Lots to love in Laguna this year

EYE ON ARTS AND ENTERTAINMENT

Oh to be just a bit Valentine-ish -- it’s great to be able to say I

love my job, my friends, my family and to wax poetically -- I must

admit I’m pretty smitten with my life. I have a feeling that there

are a lot of people in Laguna that feel the same way.

A SPECIAL VALENTINE

The Fingerhut Gallery invites locals to celebrate Valentine’s Day

with artist Yuroz and his exhibit “A Toast to Love.”

Gallery director Nancy Morris said that Yuroz is known as the

artist inspired by love. His canvases are filled with every type of

person and depict myriad emotions experienced by mankind.

Yuroz said the existence and hope of love fills his artwork.

“The blue roses so often seen in my work symbolize love,

tenderness and compassion with the color blue representing healing,

healing through love,” Yuroz said. “The seeds of the pomegranate,

another re-occurring symbol in my work, represent the seeds of life

we haven’t experienced yet, the future.”

Yuroz was born in Soviet Armenia in 1956 and was only 10 years old

when he attended the esteemed Akop Kodjoyan School of Art in

Armenia’s capital, Yerevan. He graduated with honors and continued

working on his art at the Yerevan University of Art and Architecture.

“His natural aptitude for architecture can be seen to this day in

every aspect of his life,” writer Matthew Lutt said. “Yuroz’s most

recent sculpture, the life-size sculpture ‘A Delicate Balance,’

displays an artist with an implicit knowledge and understanding of

how angles and lines must converge to create the lovely curves of the

human form.”

Because his political views differed from the Soviet regime, he

sought freedom in the United States. The journey to America took him

seven years to complete.

“Those seven years imbued him with a compassion and understanding

for all refugees seeking new homes and fresh beginnings,” Lutt said.

In January 2000, Yuroz was chosen by the United Nations to be the

official artist for its 50th anniversary stamp honoring refugees

world wide. A mural with the likeness of the stamp was unveiled at

the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City and is

considered a testament to the human will. The mural will soon be sent

to the General Assembly Building in Geneva, Switzerland to be a part

of its permanent collection.

Yuroz struggled for years in the U.S. and soon found himself

homeless.

“Even though he had no home, hope was his companion,” Lutt said.

“Yuroz continued to create art with the supplies of the streets.

Napkins and cardboard were conjured into canvas, and discarded pens

were transformed into paintbrushes.”

Things have changed a lot since then for the artist, but he never

forgot his experiences -- often donating original work to charities.

Last March, he was the cover story for “The Los Angeles Times

Magazine.” He also appeared on “Good Morning America” and was

featured in the “New York Daily News.”

“Even with such momentous events upcoming, Yuroz never forgets the

small joys of sounding our feelings and moods with his art,” Lutt

said.

Morris said she looks forward to this event and believes it is

perfect for Valentine’s Day.

“We are delighted to be showing the work of such a passionate

artist on the universal day of love,” Morris said.

The event is from 6 to 9 p.m. today. The Fingerhut Gallery is at

210 A Forest Ave. Information: 376-6410.

ART FOR AIDSII

Last Saturday at the St. Regis in Monarch Bay, Dame Elizabeth

Taylor, Penny Marshal, Warren Beatty, Annette Bening, Tom Petty and

Carrie Fisher were joined by a crowd of about 700 people to help

fight AIDS.

This year, the event raised $250,000 netting $50,000 more than

last year. AIDS Services Foundation and Laguna Art Museum have been

working collaboratively on the event both years. With dozens of

members of the arts community felled by the disease, and in

recognition of the art’s healing effects, the fund-raiser made sense

to both parties. For information, call Mary Barnes at Laguna Art

Museum at 494-8971, ext. 207.

NEW EXHIBIT BY RENOWNED ARTIST AT ELIZABETH EDWARDS GALLERY

“Transfigurations,” the new exhibit by well-known L.A.-based

artist Luc Leestemaker, will be featured at Elizabeth Edwards Gallery

through Feb. 19.

Leestemaker’s work has moved from densely abstract and

expressionist compositions to the current “Inner Landscape” and

“Tranfigurations” series, inspired by Mark Rothko and 17th-century

Dutch painters. His work has been featured in galleries and in cities

around the world, including Tokyo, Zurich, New York, Los Angeles and

New York.

Elizabeth Edwards Fine Art is at 1590 S. Coast Highway, Suite 4.

For information, call Casey Stetler at the gallery at 464-9805.

* SUZIE HARRISON is a reporter for the Laguna Beach Coastline

Pilot. She may be reached at 494-4321 or [email protected].