Palette Pair

This year, Laguna celebrates the 40th anniversary of its annual Palette Competition and Children’s Holiday Palette Exhibition, held by the Arts Commission and Cultural Arts Department.

Each year, the city receives design entries from Laguna Beach residents, artists and students. The winning designs are painted onto large wooden palettes, which are mounted on lampposts around town to set off the holiday season.

Up to 181 palettes will be put up this year; three of those are new additions by Suzanne Redfearn and Marcel Meade, winners of this year’s competition.

Redfearn and her daughter Halle, 9, have formed their own tradition by entering their respective contests together.

Suzanne has created several winning palettes over the past four years; Halle has entered and won the past three.

“My favorite part is that both me and my mom enter, and it’s kind of a tradition for me and her,” El Morro fourth-grader Halle said.

She depicted a sea turtle with Santa on its back, being pulled by seahorses through the water. She was one of 12 winners of the Children’s Holiday Palette Exhibition, from nearly 150 entries.

“She’s very private about her work; she doesn’t want to show it to me until she’s finished,” her mother said.

Two of Suzanne Redfearn’s submissions won this year. She describes her first design as “a little funky” and added that she submitted two entries because she didn’t think the first would win.

In the first vintage comic-book-style design, a woman wearing a shocked expression says “Santa! Oh my! What a surprise! I wasn’t expecting you!!” The piece is entitled “Naughty or Nice.”

The second depicts mermaids swimming around a giant ornament that’s fallen into the water.

Redfearn said she was first inspired to participate by her kids. “We look at them every year,” she said. “It’s really neat because now we hunt for our own palettes.”

Painter Marcel Mead also had one of his designs selected in the adult competition. His palette was inspired by surfing during what artists and photographers call the “magic hour” in the late afternoon, when the light takes on a golden gleam.

Mead’s interpretation of the view of Main Beach from the barrel of a wave was an amalgamation of his two loves — the recent Laguna College of Art & Design graduate also won the Brooks St. surf contest earlier this year.

This is the first city competition he’s entered, he said.

“Everything’s just taking off; I’m really excited about my art and my surfing,” he said.

LIBRARY EXHIBIT

Halle Redfearn’s design will be mounted on a wooden artist palette and exhibited in City Hall, along with the other 11 winners in the children’s exhibition, who had to be Laguna Beach residents aged 5 to 17 years.

They are Lucinda Becker, 5; Emily Baker, 6; Katie Glavinovich, 6; Jonah Reynolds, 7; Claire Black, 7; Thomas Gregory, 7; Tessa Mansour, 8; Anika Larsen, 10; Nina Gustis, 11; Makala Palmer, 14; and Julianne Reed, 17.

All of the other submitted entries will be shown at an exhibition at the Laguna Beach Public Library beginning in early December. The exhibition was organized by Laguna Outreach for Community Arts (LOCA).

“Everyone’s a winner,” said Joan Corman, who coordinated the effort for LOCA.

Last year, the a wide red ribbon lined the children’s section; about 300 palettes were hung from it.

The city received nearly 150 submissions this year.

“We’re happy to have them,” said Children’s Librarian Rebecca Porter.