Festival of Arts / Pageant of the Masters: 2019 Media Preview Night

Irvine Bowl Park, Laguna Beach, CA

Happy Sunday, folks! Hope you’ve all enjoyed a nice weekend. We’re doing a rare Sunday post, because in just a few short weeks, starting Sunday, July 7 and running through Saturday, August 31, the long-running Pageant of the Masters and Festival of Arts returns to Newport Beach for its 86th rendition! This beloved South Orange County art tradition is a summertime staple, with exhibits and activities that celebrate local artists and artistry, and of course, the highly impressive Pageant of the Masters itself. It’s all fun for the whole family!

Last Monday, we had a chance to preview this year’s Pageant. Just as it did last year, the event featured a tiny sampling of the artwork that will be on exhibit, a featurette on some of the new food options available this summer, a look behind the scenes of how the Pageant comes together, and a preview of three scenes from this year’s Pageant of the Masters, entitled The Time Machine. It was a fun little evening and definitely upped the anticipation for what promises to be another wonderful summer of art in Laguna Beach!

Welcome to the site of the Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters!

Visitors can take a trolley tram from parking a bit up Laguna Canyon Road down to the venue.

“Intermission” by Terra

Last year featured a plated dinner at the end of our evening catered by the new culinary crafters at Terra, the iconic restaurant with the sweeping double curve roof located right beside the Irvine Bowl at the festival grounds. This year, there was a lighter, “happy hour” session at the beginning to showcase some of the new concessions items that will be available at this year’s Festival. Tasty sliders, avocado toast, and fried finger foods will be part of the menu from “Intermission,” from the same chefs behind Terra.

Incidentally, Terra has once again gone under refurbishment for additional improvements to its dining and kitchen facilities. Things will hopefully look great once everything reopens in a few weeks!

A selection of upcoming concessions items include Pulled Pork BBQ Sliders with Cole Slaw on Sweet Rolls.

Also, Avocado Toast on Toasted Soudough with Garlic Spread.

French Fries and Fried Fish Bites rounded out our food options.

There’s still some construction work going on over there, which will hopefully be done by the time the Pageant of the Masters and Festival of Arts begin the Sunday after Independence Day.

Artist Showcase

The Festival of Arts is the free component of this summer series, open to anyone who stops by (in contrast to the Pageant of the Masters’ paid component, which includes admission to the Festival). Each year, the Festival of Arts features dozens of local artists, sculptors, and creatives who showcase and sell their wares. Some art retirees who have devoted themselves to a hobby they’ve always enjoyed; others are full-time professional artists; and there are those who do it on the side while balancing their regular professional responsibilities. But the great thing about art is that it can be done by anyone and for anyone. Our media night included a glimpse into some of the works and creators we will see this summer.

Elizabeth McGee enjoys placing hidden messages—often puns or cheeky jokes—in her art.

She enjoys the interactive aspect of this. Once viewers catch on that each piece has something more about it, it becomes a game to find the hidden message or joke.

These paintings may look like regular portraits or still life.

But they might reference mythology, puns, common sayings, or inverted stereotypes.

Jeff Horn has been painting landscapes for decades.

His impressionist style brings interpretation for the viewer as much as it does capture his feelings from being in a scene. He composes the basic elements and feel of a scene on location, then takes the remainder back into his studio to fill in details. Horn appreciates the different inspirations and reactions his scenes can evoke from people.

Victor Fisher is a sculptor who uses bronze as his medium.

He enjoys capturing the elegance, composure, strength, and control of dancers.

The smoothness and sleek forms of the human body are juxtaposed by the craggy, rocky roughness of the base, which is also made out of bronze despite looking much different!

For Lyn Hiner, art was a form of healing that she pursued after being involved in a horrible burn accident. Painting the whirling, ashen scene of fire and then overlaying with a beauty of rebirth from the flowers helped her work through the emotion of being caught in such a random personal catastrophe and then recovering from it.

Pageant Presentation

After a little bit of time to enjoy the refreshments and speak with the artists, we were treated to some opening remarks and a quick presentation of one of the sculptural “living picture” elements of the upcoming Pageant of the Masters. A French empire-style clock was brought to life in a combination of actor and sculpture, and it was pretty cool to see this all close up!

Time for the Pageant part of the media night to begin.

A few opening remarks about the history of the pageant and thanks to the people who make it happen every year on a volunteer basis—over 500 people, if you’re keeping count!

An actress is positioned on the stand of one of the art pieces from this year’s Pageant.

Checking to make sure her pose matches the inspirational work.

And, voila!

It’s a French empire-style clock brought to life!

Backstage Art Previews

Afterwards, we were invited backstage to see the set pieces being prepared for this year’s Pageant. The Pageant of the Masters features several dozen pieces each year, and many of them require backdrops and props and stage set-up to position three dimensional elements properly to mimic the flat compositions of the art they’re recreating. Painters and sculptures work to create the individual components which, when put together and paired with the actors, create real-life representations of many famous works of art. It was fascinating to see how the preparation was done, and to understand the scope and scale of the effort for this undertaking!

Backstage features a plethora of set pieces intended for use in this year’s Pageant of the Masters.

They can be seen in various states of progress and finish.

Here, a sculpture evokes one of Salvadore Dali’s famous “melting clocks” in the vein of The Persistence of Memory.

The base still has some work to do and is actually sculpted from foam.

Once paint is layered on, the material seems to change right before our eyes.

Here is another time-related piece, fitting for this year’s “The Time Machine” theme.

Inside a warehouse, an artist works on a backdrop to one of the paintings that will be recreated.

This is the piece in question: Inflating Beach Toy, by Stevan Dohanos.

There are some artistic liberties taken. For example, an extra gas pump is added to lengthen the scene.

A mannequin looks on in the work space.

The scene on the other side is less complete.

But the artists work on these tirelessly, cranking out dozens over a few months for the upcoming Pageant season!

This gives a sense of how 3D elements are arranged to force a 2D perspective.

Actor Make-Up

We were also invited backstage to the dressing room area, where dozens of actors a night are given costuming and make-up in preparation for their scenes. For the most part, actors play one part in one painting the entire night, and the make-up artists only have a few minutes per person to get ready to keep the show moving along. Those who pull double duty might get an early scene and a late scene to allow time to reset. And a rolling schedule means that make-up is still happening for the later parts when the Pageant begins. After 85+ years, the process has become more streamlined, but it’s always an exciting and time-sensitive task to make sure all the actors are ready for their roles each night!

The costumers of the Pageant of the Masters are tasked with not only creating wardrobe that reproduces various artworks, but also making the color, texture, and illustrative aesthetic actually match.

Meanwhile, make-up artists work on various actors and actresses, getting them ready for their parts in each scene.

Here too, the goal is to match the look of the art piece.

A close-up is provided for reference.

The artists apply makeup on model heads for additional reference, to hone efficiency.

Lets compare…

This isn’t normal beautifying make-up!

Here too, it’s amazing to see how the team flies through their tasks to get so many people ready. This was just a small glimpse into what likely is a busy and intense couple of hours each evening to put on these masterpieces of art meeting theater!

Some of the pieces to expect this year…

Pageant Preview

Finally, after it got dark, we had the chance to see three sample works from this year’s Pageant. Unlike last year, the crew did not have a “how it comes together” glimpse like last year, although it remains a traditional favorite for the actual Pageant show itself. Instead, we saw three finished scenes and waiting between the set-up from scene to scene. The lighting and colors and posing once again showcased the wonder and mastery of these “living pictures” that have become such a beloved staple of Laguna Beach each summer!

A preview of the Pageant of the Masters. First scene: Vermeer’s Lens: The Music Lesson, by Johannes Vermeer.

It looks like a flat painting, but those are two live actors and a series of flat components positioned in front and behind to create the illusion of a painting.

Next up: The Vintage Festival, by Lawrence Alma-Tadema.

Look at the detail in this recreation!

Can you tell which person is a real actor vs also painted?

It’s a bit challenging!

Finally, a collection of French Empire clocks.

The detailing is exquisite.

The sculptures are brought to life in vivid elegance.

They’re pretty darn impressive!

I went to the Pageant of the Masters for the first time last year and found myself captivated by the presentation and grandeur and execution of all the various works of art. The work that everyone puts in is truly monumental and incredible. The pageant itself caps off the night, but the Festival of Arts is also a fun event. Guests can bring their own food and beverage and picnic if they’d like, or purchase food on site. There are plenty of artwork displays to enjoy, and there are family-oriented events like workshops and afternoon concerts depending on the day as well.

This year’s Festival of Arts and Pageant of the Masters runs daily from July 7 - August 31. Tickets are available at Festival of Arts web site, and there are also deals on Goldstar and discounts codes available from time to time for Festival email subscribers. If you love art and want to enjoy a wonderful summer afternoon and evening, make your way down to Laguna Beach for this fantastic event. You won’t regret it!

Good night from Laguna Beach!