Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
It’s Tuesday, and we are off like a herd of turtles—slow, determined, and occasionally distracted by snacks.
We spent several hours working in the office, some of which involved attending to Her Majesty, Grace, who continues to rule the household with a firm paw and absolutely no concern for our schedules. Today, Mary headed off to her painting class, while I prepared myself for tonight’s grand soirée in the fine arts—because nothing says “cultured” like trying to stay awake after a full day of errands.
Mary returned from class early, and at 2:30 pm we met up with Dianne to depart for the Sawdust Festival. The Sawdust Art Festival has long helped cement Laguna Beach’s reputation as an artist colony and creative coastal community—also as a place where people can turn driftwood, glass, and mysterious metal objects into things you suddenly realize you cannot live without.
We wandered around, admired the displays, visited the artists, and—through sheer perseverance and refined cultural instincts—managed to locate a glass of wine. This, of course, elevated the entire art experience from “lovely afternoon” to “masterpiece.”
The weather was in the 70s, which is basically Mother Nature saying, “You’re welcome.”
All in all, today was a good day.
The 2026 theme for the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach is “The Greatest of All Time”—or G.O.A.T., for those of us who prefer our fine art with a side of barnyard abbreviation. The show will explore history-defining art and artists through live-action “living pictures,” music, and theatrical storytelling. In other words, people stand perfectly still while the rest of us sit there wondering how they don’t sneeze.
We arrived at the Sawdust Festival, went through security, and headed straight to the wine booth!
Come on in, but behave!
The weather was outstanding! The sky was clear, there was a slight breeze, and the temperature was around 75 degrees!
We walked around for 90 minutes!
BUT… Before we walked, we drank some “Shopping Readiness Fluid,” commonly called wine! Mary loved my new look—windblown! She was actually shooting the fly away, warning the little guy that if he tried to land, he might slide off and break his neck! Mary is so thoughtful!
Starting fluid is being applied!
We heard dance music, so naturally we headed that direction and gave a demonstration on how to dance on a wooden deck with rubber tennis shoes!
Time to dance.
Mary spotted an octopus perched on top of a glittery stall sculpture at the Sawdust Festival. “Dianne, look! Modern art has gone marine!” she whispered. Dianne froze, clutching her red wine like a life preserver. “Is it real? Why is it judging me?”
The octopus waved one arm, accidentally flinging a paintbrush onto a nearby hat.
A docent rushed over, laughing. “Relax, ladies. That’s Otto, our animatronic mascot.”
Dianne exhaled, then Otto blinked and sprayed water. Dianne shrieked, Mary snorted, and the hat’s owner said, “Honestly, my hat looks better after the thing with eight dramatic arms modified it.”
See the octopus pictures here!
Oh my! It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Otto!!!
After strolling through the Sawdust Festival, we headed to the parking area adjacent to the festival grounds, and from there we drove to a new parking lot and waddled to the Lumber Yard for dinner with the gang!
Time To Eat!
The girls got there first! The Lumberyard Restaurant in Laguna Beach is a downtown American bistro named for Laguna’s early lumberyard history. The area around Forest Avenue once supported the town’s building boom, supplying wood and materials for cottages, shops, and artist studios as Laguna grew in the early 1900s.
The restaurant opened in the late 2000s in a renovated historic-style building on Forest Avenue, embracing that “old Laguna” lumberyard theme with warm wood interiors and a casual neighborhood feel. It became popular with locals and visitors for comfort food, cocktails, and its convenient location near the Festival of Arts, Pageant of the Masters, galleries, and downtown shops.
Today, it’s generally known as a relaxed gathering spot that reflects Laguna Beach’s mix of art-town history, coastal tourism, and small-town dining culture.
They were ready to go as they reviewed the menu online!
We found our table; it was the noisy one!
I ordered tinned fish and selected muscles. Note to self: never do that with Marshall around!
A lot of grunting and groaning was going on here!
Now it was off to the Festival grounds.
Iness fit right into this crazy group up, and she tried tinned fish along with me!!
Time to walk to the festival grounds.
The evening was perfect!!
The show is about to start!!
We had GREAT seats!! Thank you, Vicky!
Let the show begin!!!
Here’s some fun trivia about how they set up the “pictures” in the Pageant of the Masters in Laguna Beach:
- The scenes are called tableaux vivants, meaning “living pictures.” Real people pose to look exactly like famous paintings, sculptures, posters, or historical artworks.
- The performers are painted with special makeup and body paint so their skin, clothing, and shadows match the original artwork.
- A lot of the illusion comes from lighting. The lights are carefully aimed so people look flat, almost like they’re part of a canvas instead of standing on a stage.
- The sets use forced perspective. Some props are larger or smaller than they seem, so from the audience’s viewpoint everything lines up like the original picture.
- The actors often stand inside or behind painted frames, fake walls, and sculptural pieces that hide parts of their bodies and make the image look two-dimensional.
- Performers have to stay completely still while the curtain is open. Even tiny movements can break the illusion.
- The setup is extremely precise: positions are marked, costumes are matched to the artwork, and the stage crew checks details like hand placement, head angle, and facial expression.
- Many scenes are built with layers: a painted backdrop, real props, and live people all combined so the audience sees one finished “painting.”
- The Pageant often recreates not just paintings, but also statues, murals, movie posters, and historical scenes.
- Part of the magic is that when the lights change or the curtain opens, the audience suddenly realizes: those are real people inside the artwork.
Remember to visit all the pictures here!
