La Jolla Art & Wine Festival 2014

La Jolla Art & Wine Festival celebrated its sixth consecutive year on October 11^th and 12^th. The festival presented the work of upcoming artists in a unique and extraordinary way. Artists from all over the world showcased their talent in a myriad of expressions, as guests indulged the senses with wines from Northern Baja accompanied by gourmet foods.

Parents of La Jolla students, as well as members of the community and volunteers, helped to give back to the arts and humanities of San Diego. What started as ninety artists in 2009 has quickly become one of the most prestigious and profitable art exhibitions in the country. Now 150 artists occupy the waiting list. First established at the height of the recession, today La Jolla Art & Wine Festival is ranked top five in the state of California as one of the best non-profits.

Mediums of art included brilliant displays from Talia Hayward’s exhibition of pennies to Letty Nowak’s portraits of famous people. California was scoured to the depths of Mexico in search for the very best artists to exhibit their passions. Known as a Juried Art Festival, artists are voted on for approval to occupy one of the five hundred booths of the festival. From Stilt walkers to singer songwriters, entertainment was spread throughout Torrey Pines all the way to Prospect Street.

No demographic was left out as a silent auction, thousand-person beer garden, and family art section all encompassed the free event. Artist Neil Russell won Best In Show for his work. "It was a great experience," he said. "The staff was all helpful and it was an honor to win Best In Show."

"Art is a direct reflection of your personality, style... Who you are," said artist Andy Anh Ha. "That's where originality comes into play. Everyone has a unique blueprint, art allows you to express that." When asked about his passion to become an artist, Ha said that "it's not a matter of when I first became passionate, but more of when I had the opportunity. I've always known that the creativity and passion to become a successful full-time artist was there, just had to wait till the time was right. The first 10 years of being an artist has been unimaginable. But even with awards, solo gallery showings, thousands of works of original art sold, the passion and drive is still there because I know that there is plenty more to come."

Abstract and Contemporary artist, Dawn Sebaugh, won Best Painting, and this was only her second year at La Jolla Art & Wine Festival. In a candid interview of her experience at the festival, Dawn was "speechless, very excited and honored, blown away, and will do it again next year."

Zambian-born Talia Melton, is an artist whom constructs her works out of pennies. Growing up, she had faced many adversities losing her father at the age of four, and mother at five. She did not have much as Zambia is stricken with poverty, and she spent years in the foster system.

It wasn’t until 2012, when Talia posted a portrait of her father on Facebook, that she was able to connect with her brother in the United States. After that fateful day, she pursued her passion for art, including "burning sticks to get charcoal." Her concept of using a jar of pennies in her art came about as she "wanted to create something valuable, ‘please-don’t-waste’ type of thing."

Talia’s art has come full circle. Today, she and her husband have started a non-profit called Thankful Thinking as a way to combat the poverty that afflicts not only the education system, but also the children who have to go without. Talia wanted to "mentor and help, show the light at the end of the tunnel." She has also started the Share Pal program, similar to a pen pal where "a more privileged child could donate anything they don’t need."

The La Jolla Art & Wine Festival was a huge success, as many artists were able to take their individual stories, and illuminate the public through their works of art. People came out in droves to enjoy the hustle and bustle of the art world. The two-day extravaganza proved to be extremely fruitful, not only in giving back to the children, but also the community.