The Art Always Draws Me In

Every year when I go to Newport for a few days in the summer, I always make a point of visiting the Laguna Beach Art Museum.  I learned a long time ago that they always have outstanding exhibits.  Last year's exhibits were no exception.  First there was an exhibit of silk-screened prints from an organization called Self Help Graphics.  The group was founded by Sister Karen Boccalero to provide Chicano and Latino artists in the L.A. region with studio space, materials and guidance.
The pieces above and to the left are by Miguel Angel Reyes and Patssi Valdez.

This one was created by Jose Lozano.

Another exhibit contained some of the artworks of John Baldessari who was among the most revered figures in California contemporary art.  He is considered a pioneer of the conceptual movement during the 1970's.  Many of his compositions use his own or appropriated photos that he alters in thought provoking and often comic ways.  Above is a series of photos of native-like women dancing around a stew-pot with a man inside.  In each photo, one person disappears until there are no people left.  

This piece is called "Eight Colorful Inside Jobs".  In each, Baldessari isolates a single geometric shape and uses a print making technique to give each a three dimensional appearance.   All the pieces in the exhibit of his works were different from each other and really made you think.  I was glad I had a docent showing them to me so she could explain different aspects.

The third artist featured was Gwynn Merrill.  She's a Los Angeles based artist who began sculpting in the early 1970's.  She is most known for her animal forms.  The pieces included in this exhibit were exquisite.  

I loved her sculptures so much that I went back again for a second look.

The Laguna Beach Art Museum is a small museum making it easy to see all of the incredible art on display.  And, it's location right on the Pacific Coast Highway, just steps from the ocean lets the visitor combine time in the museum with time by the sea.  What a perfect combination.