BRIEFLY IN ART AND ENTERTAINMENT

Art based on John Lennon to be sold

Pacific Edge Gallery, 540 S. Coast Hwy. No. 112, will put more than 120 pieces of art based on the works of Beatle and activist John Lennon up for sale today through Sunday.

Among the available works will be silkscreen serigraphs of Lennon’s drawings, pieces signed by Yoko Ono Lennon and serigraphed song lyrics.

For more information, call (949) 494-0491 or visit www.pacificedgegallery.com.

College holds free game art presentation

Laguna College of Art & Design will hold a free presentation in its Game Art Lecture Series 2008 featuring Autodesk principal scientist Duncan Brinsmead at 11:30 a.m. Feb. 7 at [seven-degrees], 891 Laguna Canyon Road.

The creator of Maya Paint Effects, Maya Hair, and Maya Toon, Brinsmead has also worked extensively on development of Maya Fluids and Maya nCloth.

He will speak on the challenges of computer graphics and the future of 3D, performing a live demo of bizarre and unnatural uses of nCloth using Autodesk Maya 2008, including real-time simulations of deforming metal, water filled balloons, confetti, paper airplanes, curtains on sliding hooks, vacuum formed bubble packs, flesh, falling leaves, zippers, tearing cloth, chopping cake, pouring water and swirling vortices.

Brinsmead will also demo a unique air vortex simulation method that was added to Nucleus in Maya 2008. It creates the look of a 3D fluid dynamics solve without requiring a full fluid simulation, and can provide very natural looking air-cloth interaction. There will also be some unusual techniques presented using Maya fluids, from hurricanes to a foam-topped cappuccino.

Comic appears in town

Local comedienne Lynne Epstein will participate in several events in coming weeks.

During the 10th anniversary of Art Walk on Feb. 7, she will offer a Comedy Stop at 7 p.m. in the EmBODYment Art Spa, 1400 S. Coast Hwy.

For more information, e-mail [email protected].

She will be part of the California Funniest Female Tour at 8 p.m. Feb. 12 at the Irvine Improv, 71 Fortune Drive in the Irvine Spectrum.

For more information, call (949) 854-5455.

She will hold Lynn Epstein’s Big Night of Comedy at 8:30 p.m. Feb. 23 in Laguna Beach at the Woman’s Club, 286 St. Ann’s Drive.

Wine, beer, soda and water will be available; tickets are $20 and include the first beverage.

The show is 21+, and guests of all genders are invited. Tickets available at the door, or in advance for preferred seating at www.lynnepstein.com.

Masella short film wins My Hero award

The short film “Joey,” by Shaun MacGillivray, has won the first-place award in the college division at the 3rd Annual My Hero Short Film Festival.

The awards ceremony took place Dec. 15 at the George Lucas Screening Room at the University of Southern California’s Center for Digital Arts.

In the 5-minute documentary, MacGillivray introduces 12-year-old Joey Masella, who had Epidermolysis Bullosa, a rare disease that caused his skin to blister inside and out. Joey passed away last year.

Viewers followed Joey throughout his typical day, which includes drama class at school, rehearsing lines for a play with his mother, and painful physical therapy sessions each afternoon.

“I just want people to know that I’m a normal kid,” he says in the film. “I might not be able to do as many things as other kids and other people and stuff but I’m just the same. One day I hope there will be a cure and I won’t have to deal with all this stuff. For now, I have my family. I have my friends. I have a really cool scooter.”

“Joey” and other films from the 2007 festival, can be seen on the My Hero website at www.myhero.com/ screeningroom.

Sawdust board hires general manager

The Board of Directors of the Sawdust Art Festival has hired Tom Klingenmeier, longtime Director of Security for the 42 year-old festival, as General Manger. Klingenmeier took the reigns of the art organization in early January.

The Sawdust Art Festival is a nonprofit organization led by a Board of Directors, all of whom are exhibiting artists at the festival. The general manager position had been vacant for nearly seven years when talk of filling the position surfaced this past summer.

“I’m pleased to have Tom fill this position,” Board President Mike Kelly said. “His experience working for the festival “” already being part of the Sawdust family “” gave him an edge over the other candidates. His work for Laguna Unified and as President of the Employees Union gave him a unique background that will help him fulfill the goals that the board has set for him.”

Known to a generation of Lagunans as “Coach Kling,” Klingenmeier taught many courses, including journalism, at Laguna Beach High School in addition to coaching and eventually being Athletic Director until his retirement from the district in 2005. He currently writes a column for the Laguna News-Post.

Klingenmeier lives in Laguna Beach with wife Patti and is the father of two adult sons and grandfather of four.

Gallery holds opening reception

Whitney Gallery, 350 N. Coast Hwy., is hosting a reception for Orange County artist Bradford J. Salamon from 6 to 9 p.m. Feb. 7 in conjunction with the exhibition of Salamon’s original portrait paintings, “Live!” Salamon will be present at the reception, which will also offer wine tasting.

For more information, call (949) 497-4322, send e-mail to [email protected] or visit www.marcwhitney.com.

College holds illustrator show

Laguna College of Art & Design presents works by professional illustrator Anita Kunz from Feb. 1 to 27 at the college gallery, 2222 Laguna Canyon Road.

Exhibition hours are Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Ample complimentary parking is available.

An opening reception will be held in conjunction with First Thursday’s Art Walk from 5 to 8 p.m. Feb. 7.

Canadian artist and illustrator Kunz has produced cover art for magazines including Rolling Stone, Time, Newsweek, and Sports Illustrated. Her satirical portraits from the covers of Time Magazine are in the permanent collection of the National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.

For more information, visit lagunacollege.edu.

Baas solo exhibition begins Saturday

The Esther Wells Collection, 1390 S. Coast Hwy., will hold its 12th annual Jacobus Baas Solo Exhibition beginning with an opening reception from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday. The show runs through Feb. 23.

Well known for his plein aire scenes of Laguna Beach, Hawaii and Maine, Baas will also share scenes from his trips to Vermont and Europe.

One of the founding signature members of the Laguna Plein-Air Painters Assn., Baas promotes awareness of the natural landscape by creating paintings that appeal both to the eye and to the heart.

The Esther Wells Collection in Laguna Beach, a long established fine arts gallery, represents a number of leading artists who create original works in oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastel, drawings, bronze, stone, and terra cotta. The gallery is a First Thursday’s Art Walk Member Gallery. Gallery hours are from about 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.

For more information, call (949) 494-2497 or visit estherwellscollection.com.

Festival accepting grant applications

The Festivals of Arts Foundation is now accepting applications for 2008 Art Grants. Nonprofit organizations that have programs that promote fine arts in and about the city of Laguna Beach may apply.

The submission deadline is Feb. 15. Grant applications may be picked up at the Festival of Arts administration office, 650 Laguna Canyon Road.

“As the giving arm of the Festival of Arts, the Foundation continues to provide funding that promotes art education and appreciation for all ages,” said Festival of Arts Foundation President Scott Moore.

For more information on the grant application process, call (949) 494-1145, ext. 200.

The Festival of Arts Foundation is a nonprofit organization established by the Festival of Arts in 1989. Its purpose is to provide funding for the arts in and about Laguna Beach in perpetuity.

Contributions may be donated to the Festival of Arts Foundation by contacting Scott Moore at (949) 494-9680.

Museum plans art auction

Laguna Art Museum, 307 Cliff Drive, will hold Auction 100 “” 100 works from 100 Southern California artists “” from 6 to 10 p.m. Feb. 16. Laguna Art Museum director Bolton Colburn will give a tour at 6:30 p.m.

Each juried piece is posted on the Auction 100 website at lagunaartmuseum.org, and will be placed on exhibition in the Museum for viewing from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 9 to 15.

Auction 100 has been created in celebration of the 90th anniversary of the formation of the Laguna Beach Art Association in 1918.

The event will feature a live and silent auction. Extraordinary auctioneer Chuck Dreyer will present the live auction, and a buffet, DJ, drinks and curbside valet parking will be included with the price of admission.

Member tickets are $125 each and nonmember tickets are $150 each.

For more information about Auction 100, call Events Director Marnie Wall at (949) 494-8971, x219.