In The Arts

Trombonist Andy Martin plays July 8

Laguna Beach Live! Will present trombonist Andy Martin and his Quintet, featuring Scott Martin on saxophone, from 6 to 8 p.m. July 8 in the Rose Garden of the Hotel Laguna, 425 S. Coast Hwy.

Cover charge is $10. Reservations for groups of eight or more can be made by calling (949) 715-9713.

For more information, visit www.lagunabeachlive.org.

Coming from a musical family, Martin launched his career while in his teens and since then he has become one of the most in-demand trombonists across the country and around the world.

His sparkling bebop lines and musicianship make him equally at home on the stage or in the studio, and he maintains a busy schedule as a recording artist, sideman and section player, while traveling frequently for guest appearances.

Martin has already released eight albums as either leader or co-leader, showcasing his improvisation alongside jazz artists such as the late Carl Fontana, Pete Christlieb, Bobby Shew, and Eric Marienthal.

He has also collaborated as a sideman with jazz greats such as Stanley Turrentine and Horace Silver.

He has a long association with Vic Lewis, who was instrumental in getting Martin and the Metropole Orchestra together for a recording on Mons Records.

‘Canary’ collection at Endangered Planet

Artist Cheryl Lommatsch’s new collection, “Canary in a Gold Mind,” a 16-piece display of paintings and sculptures which depict the plights of birds, will be on display Saturday through Aug. 25 at Endangered Planet Gallery, 384 Forest Ave.

A reception for the artist will also be from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Saturday at the gallery.

Entertainment will be provided by folk rocker Tiana Star, whose songs have been featured on XM and local radio.

The sculptural assemblages feature found, forged and stressed metals, along with salvaged remnants of wood, shell and various fibers, and demonstrate dynamic movement and organic forms which take on a sense of animism “” each piece appearing to have an active spirit.

Gallery owner Charles Michael Murray said he twisted the familiar phrase, “canary in a coal mine,” to create a title that would make viewers more mindful of “listening to their own ‘mental canaries’ and awakening to the reality that thirst for monetary wealth can be a source of conflict, environmental destruction, war and potentially our demise.”

Although many of the works are stylized and whimsical, they are intended to evoke a sense of the wildlife struggling in their natural habitat.

“Many of my bird-like creatures have become victims of ‘entrapment’ within metal and wooden sculptural forms,” Lommatsch said. “A predicament of ‘boundaries’ and challenges is presented in these pieces.

“I am asking those who view my work to contemplate what is happening to our planet, to our environment, to our creatures”¦ to us. My concerns lie in the struggle between man and nature.

“And, due to man’s carelessness and greed ““ freedom and prison have become ambiguous terms.”

For more information, call (949) 497-5690 or visit www.endangeredplanet.org.

Anderson exhibit at Sirous & Sons shop

A new collection of works on paper, monotypes and paintings on canvas by contemporary and classically trained artist, Ann Marie Anderson, will be on display from 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday at Sirous & Sons Rug Gallery, 222 Ocean Ave.

The images, which show a wide spectrum of hues from subtle and refined to bold and wild, reflect the diverse geographic locations, which Anderson said fuel her artistic inspiration.

Anderson said her inspirations derive from travel and her focus on such Japanese masters as Toko Shinoda who, she said, intimately absorb the inner vision that she believes is the source for the release of artistic expression.

Selected from 3,000 artists as “Best of Show” winner at the New York Art Expo, Anderson has also exhibited at the Laguna Beach Festival of Arts and the Laguna Art Museum.

Among the collections in which her works are included are Mrs. William Boyd of Laguna Beach, former Laguna Beach Mayor Cheryl Kinsman and former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Evelyn Roman works at Artist Eye

Artist Eye Laguna Gallery will feature “Day Dreams,” a collection of paintings by Los Angeles-based artist, Evelyn Roman, from Wednesday to July 30.

A reception with the artist will also take place from 2 to 5 p.m. July 11.

Influenced by lifelong experiences traveling the world with her late husband, playwright Lawrence Roman, she said her collection is designed to evoke feelings of hope and happiness in current times of economic hardship.

“In these difficult times, I have the need to paint happiness and good feelings,” she said. “In my work, I hope to achieve excitement through strong contrast of color and the expression of depth and value.”

For more information on the show, call (949) 497-5898 or visit www.artisteyegallery.com.