swarming with artists, often greeting each

other with hugs. For some of the artists the event is a reunion. Many

have not seen each other since the end of last year’s season.

Waiting in line City Arts/Cultural Manager Sian Poeschl and her

husband Troy were chatting with fellow artists and friends.

“We’re showing our proper credentials, that we’re still legally

able to be in the show, sign up for doing demos and pay fees,”

Poeschl said.

Julita Jones expressed what a lot of the artists felt.

“It’s the worst day of the year, you get tense and the anxiety of

getting ready for the summer, it’s only six weeks away,” Jones said.

Board members get first pick, followed by the long-time exhibiting

artists.

Dennis Junka said he feels the yearly event is one of the most

nerve-racking experiences he knows -- even after exhibiting at the

Sawdust for 13 years.

He showed me the 10 stations each artist goes through, showing me

his checklist. It included information about building instructions

and layout. The next day he said artists can start building their

booth.

“Then you wonder, ‘did I pick the right space?’” Junka said. “Or

someone takes the space, someone who is ahead of you and you have to

go back through it all again.”

He said he remembers his first year, he was number 225 and didn’t

get in.

“We go through around 200 people, that’s how many applicants we

have,” public relations manager Rebecca Meekma said.

This is the marking of summer for her she said, as she and event

coordinator Lynne Powell were working diligently to process all the

eager artists.

John Bullard was helping his artist wife Sherry with the process.

He is also their official builder.

“The future of the summer is based on our location,” he said.

“Changing of the art with the flow of the festival grounds helps

change the flow of the festival.”

Olivia Batchelder had a relaxed presence about her -- though she

too was deep in contemplation of the scene.

“It’s a stressful day for all of us because the real estate is

important, every inch counts and the location counts,” Batchelder

said.

TOULOUSE TEARS IT UP

Guitarist Toulouse Englehardt makes a humming bird’s wing movement

look slow when he is playing. Saturday night elucidated that fact at

his concert at the Galaxy Theatre. He was playing with legendary

percussionist Remi Kabaka, playing form their newly released album,

“A Child’s Guide to Einstein.”

Toulouse was very in touch with the audience and would chat and

explain different stories -- such as the meaning behind a song, when

he wrote it or why and what it means to him.

His manager John Bullard said that Toulouse was playing so fast

and fierce toward the end of the last song that the picks were flying

off his fingers.

Toulouse and Remi are true geniuses and a treat to see live.

PLEIN AIR PAINTERS’ AWARD WINNERS

The 2004 winners of the Laguna Plein Air Painters Assn. Membership

Show were announced at the opening of the show on Friday. First place

was won by Richard Rice for his piece “Often Painted Crystal.” By

winning he received an invitation to the prestigious sixth annual

Laguna Beach Plein Air Invitational in July. Second place went to Dee

Boyles for “Late Afternoon on Alder Point Road.” She won a full year

membership to the studio. Third place went to Carolyn Hesse-Low for

“Afternoon Walk.” Honorable mention awards went to John Francis,

“Late Afternoon,” Jesse Powell, “Back Bay Cloudscape” and Carole

Mayne for “Umbrian Villa.”

I got the opportunity to meet last year’s first place winner Jesse

Powell and he is not only an incredibly nice guy, but also an

extremely gifted artist. Powell is only 27. He must be an old soul --

because the level of his talent looks like he’s been doing it for

centuries. He also will be competing in the invitational in July.

* SUZIE HARRISON is a reporter for the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. She may be reached at (949) 494-4321 or

suzie.harrison@latimes.com.