BRIEFLY IN ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Blues and jazz festival Jan. 26

The 14th Annual Blues & Jazz Festival will be at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 26 at the Artists’ Theatre, 625 Park Ave.

This year’s festival will feature surf-rock group The Blue Hawaiians, who have played at clubs ranging from the Palladium to the Viper Room. They have also been heard on the T.V. show “Friends.”

The Blue Hawaiians features Mark Fontana (bass, vocals), Mark Sproull (guitar), Gary Brandin (steel guitar, guitar), Eric Godal (organ) and Michael Kramer (drums). Kramer and Sproull are alumni of the Laguna Beach High School Jazz Band.

The show will also feature SPES, a Los Angeles-based jazz collective comprised of guitarist Mike Scott, saxophonist Jeff Ellwood, drummer Tim Pleasants and bassist Roger Shew, who teaches jazz at Thurston Middle School and Laguna Beach High School.

The high school jazz ensembles will also perform, along with an emerging talent youth musician.

All seats are reserved; premium seating is $30, general adult seating is $20 and general student seating is $10.

To purchase tickets, call (949) 497-2787, ext. 1, or visit www.lagunaplayhouse.com.

Senior art exhibit winners announced

Wells Fargo Bank’s “Banking on Art” was the setting for the 2008 Senior Art Exhibit Reception and Awards Ceremony Saturday, sponsored by the city of Laguna Beach and Community Art Project.

More than 70 entries were received from many talented Laguna Beach and Orange County residents age 50 and older. Mayor Jane Egly announced the award recipients who were chosen by this year’s jurists, John Eagle, Marsh Scott and Pat Sparkuhl. Winning first place was Juliane Hodjera for “A Neighbor,” followed by Frances Collato’s “Fish Vendor in the Market, Catania” and Al Weingartner’s “Martinis Ala Mar.”

In multimedia, Judy Phillips’ “Mask” took first place, followed by Jean Ann Drake’s “The Voice of the Turtle II” and Richard Rosenberg’s “Bamboo Series No. 2.”

In oils, Lana Perry took first place for “Firefighters All,” followed by Linda Pack’s “Crystal Cove” and Jeanne Baer’s “Keyhole.”

Photographer Rik Lawrence won first place for “Red, White and Blue,” followed by Barbara White’s “Monks at Attention” and Loyola Lucero’s “Spiral.”

K.C. Horng took first place in watercolors for “Ask the East Wind Why the Peonies are Glorious Above All Others.” Laura Leigh Wantz took second place for “Distortion,” followed by Carole Zavala’s “Still Life.”

Honorable Mentions went to Paul Prewitt’s “Making the Deal,” Carla Gach’s “Nostalgia,” Lan Huang’s “Summer Urge to Ripen,” Carol Swanson’s “Study in Turquoise” and “Keyhole Arch Sunset from Agate Street” by Dennis Piszkiewicz.

The exhibit runs through Jan. 31, and can be viewed during normal banking hours at Wells Fargo Bank, Second Floor, 260 Ocean Ave.

For more information on participation in the 2009 Senior Art Exhibit contact Patty Koss, Senior Center Coordinator, at (949) 464-9535.