IN THE WORKSHOP WITH

IN THE WORKSHOP WITH ARTISTS OF LAGUNA

On the following pages I feature several artists who call Laguna Beach home. These artists represent a range of mediums, with which they create beautiful and interesting art works. I very much enjoyed visiting all of these artists in their studios, learning from them about their art and seeing their processes and the end results. These visits left me feeling inspired and overwhelmed by their massive talent. Enjoy this deep dive into Laguna’s thriving art scene!

JIMOLARTE

Walking into Jim Olarte’s shingle-clad art studio, I was greeted by massive creations of macrame, knotted from ropes in various hues, hanging from the rafters, creating an otherworldly space where I held myself back from grabbing onto one of the ropes and swinging Tarzan-style across the room. From vintage shops, nautical supply stores and weavers, Jim gathers long lengths of thick yachting rope, jute and other fibers to knot impressive works of art, which have been installed in hotels, private residences, shops and more. It is a mesmerizing space, sprinkled with collections of rocks, shells, driftwood and more. There is an organic quality about the studio, with fiber throughout and bits of nature plucked from the seashore. Jim has spent his entire life near the beach and his love and reverence for the ocean comes through in his work as well as the studio where he works.

The story goes like this… In the 1970’s, when macrame plant hangers were the rage, Jim’s mom wanted some of her own, so he learned how to make them for her and sold some of them at craft fairs in Irvine. Then he tucked that skill away for a time.

Jim landed in Laguna Beach during the late 70’s and operated a big-deal vintage clothing store called Locals Only with his partner for more than 20 years, which attracted collectors from surfers to supermodels. Then he worked for a stint in “surf shack” set design, window displays and prop styling for surf brands. “I was working on a photo shoot for Roxy and doing some of the retail stores for Quiksilver when they asked, ‘Doesn’t the Roxy Girl have macrame? With seashells and driftwood?’ They placed six orders and I thought, ‘My gosh, I could be embarking on macrame again.’ He retrieved that skill from his youth and began knotting again. From there, Jim began receiving commissions for private and commercial installations, including hotels and shops like Tommy Bahamas (in NYC), A’maree’s in Newport, residences as far as Provincetown, galleries throughout the country and restaurants. He’s been crafting macrame as a career for 10 years now, not because it’s “on trend” but because he loves the zen quality it brings to his life. He is drawn to the fact that it is mathematical and precise, yet also very meditative. It connects him to the ocean, where he is deeply rooted and feels it is a part of who he is.

A self-described “professional beachcomber,” Jim also creates beautiful, organic hanging sculptures from remnants of detritus, such as sea-worn fiberglass from shipwrecked boats, shells, rocks, fishing weights and other treasures he forages from his beach explorations. These bits from the sea and shore are often knotted into his macrame art as well, adding an organic vibe to his one-of-a-kind hanging creations. He doesn’t drill holes into any natural element of the earth, shells or rocks, but only uses their natural or eroded holes and openings. Although Jim lives in a modern world, he is in a sense unplugged from it. He does not own a car, preferring to travel everywhere he goes by bus, even to haul the pieces of fiberglass and lead weights he finds while exploring the beach. He doesn’t use an iPhone because he is perfectly content with his old flip phone. He doesn’t watch TV or use streaming services since he prefers to spend his free time at the beach or reading voraciously. Jim truly lives a slow, artistic life, guided by the tides, his love for the sea and what it shares with him for his work, and his passion for his craft, making knots as sailors have done for generations and creating beauty with fiber and treasures from the sea.

Where to find Jim Olarte: Studio: 950 Glenneyre St, Laguna Beach Instagram: @jimolarte

DIANA

GARREAU

As I stood mesmerized, in what seemed to be a kaleidoscope, Diana Garreau handed me a delicate antique green stemmed glass, containing sparkling water. Of course it was a lovely antique vessel rather than simply an aluminum can. Everything she touches is beautiful. Her small shop, tucked into a side street in Laguna Beach, is an exuberant wonderland of color, exotic patterns and textures.

This textile and jewelry designer extraordinaire has a fascinating story. The daughter of a French father and an English mother, Diana was born in Madagascar and grew up in Mauritius, Zimbabwe, Australia, Kenya and South Africa. French was her first language. Her multicultural upbringing is truly reflected in her work and career. She obtained her degree in graphic design and, at the age of 23, was running a small advertising studio in Durban. Having a love for the ocean and being a keen boogie boarder, she became involved with the surf industry in South Africa, home to surf brands such as Gotcha. Upon the recommendation of a childhood friend from her years in Zimbabwe, who had relocated to Laguna Beach, she made the transcontinental move from South Africa as a young, scrappy and fearless 29-year-old. She worked as an au pair for all of two weeks, then landed work, through her contacts from the surf industry, and started drawing designs for T-shirts, then expanded her designs. She started really loving the textile world and gaining large numbers of clients, internationally. Diana went on to spend 30 years designing full print collections, from couture swimwear for many global labels and board shorts designs for surf brands to African collections for 100-yearold Dutch wax cloth company, Vlisco, among others. Sports companies, such as Nike and Lululemon, used her fashion-forward prints as well. She maintained a studio in Buenos Aires for a dozen years and traveled to shows in Europe and Brazil. In total, Diana created over 40,000 patterns! All her designs are hand drawn and original from her Laguna Studio.

Image credit: Diana Garreau

The textile industry eventually changed and Diana became more interested in creating lasting jewelry, which had been her mode of release from the ever changing world of fashion. “My work in textile prints started naturally going smaller and I started thinking about interiors, especially wallpaper.” She found stonecutters in India and Brazil. Diana began re-establishing her connections with craftspeople in Africa. She has a generous spirit and says, “I can be helping the youth in Africa. I have talents and want to give back. I can work with these people and open their eyes not to design the same thing again and again, but to think on international levels.” She makes much of her jewelry herself, beading in the evenings with antique African beads, adding precious gems and Tahitian pearls to her designs. The pendants are often shells she finds herself while beachcombing with artist Jim Olarte, whose studio is just a few steps up the street. “I like assembling elements together that would not normally be considered to sit together.” She went on to say, “I’m known for these necklaces, antique micro-mosaic pins that I encase in silver to make a pendant.” She strings the necklace with trading beads and chevrons. She explains the colors work perfectly together because the glass used for the mosaics and the beads came from the same factories in Murano, Italy. Beads, at the time in Africa, were made of clay and easily broken, so when the Portuguese came to open West Africa, thick glass trading beads became a currency, hence their name. So glass beads, made in Murano, went to Africa and the delicate micro mosaic pins and pendants went to the European continent for wealthy clients. I like putting European and African together because that is my heritage.”

Diana still designs textile prints, but that currently accounts for approximately 5%, mostly for longtime clients. She now works mostly for her own brand and is known for her scarves, woven in India and printed with her designs (two collections each year). The most recent collection was based on the theme interiors, “...since we spent last year with our interiors.” She is constantly adding to her cushion collections, one for home in velvet and the other, an outdoor collection made of printed neoprene, all made in the USA. Another extension to her brand is wallpaper, working on permanent collections made to order. From neutrals to drama-packed designs, she works on commissioned pieces. “I love creating what no one has seen and then changing someone’s living space to make their home come to life, whether through tranquil or statement designs.”

Diana hand sketches the elements and has designers digitize them on computer, as she sits with them and directs the placement of each motif. She combines unusual images in her wallpaper designs and has them digitally printed. Her favorite paper to print on is metallic paper, resulting in a luminous quality.

Diana has furniture crafted in Africa, where pieces are upholstered in handbeading (two chairs are on the way to her shop, hand-beaded with gold glass beads). She has incredibly detailed leather hand bags and belts crafted by a woman who lives in the Sahara Desert in Morocco. Are you feeling overwhelmed yet just by reading this? Let me tell you, my head was SPINNING during the hour I spent in her shop. This woman is truly one of the most creative humans I have ever encountered. I asked Diana where she finds inspiration. “I like antiquity. I think that someone’s craftsmanship that is of excellence pushes me to keep a high standard of design and finish. Nature inspires me, but it also chills me out. When I can get away from buildings with structure and see a horizon, it makes my mind flow. I think a lot when at the beach and have some fantastic creative dreams. I’m also inspired by texture and by Victorian jewelry. There is so much that gives me inspiration. I love putting symbols and global marks together and making something different out of them. I absolutely love texture. And inks… ink splatters, seeing how ink moves in water. In the mornings I walk with Jim [Olarte] and I take photos. One morning I took a photo of tractor marks, and I returned to my studio and designed a wallpaper with all the tractor marks.”

I asked her how she does it all. She stated, “I don’t have children. I’m dedicated and, through working from such a young age, I’m disciplined.” However she does it, Diana is certainly a force in the art and design world, and a woman of immense talent.

dianagarreau.com @dianagarreau 998 Glenneyre St (it’s best to call or email first, as she may be around the corner in her studio)

EZELL

CERAMICS

An art history and world history buff, Michael Ezzell has been throwing clay for a span of 52 years on 5 continents, including a stint in Bornholm, Denmark, at what is now the Bornholm Museum, where potters would work in wooden shoes and fire their kilns with wood.

His work is extremely varied, from fish and pelicans to figurines once sold by Gumps in San Francisco to contemporary minimalist vases. Looking at his past work in his Laguna Canyon studio, it’s amazing that he is the sole creator of such a variety of pottery, and insists that all the different styles are related. There are even a few pieces made by his young grandchildren, who come to visit sometimes and “work” with him. He enjoys working in all types of mediums, including stoneware, English porcelain, glass and bronze. As he showed me around his studio, he said, “My mistakes are my biggest advance. Finding your way, finding your paint stroke, finding your materials... Materials fascinate me, that’s why I work with glass, bronze and others.”

As I watched him work the wheel and we chatted, it was clear that this is a meditative work for him, and he feels a great respect for the medium with which he works. “You can’t impose your will on it. You have to be one with it. It’s like carpentry… What is the wood going to give you? If you pay attention, the clay shows you things.”

Image credit: Ezzell Ceramics

When I asked him how he finds his clients, he replied, “I’ve always just wanted to create, and it’s kind of a ‘build it and they will come’ situation.” His work is sold in galleries, art shows throughout the west, department stores and private commissions. He explains that the art world has changed over the years, noting that California has lost much of its educated art community. As the economy changes, the art world ebbs and flows and clientele is changing all the time. “Now the younger crowd has more money and they want white, minimalist, simple designs.”

Mike literally has lots of pots on the fire. “I’m a lot like a short order cook. I’ve got things out there drying. This is something I’ll work on tomorrow. Those are pieces I worked on yesterday and this morning. I’ve got the kiln going, and later on I’ll go and make a delivery.”

As a lover of handmade pottery and someone who appreciates its unique qualities, I was thrilled to go home with a mixing bowl and small set of ramekins - beautiful, yet functional items I know I’ll use often.

.ezzellceramics.com @ezzellceramics Studio: 2307 Laguna Canyon Rd

SIEMON &SALAZAAR

Husband and wife team, Caleb Siemen and Carmen Salazar, have been working together, designing and making hand blown glass vessels and lighting fixtures for 22 years. They met while studying at the renowned Rhode Island School of Design. Upon graduating, Caleb went to Venice, Italy, to train with a master glassblower, while Carmen went to San Francisco and worked with a variety of artists, including an environmental land artist, metal sculptors, glass blowers and horticulturists. She went on to earn her Masters in Architecture in LA. With Carmen’s background in many art fields, as well as architecture, interior and landscape design, they brought many talents to the table and launched their first lighting lines together in 2008. “We are inspired by the natural world around us and the inherent beauty and idiosyncrasies of the materials we use.” They run their studio together in Santa Ana with a small team of master craftspeople, and keep a small shop in Laguna Beach, their hometown, where they showcase their own work as well as other local artists. Laguna Outpost is open by appointment. Carmen also works as a landscape designer, focused on drought-tolerant, California natives and South African flowering varietals. Studio: siemonandsalazar.com IG @siemonandsalazar

Shop: lagunaoutpost.com 1492 South Coast Hwy

Image credit: Siemon & Salazar

Image credit: Siemon & Salazar

CASEY

PARLETTE

Working in wood, metal and stone, sculpting used to be a side job for Casey Parlette, who spent his days lifeguarding on the beach. Eventually, he was so busy using the skills he both taught himself and learned from others in the industry (blacksmithing and metal fabrication), he jumped into it full time 15 years ago.

In the center of his studio sits an enormous metal fish sculpture he is creating for a client as a ceiling light installation. It is comprised of approximately 100 fish fabricated of perforated sheet metal. The rough sketch of his vision for the piece is on the floor. He’s old school, hand sketching his ideas, rather than formulating them on a computer. “With sculpture you have to see it or feel it, and it either looks right or wrong. It changes a little bit as it goes.” Of this huge sculpture, he says, “The key with sculpture is you want to create an environment, create a story out of the material and have a flow… an element. A lone fish or a mackerel doesn’t have the same impact as this school of fish. There is flow and an essence of that life.”

Image credit: Patrick Rogers

Everything Casey creates is unique and often the first time he’s made something of its kind. He brought out a really interesting piece of wood some friends sent him from the Amazon, knowing he could do something cool with it. Then he started pulling small metal sculptures and assembling a project he’s been working on for the Festival of the Arts in Laguna. It’s a wall sculpture with bronze sea anemones, sea stars, clams, fish and seaweed. Every piece has been crafted to fit perfectly on or around that interesting piece of Amazonian wood, resulting in a gorgeous art assemblage.

I asked Casey how he has learned to do all that he does. He responded, “It all comes down to problem solving. I don’t know where you go to learn all of this stuff under one roof. You just start and do whatever you can do, then you hit a wall and you need to think your way out of that problem. Then you get through that and hit another wall. So it’s a matter of hitting walls and figuring out ways around, under or through them, and then going on to the next thing. I like the problem solving aspect of it, which is probably part of the reason I like sculpture as much as I do.”

It really is remarkable to see what this artist, who loves the ocean and sea life, can create with the raw materials of wood, metal and stone.

Studio: 2307 Laguna Canyon Rd Website: caseyparlette.com @caseyparlettesculpture

MARIAN

PAQUETTE

An interior designer based in Laguna Beach for 25 years, Marian Barker began collecting some of the fabrics from designer textile companies that were discontinued, before they ended up in landfills. She taught herself to make handbags from the textiles and, knowing she was onto something, shifted from full time interior design to full time handbags in 2015. She now designs every bag and has them made in Los Angeles. There is great attention to detail, from the hardware and straps, including vintage metal straps she collects from Europe, as well as textiles from around the world, including fabrics she has collected from Morocco. There are structured bags, small evening bags and soon-to-come travel bags… all adorned in a plethora of patterns, textures and lively color palette. Each style is named after a female in her life, including “Victoria” and ‘Elizabeth” (dear friends), “Lydia” (her mother), goddaughter, and dear friends.

Marian makes limited quantities made of each bag, and they are cut to order with limited waste. Scraps of fabric are used in her patchwork bags, which clients love, as well as pillows and ottomans.

Marian operates as a wholesaler, selling her handbags throughout the US, but she has a bright, stylish shop in Laguna, where you can pick up one of her beautiful bags. There are also beautifully curated home and lifestyle collections on display, including pillows and artisan soaps from as far as Australia, light cotton pajamas in fresh prints and work dresses. More to come as Marian continues to expand her brand, and you can bet whatever she comes up with will be packed with style and loveliness.

1504 South Coast Highway Website: marianpaquette.com @marianpaquette

IN THE WORKSHOP WITH ARTISTS OF LAGUNA