It’s a sunny weekday afternoon, and artist Agnes Copeland is presiding over a large round table where a handful of students are cutting and pasting – collaging – colorful paper onto small painted canvases.
Copeland’s aspiring artists are creating their works surrounded by booths filled with the variety of artforms and mediums, music and good vibes that are hallmarks of the popular Laguna Art-A-Fair in Laguna Beach.
Copeland, age 90 and a Laguna Woods Village resident since 2009, has graced the festival for 15 years with her colorful multimedia paintings and collages that have the whimsy and charm of folk art.
She began painting watercolors at age 55, but, she says, she studied art history and kept an eye on art all through college. Now she’s a regular at the Village’s Clubhouse 4, where she creates her eye-catching canvases and also teaches art.
“I enjoy creating. I don’t copy and I use my own imagination,” Copeland said. “As an artist, you don’t ever stay stagnant. You constantly move on to something else, and at 90 it gives me something to do.”
This year, Copeland is one of 114 artists who were juried in to the art fest from 227 international applicants ranging in age from 21 to 90, said Kim Brandon-Watson, marketing vice president for the art fest.
Visiting regulars might note that the festival has been infused with new energy. Spaces have been reconfigured, and there’s a terrace-like area for artists workshops, live music ranging from rock and blues to folk and salsa, and, new this season, dance lessons. Plus there’s a beer and wine garden pop-up.
Among the wealth of painters, ceramicists, photographers and fiber artists are three more Village residents displaying their creations. Maribeth and Joe McFaul, a married couple, also came to making art later in life, and the multifaceted Audrey Grider creates visually beautiful paintings and also mines the healing powers of art.
Joe McFaul, a retired international maritime…
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