A late-comer to art

Having been raised in a family of artists, Sandy Taylor, who said she could never draw a straight line no matter how hard she tried, thought she was simply missing the “artistic” gene.

“I’ve always loved beautiful things and thought ‘If only I could paint so I could transfer this beauty onto canvas,’” she said.

A trip to Paris seven years ago would send the Cleveland, Ohio, native on a new life journey that would ultimately lead her to Laguna Beach, where she can now be seen painting for festival-goers at the No. 100 booth at the Sawdust Art Festival.

“I visited Musee d’Orsay one day and fell in the love with the Impressionist work there,” she recalled. “I [veered] from my travel itinerary and spent the entire next day admiring the paintings.

“I came home and immediately made a trip to the art supply store, where I purchased an easel and oil paints, and began teaching myself to paint.”

She also began taking classes with a friend at Laguna Beach Parks and Recreation, and even had the good fortune of participating in workshops with Laguna College of Art and Design founder, Roger Armstrong.

“I never attended a formal art school, because Roger told me learning ‘proper’ techniques would ruin my art,” she said. “I quit my job to pursue painting full time, and my new hobby became my life.”

Taylor’s second passion “” animals “” led her to paint “pet portraits,” which paid her rent for the first three years of her artistic career.

As an established artist, she now donates a portion of those profits to PETA, and to the local animal shelter.

Mainly inspired by Parisian influence, travels to Northern California and time spent on Balboa Island, Taylor’s landscape and landmark oil paintings are illustrated in a cascade of bright colors on canvas.

Her bold mix of colors lends a magical feel to her replication of lavender fields in Provence, romance among European city streets and sailboats cruising beneath the moonlight.

“I [often] take a beautiful scene and add something to it,” she said. “I try to visualize the Impressionist era and put myself in ‘another time.’”

This is Taylor’s fourth year as a participant of the Summer Sawdust Festival. For more information, visit www.sandytaylorpaintings.com.

The Sawdust Festival is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily at 935 Laguna Canyon Road. Thursday is Residents Night, with free admission after 5 p.m. for Laguna Beach residents with I.D. For more information, call (949) 494-3030.