Sawdust Art Festival returns to Laguna Beach for its 58th year

LAGUNA BEACH, Calif. (KABC) -- The Sawdust Art Festival is returning to Laguna Beach for its 58th year on June 28. Every year, the event transforms into a unique artist village showcasing the work of 180 local artists.

"I've been here so long that I can't leave because it's just so much fun," said airbrush artist Star Shields.

Shields is a local airbrush artist who has been displaying his artwork at the event since 1974.

"What's amazing is that some of the kids I've done that when they were small, they bring their kids. So we have two or three generations sometimes come and that's just great," Shields said.

Organizers of the event anticipate over 100,000 people will attend this year's festival. But none of this would be possible without the hard work of so many people.

"It's pretty amazing. It's a lot of hard work. We have a dedicated staff and team and a lot of great artists," said Sawdust Art Festival Vice President Joshua King.

Visitors are encouraged to walk through the sawdust-covered grounds and experience the magic of art.

"Every summer, this kind of anticipation grows. And then we all kind of get here and then you start to see all the friends from the community and everybody and it's so inspiring," King said.

"I hope to capture the uniqueness of what's underwater because people a lot of people have never seen that and so I get joy exposing what's down there," said underwater photographer Patsee Ober.

The community can enjoy the festival through Sept. 1. Tickets are available online at sawdustfestival.org.