Known as a mecca for the arts, Laguna Beach boasts a trifecta of summer festivals that showcase the creativity and skill of hundreds of artists: The Festival of Arts, the Sawdust Festival and Laguna Art-A-Fair line Laguna Canyon Road through the first week of September.
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Art-A-Fair, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary, hosts arts and crafts from local artists as well as artists from around the country and the world.
“We have 40 new artists this year, many of them younger,” said Bonnie Pelnar, vice president of marketing for the festival. “There is more mixed media as these artists blend traditional techniques with modern techniques and materials.”
Laguna Art-A-Fair showcases arts and crafts from local artists as well as artists from around the country and the world. It is celebrating its 60th anniversary in 2026. (Courtesy of Penny E. Schwartz)
Laguna Woods resident Eva Altmann emphasizes color in her geometric designs, on display at Laguna Art-A-Fair in July 2026. (Courtesy of Penny E. Schwartz)
Laguna Woods resident Carrie Olsen works on her fabric art in her booth at Laguna Art-A-Fair in July 2026. The art festival showcases arts and crafts from local artists as well as artists from around the country and the world. (Courtesy of Penny E. Schwartz)
Laguna Woods resident Deborah Shriver is exhibiting her work at Laguna Art-A-Fair for the first time in July 2026. (Courtesy of Penny E. Schwartz)
Laguna Woods resident Audrey Grider stands at her booth, themed “From Presence to the Abstract,” showing her mixed media work, at Laguna Art-A-Fair in July 2026. (Courtesy of Audrey Grider)
Laguna Woods Village artist Viviana Stone features whimsical and abstract portraits in her display at Laguna Art-A-Fair in July 2026. The art festival showcases arts and crafts from local artists as well as artists from around the country and the world. (Courtesy of Penny E. Schwartz)
Walking the show aisles reveals imaginative sea creatures formed from polymer clay, birds and boats fashioned from rusty metal, and animal likenesses created on scratchboard.
Felted wool is fashioned into purses and wall hangings while pine needles are intertwined to form intricate baskets adorned with natural stones and other elements.
Gourds are cut, painted and dressed with decorative elements. Shiny dichroic glass fills a booth brimming with bling for those attracted to light and color.
Among the local artists at Art-A-Fair this year are six who live in Laguna Woods Village retirement community: Carrie Olsen, Eva Altmann, Viviana Stone, Audrey Grider, Agnes Copeland and Deborah Shriver.
Olsen is enjoying her fourth year in the show, presenting her modern fiber and textile creations.
“I was a quilter for 30 years and worked as a commercial photographer,” she said. “When I retired I wanted to put my art and quilting together.”
Olsen’s love of textiles and color have led to works that many compare to those of Kandinsky or Mondrian in terms of color and design, she said. Her intricate method of creating texture is called “matchstick quilting.”
“Every one of my works features some type of stitching, whether by hand or machine,” she said.
She also uses rope and fabric to cover vases and create baskets, and many of her fabrics are hand dyed.
“I use fabric as my palette as I put my colors together on a design board,” she said.
A six-year resident of the Village, Olsen delights in the community of artists she has found at Art-A-Fair and is among those who offer workshops during the festival season.
Altmann also emphasizes color in her geometric designs. A 12-year Village resident, she has joined Art-A-Fair for the third time.
“I enjoy the beautiful camaraderie and the opportunity to show my work to a broad audience,” said Altmann, who works in acrylic paint.
For years she taught art classes for children and adults. When it came to her own art, she started cutting out shapes to make collages before the idea to create the shapes in paint occurred to her.
“The geometric theme came naturally to me,” she said.
Altmann sketches the designs ahead of time, figures out the placement, then painstakingly tapes off each shape before painting it.
“It fascinates me to play with bright colors,” she said.
As an artist, she enjoys the endless possibilities and constantly looks for new ideas and inspiration to create art that is unique.
When customers say her work reminds them of several famous modern artists, she takes it as a compliment, she said.
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Quite a different sensibility shows up in the work of five-year Village resident Stone. “Sacred Play” is her theme this year, her third in the show.
“It’s a great opportunity to showcase my work with that of good artists,” she said.
While Stone usually works on large canvases, she decided to go smaller this year and feature a multitude of whimsical and abstract portraits that can be displayed singly or grouped together.
“I’ve kept the color palette cohesive so they will mix and match,” she said of the portraits, which are not based on real people but are drawn from visions in her head.
“Abstract speaks to me the most and gives me the most joy,” said Stone, who loves to be playful and have fun while painting. She does it now full-time.
“From Presence to the Abstract” is the theme of Grider’s booth showing her mixed media work. Grider, who has lived in the Village since 2020, is participating in her fourth Art-A-Fair, where she strives to create work that is unique and one-of-a-kind.
“I love experimenting with different materials,” she said of her use of acrylic and oil paint, textural elements, gold leaf and other materials.
“I focus on exploring felt life experiences,” said Grider, who is a psychotherapist specializing in trauma. She ascribes to the Japanese concept of restoring broken objects to make them more beautiful than the original.
Grider enjoys putting her work out to be seen along with that of an international group of artists. In addition, she appreciates that Art-A-Fair is the only one of the three Laguna art shows that allows reproductions to be sold along with original works.
“This brings affordable art to a wide range of people who maybe can’t afford to buy an original,” she said.
Copeland is showing her acrylic and collaged works in this summer’s show.
“My favorite paintings are scenes of life expressed with a whimsical view,” she says in her artist bio. “Creating my own interpretation rather than being slavishly adherent to reality is my challenge.”
Her current works are paper collage on canvas using acrylic inks and paints. She uses art papers from Japan, Thailand and India to create her unique works of art.
In her first show at Art-A-Fair, 13-year Village resident Shriver is enjoying exhibiting her work with artists who are “the cream of the crop.”
She started painting just six years ago, looking for something to take up her time during the pandemic.
“I always collected art and decided that then was a good time to try it out myself,” she said.
She took lessons online and came to specialize in highly textured flowers and seascapes. She uses special prints, molding paste and alcohol ink along with oil paint to get the textured effect in her paintings
The flowers she depicts are often based on her own imagination rather than those growing in nature.
“I like that they make people happy and bring joy,” she said.
Bringing joy and artistic surprises seems to be the mantra of the varied palette of artists in this year’s show.
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For more information about Art-A-Fair, visit art-a-fair.com.