Life at the 2008 Sawdust Art Festival turns wild

Laguna Beach, Ca – On July 23 and August 13, this year’s distinguished guest artist, Chris Hoy, will present Wildlife Days at the 2008 Sawdust Art Festival, from 10 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Hoy, along with long-time associate and co-founder of E&E; Animals, Shannon Thompson, will share with Sawdust visitors some of the world’s most exotic animals that inspire Hoy’s own wildlife acrylic paintings. Live on the Main Entertainment Deck will be a variety of select species for guests to meet and greet, up close and personal. Some of the wild creatures partaking in this exclusive hands-on experience include:

• American Alligator – one of the largest reptiles. The adult length of the American Alligator varies from 13 to 18 feet, weighing from about 450 to 500 pounds.

• Binturong – Asian Bearcat found in southeast Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia and Palawan Island. Binturongs are highly endangered in parts of their range, and average 24 to 38 inches in length.

• Burmese Python – the largest subspecies of the Indian Python. Burmese Pythons are one of the 6 biggest snakes in the world.

• Red Kangaroo – live over most of the central part of Australia. Red kangaroos are the world’s largest marsupials and can hop along at great speeds, reaching over 35 mph.

• Kookaburra – inhabit woodland areas of eastern and southwestern Australia. The Kookaburra’s rolling, laughing call is one of the best-known sounds in the animal world.

• Serval – African Wildcat, one of seven species of small to medium-sized African cats. Servals weigh between 29 to 41 pounds and are 27 to 39 inches in length.

• Tawny Owl – an owl of Eurasia and northern Africa that has tawny, wormlike markings.

Not only does Hoy have 20 years of experience showing and sharing wildlife with audiences, but Hoy has also journeyed to all 7 continents nearly twice, a feat that only 30,000 individuals had completed at the time of his travels. While achieving such sweeping distances, Hoy has had the opportunity to personally interact with over 1,000 exotic wild animals, including a 6-month-old baby panda during his last trip to Mainland China in 2007. These experiences are what drive his infatuation with wildlife, a passion so clearly visible in his beautiful acrylic paintings. The “thrill of seeing people’s faces light up, both children and adults, when they see these wild animals” is what makes Hoy and his artwork so extraordinary.

The 2008 Sawdust Art Festival is open everyday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. through August 31. Parking and free trolley service to and from the Act V lot is available for $7 per day. Act V is located on Laguna Canyon Road one-half mile north of the Festival. Metered parking along Laguna Canyon Road is available for $1 per hour.

Admission prices are: Adult $7; Seniors $6 age 65 and up; Children $3 age 6-12 years and Free for children under 5 years of age. Summer Season Pass is $20 and the Annual Pass is just $25 (unlimited admission to both the Summer and Winter shows). For more information call 949-494-3030 or navigate to www.SawdustArtFestival.org.

The Sawdust Art Festival is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public and promoting the art created in Laguna Beach.

The Sawdust Art Festival thanks our 2008 sponsors Czechvar, Kendall-Jackson and our Official 2008 Media Sponsor, The Los Angeles Times.