Sawdust Art Festival Artist Feature
Larry Gill
Though he originally aspired to be a painter, artist Larry Gill discovered early on in his career that he was far too tactile not to sculpt. For the past 40 years, he has been creating his works of art using stone, metal and other media. He has a welding studio in Santa Ana, which allows him to shape metals into inspired pieces of art.
He’s installed sculptures around Laguna Beach, from “Welcome,” a permanent waterfall structure at the Sawdust Art & Craft Festival, to “Waves,” which resides on the corner of Forest Street and Coast Highway. He also created the new gates at the Sawdust Art & Craft Festival with fellow artist Gavin Heath to commemorate the 50th anniversary.
Requiring a lot of engineering, Gill’s work is typically very time-intensive, labor-intensive—and massive. Collaborating with longtime friend Mark Chamerlain, Gill intends for the duo to continue to create public art together.