2013 Sawdust Artist Series: Helen McNamara

Posted on July 7, 2014 by Sawdust Art Festival

–> The Sawdust Artist Video Series is funded by the Art of Dining fundraiser. Purchase your tickets  HERE  to support the creation of this film project.  

Meet Helen McNamara, a self-proclaimed “creative knitter” who is entering her 19th summer as a Sawdust Exhibitor. McNamara moved to Laguna Beach to be a part of the artist community and has since been entrenched in the Sawdust Art Festival.

As a creative knitter, McNamara employs various techniques to produce her pieces of jewelry, hair ornamentation, and textiles.   Whether its metals, yarn, or paint, McNamara is continually tapping into her creativity and evolving her methods.

This summer, McNamara will be showing her newest “Paint Deco” pieces. McNamara describes it as a buildup of paint and lacquers to create unique jewelry. Whether it’s McNamara’s free use of materials or the way she embodies the independent artist lifestyle, McNamara makes it very clear that it is this freedom of being an artist that draws her in time after time.  

As she says, “Once you put on the hat of an artist, certain freedoms surround you”. Watch McNamara in action and get a closer look into this dynamic exhibitor.