Media Contacts:
Lynne Powell/Dolores Colin
949-494-3030

November 5, 2004
For Immediate Release

BOOKS ARE WORKS OF ART AT WINTER FANTASY

This will mark the 12th year September McGee has displayed and sold her art in the upcoming Winter Fantasy in Laguna Beach. Artist Crystal Jackson will participate for the first time. Though one is a veteran and the other a rookie, the Laguna Beach residents share one great similarity: they’ve turned their remarkable artistic talent into books.

For McGee, who has exhibited her oil paintings for the past 11 years in the Festival, it’s the creation of her first book, “Let’s Sail Away.” For Jackson, who specializes in paper crafts, it’s the actual creation of hand-made, hand-bound journals and other books.

McGee’s self-published book, a hand-illustrated 32-page volume called “Let’s Sail Away,” is a beautifully rendered tale of two young children who receive a new sailboat. They head to the shore but find themselves in a grand adventure, where they meet all kinds of seaside “secrets,” which are creatures that live on the beach.

Though geared for children, McGee, who has taught art to children for more than 25 years and currently teaches at LOCA (Laguna Outreach for Community Art) and the Laguna Art Museum, said there’s a real message.

“I wanted the book to be cute and informative, which it is, but I also wanted to have a message. And that is to preserve our beaches and the creatures that live there,” said McGee, who serves as a volunteer docent for the Tidewater Docent Program, which was founded by Fred Sattler, whose wife, Jan, is also a Sawdust Festival exhibitor. “I’d like readers to walk away from this learning how to be environmentalists and honoring and preserving our beaches. It’s so important to leave everything that is supposed to be at the beach and to take away everything that we bring, like garbage."

McGee said this has been the biggest undertaking of her creative life. “I’m so excited how it came out.”

She will be selling copies of her book at the festival, as well as her original oil paintings, which include a few series such as mother and babies on the beach, ballerinas and a series she calls Le Femme a Bar, which are portraits of women enjoying a glass of chardonnay or merlot.

While those who buy McGee’s book will find her unique perspective in the illustrations and text, those who purchase Crystal Jackson’s wares will discover a different connection with the artist. Jackson makes hand-bound books that allow the buyers to express their thoughts. She also works with paper in other ways, including book necklaces and hand-made boxes.

Born into a very talented artistic family, arts and crafts surrounded Jackson from her earliest moments. At the age of 10, she discovered a book about all kinds of crafts, one of them being how to re-cover a damaged book. “I had one paperback that I loved so much that I wore it out. So I put on a new cover on it and then started piddling around with making journals,” she said.

Jackson didn’t study art in college. She eventually joined the army as a sheet metal worker, met her future husband, had a couple of children and moved to Laguna Beach. But all along, she found herself attracted to the technique of marbling paper, an ancient technique that began in Turkey centuries ago. It’s a process in which paper is decorated with colorful swirls and patterns. By layering, dripping and randomly dropping the paint on paper, a variety of remarkable colors and patterns can be achieved.

“You can do this and make scripted patterns that have been developed for thousands of years,” Jackson said. “But it also affords a lot of variation for freeform and just playing around. It’s instantaneous, forgiving and fun.”

Jackson uses all kinds of paper as her canvas, including rice paper and even computer paper. “You just dip the edge of the paper into the paint and you come up with this miraculous, gorgeous effect.”

Her favorite series is citrus paper. “They look like slices of oranges, lemons or limes. They’re the coolest thing I think I’ve ever done.”

The paper is then turned into handmade and hand bound journals, or book necklaces that are “little blank journals that hang around your neck like a pendant.”

It’s ironic that Jackson’s artistic focus is so geared toward paper and journals. “My family are copious journalers, but I’m not. I’m more picture-based,” she said. “I love books but I’m not a writer so maybe this is some way that I can make books without being a writer.”

Though this is her first year as an exhibitor in the festival, she has attended for 16 consecutive years. “But I’ve never seen anyone whose worked with marbled paper except my grandfather,” she said. “So I’m very, very excited to see how people respond.”

Jackson and McGee are among the 173 artists and craftspeople selected to sell and exhibit at the 2004 Winter Fantasy, a holiday event held at the Sawdust Art Festival grounds in Laguna Beach. Unlike the summer’s Sawdust Art Festival which showcases only Laguna Beach artists, the winter show has no residency restriction.

The Winter Fantasy is held for four weekends, including the day after Thanksgiving. Dates are Nov. 20 and 21; Nov. 26, 27 and 28; Dec. 4 and 5 and Dec. 11 and 12. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Admission is $4.50 for ages 13 years and above, $2.00 for children 6 to 12 years and free for youngsters five and under. Season passes are available for $5.50.

In addition to the variety of art for sale, the Winter Fantasy features a play area with real snow, visits with Santa, complimentary art classes, children’s art activities, live holiday entertainment and an array of food and beverages.

Winter Fantasy is located at 935 Laguna Canyon Road in Laguna Beach (Sawdust Art Festival grounds). Additional information may be obtained by calling (949) 494-3030 or visiting www.sawdustartfestival.org.