Peek behind the scenes at art studios

Public will have a rare chance to see where Canyon Artists produce their magic.Laguna Canyon Artists will offer a rare glimpse of their studios this weekend. The public will have a chance to see how art is created -- as well as an opportunity to buy it.

More than 25 studios or galleries in the burgeoning art complex in the 3200 block of Laguna Canyon Road will participate in the Holiday Open Studios event. The three buildings in the complex are identified by their exterior trim colors: red, teal and blue.

“This is an unusual chance for the public to see working studios that are usually only open by appointment,” said Michael Tauber, arts commissioner and participating painter.

“I am going on my fourth year, but the group has been around for more than 10 years, and the event has been very successful.”

The complex was originally an industrial park that included the Girls Gym. Since then, the owners have leased more and more spaces to working artists. The gym now houses studios and the Laguna Plein Air Painters Association.

“As more artists are brought in, more people come to the Open Studios,” Tauber said. “The artists have to plan for the event, particularly those like Linda Ames, who also participate in the Winter Fantasy at the Sawdust.”

Shelly Rapp Evans, who is participating in the Open Studios, was one of the original tenants.

“I moved in here in 1993,” Evans said. “I was only here a month when the fire broke out. For four or five days, I didn’t know whether everything was destroyed, but the fire went right around the complex.”

Evans, who exhibits her fiber art in the Festival of Arts, said working in the complex has been a real pleasure.

“There were only three of us in the beginning -- now there are 25,” Evans said. “We really support one another and share responsibilities. The interesting thing we hear from people is that they never knew we were here.”

Holiday Open Studios draws attention to the complex, according to event chair Diane Krasner.

“The word is getting out,” Krasner said. “We have done the open studios for a number of years and clients say they really look forward to it. It’s really festive and inspiring.”

Krasner is the new kid on the block, a tenant in the complex for only about a year. Her studio is in the Girls Gym and has the original hardwood floors.

But the complex is more than a collection of buildings.

“It is unique in Laguna,” Krasner said. “I moved here to be part of a community with other artists. We feed off of each other. The variety of art surprised me when I moved in, and it continues to surprise me.”

Krasner said she is inspired by newcomers and the evolution of long-time tenants, including those who work in very different styles from hers, such as Colleen Veldt.

“Her work is abstract, and I do portraits and figurative paintings,” Krasner said. “But the other day I took someone to her studio, and I was just blown away by the colors she used.”

Not all of the artists whose work will be exhibited in the Holiday Open Studios are local.

Brooks Gallery, owned by Laurie Brooks and former Lagunan Fitz Maurice, now living in New Mexico, will be featuring fused glass works by George and Nancy Dobbs of New Mexico, as well as Maurice’s paintings.

The gallery will be open from noon to 6 p.m. this weekend.

Laguna Canyon Artists studios are located at 3251 and 3275 Laguna Canyon Road, all served by the same driveway. Look for the sign about two miles from Main Beach or, coming from the other direction, one mile from El Toro Road.

Studios will be open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. For a list of participating artists and brief biographies, a diagram of the complex with the locations of specific studios and a map to the complex, visit www.lagunacanyon artists.com. 20051202iqsnv3knNo Caption20051202iqsnulknPHOTOS BY COURTENAY NEARBURG / COASTLINE PILOT(LA)Diane Krasner, a local painter, works on a small piece in her studio at the Canyon Artists’ complex. Krasner is the chairwoman of this season’s open studio event. Below, Colleen Veltz, a fine artist working in the same complex, admires her 3-year-old son Cianan’s work as she takes a break from her labors on a commissioned piece. Veltz’s studio will be open this weekend.