Sawdust Festival opens with flying monkeys, hand-crafted wine glasses, bamboo surfboards

Alexander Evans — aka Dr. Neon — lives to evoke emotions from his artwork.

Dressed in a green cape with funky sunglasses, he was doing just that as dozens gathered around his wild-looking booth during a preview night for the 56th annual Sawdust Art Festival, which opens Friday, June 24, for its summer run.

He has posted a massive flying monkey made from steel and bronze high over his booth as his “provoking” piece this year.

“As you get older, what is scarier than flying monkeys?” Evans asked, picking up a large sand hourglass with no sand at the top. “Well, the hourglass is scarier.”

While the giant monkey costs about $7,000, Evans has smaller versions available for between $75 and $95, as well as flying pigs, cows, dragons and bats. Along with his metal art, Evans offers jewelry, neon art, handcrafted knives and magic wands – a huge hit among kids.

Evans is one of 160 artists exhibiting unique creations at this year’s Sawdust Festival, open to shoppers the next eight weeks.

The summertime artist village lives under a grove of giant eucalyptus trees offering shade to cool shoppers as they wander its sawdust-covered pathways in Laguna Canyon. Its organizers expect to draw at least 200,000 people in that time.

The Sawdust Festival, which also includes art classes, live music and special events, showcases art made in Laguna Beach. It is one of three popular art events that draw visitors to the beach city each summer, along with Laguna Art-A-Fair and Festival of Arts.

Special events planned during the summer festival include a Sip, Talk and Walk tour, during which artists will give tips on what not to miss at the festival. The tours will be held at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. every Wednesday.

On Aug. 7, there will be the Bizarre Bazaar, a fashion show, and the Artists’ Benevolence Fund Art Auction will be Aug. 14, during which participants can bid on original Sawdust works in silent and live auctions.

Among the many booths, an art gallery showcases the upcoming talents of 28 Laguna Beach High School artists.

Just around the corner from the high school exhibit is Alex Fritz, an artist who gears his creations toward the “wino community.”

Fritz specializes in hand-blown wine glasses and bottle tops. He said his designs, which include sea turtles, jellyfish and octopuses, are inspired by his Laguna Beach ocean-oriented lifestyle and sometimes by his 4-year-old daughter, Zinnia.

“She likes to push around her ice cream cart, so I’ve made ice cream-inspired designs,” he said, pointing out a piece that could be mistaken for swirled Neapolitan ice cream.

But, it’s Laguna Beach’s freedom, he said, that pushes his creativity.

“Here, you can express yourself in any way,” Fritz said. “People accept you as you are and don’t criticize you.”

In that same vein, Fritz said he is open to ideas from his clients. One year, a woman had a necklace that combined several pieces of colored glass, and she commissioned a dozen wine glasses made with the same combination.

“That was fun to make that set,” he said.

Another time, a longtime client asked him if he could make a piece that incorporated the ashes of a loved one.

“I first resisted because I wasn’t sure how to deal with people’s remains,” he said. “But, once I did it, it was so rewarding.”

Among the Sawdust Festival’s six new artists this season is Richard Goodman. He isn’t new, new – he exhibited for the first time back in 2004, but took a break from his artistry to pursue his day job creating custom bamboo kitchen and bathroom cabinets.

Goodman said he prides himself on custom and quality work and is now bringing that to the Sawdust Festival. In addition to the cabinetry, he is also showcasing bamboo skateboards and bamboo surfboards.

“I dream up beautiful things and build them,” he said.

Back at Evans’ booth, another flying monkey helped market his wares. An 11-year-old boy in a custom-made monkey suit popped out from random places in the artist village handing out cards for Evan’s booth, this year themed “Wicked Witch.”

“Art is fiction,” said Evans, 69, a festival icon who set up his first booth in 1980. “I do something outrageous each year, and I do something fun because the world is so serious.

“You don’t need art, but it should be something to amuse your brain.”

If you go

What: Sawdust Art Festival

When: Runs daily through Aug. 28; 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., Sundays through Thursdays, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays.

Cost: General admission $10

Information: SawdustArtFestival.org

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