ARTISANS: Spotlighting Makers of Handcrafted Goods : Canyon Acres Crafted With Care

LAGUNA BEACH — Canyon Acres Drive is a comfortable street of older homes surrounded by trees and gardens that back into the hills. Children and dogs roam freely, and residents like to boast that more pickup trucks are found on Canyon Acres than on any other street in the city.

It’s an unpretentious street where some of the residents raise chickens to provide fresh eggs. Another family keeps bees.

What may not be so readily apparent is that many of the residents of this street earn their living as artists.

The street was the center of the Laguna Beach ceramics industry during World War II. Three buildings on the street housed kilns, which attracted ceramists who liked the idea of having a kiln already on their property. This in turn led to the arrival of other artists who apparently enjoyed the sense of camaraderie of creativity among artisans.

Mike Heintz, an artist who specializes in contemporary silver jewelry and color photographs of “nostalgic” landscapes (such as of abandoned vehicles), has lived on Canyon Acres for five years. (He lived on a neighboring street for 15 years before that.)

“Canyon Acres just has an old-fashioned neighborhood feeling to it,” he said. “Most of us know each other because we exhibit at the Sawdust Festival, and one of the benefits of living here is the close proximity to the Festival. It’s within walking distance.”

Ray Caruso, an artist who specializes in scrimshaw carving, has lived with his family on Canyon Acres for 16 years.

“I bought the cheapest house I could find,” he said. “It’s a small place--only 800 square feet--and it was built in 1932, but I love it. I sometimes call it ‘the land of kids and dogs.’ It seems like they’re everywhere. It’s the kind of environment I like for my family. Everybody knows everybody.”

Although the Carusos enjoy the proximity to the hills and wildlife, there are drawbacks.

“Just the other morning, we found raccoons in the kitchen,” he said. “They just came in and helped themselves to what was in the cupboard.”

For his art, Ray uses fossilized ivory that he usually purchases from Alaska.

“I first saw scrimshaw at the Sawdust Festival, and I was intrigued,” he said.

“I use mammoth tusks and carve designs into them. I’ve been doing this work for over 16 years now. On a street like Canyon Acres, it’s not a particularly unusual occupation because everyone else is working on interesting pieces as well.”

Jay and Nikki Grant have lived on Canyon Acres since 1968. Jay works as the sales manager of the Sawdust Festival, and Nikki specializes in jewelry and ceramics.

“I just love my house and the street,” Nikki said. “I call it ‘Heavenly Acres.’ I honestly believe it’s the most wonderful street in Laguna Beach. It’s quiet and it’s peaceful. I can’t imagine another place that would come close to its charm.”

Like many of their neighbors, the Grants spend a great deal of time at the Sawdust Festival. It’s there that Nikki sells her costume jewelry, fashioned of semiprecious stones, sterling silver and gold plating, and also ceramic and porcelain wind chimes.

Mark and Beverly Blumenfeld specialize in ceramics, stoneware and porcelain. In fact, Mark’s work was voted “best in show” at last year’s Sawdust Festival.

Mark has lived on Canyon Acres for 25 years.

“The street looks pretty much the same way it did when I first came here,” he said. “But people have been trying to make their houses look nicer. It’s a very family-oriented community where people love kids. It’s a place where you have to drive slow because so many people are around. It’s also probably one of the few places where deer will actually come down from the hills into the yards.”

Claudene Kurtz, who has displayed her country-style crafts at the Sawdust Festival since 1972, bought a house with a Canyon Acres address in 1975.

“It seems like there’re a million trees around,” she said. “That really appealed to me. The atmosphere is like being out in the country, but the fact is, you’re close to the city too.”

In fact, Claudene is such a booster of the street that she persuaded her sister to buy the house next door to her.

Judy DuRocher and John Belton are among the street’s newest residents; they live in what is affectionately called “the marble house.”

“Everything is marble,” Judy said. “The previous owner made tombstones, and whatever was left over he used in the house. So we have granite, marble and slate everywhere--on the floors, the patio, the stairs. It’s a little place that’s truly unique.”

John enjoys the fact that the street is surrounded by undeveloped area.

“You can climb in the hills here, and there are no buildings around,” he said. “Our back door leads right into the hills. We’ve always loved the street, and we’ve been trying to move here for years.”

The couple create handmade beads and jewelry from polymer clay, a modeling material they have imported from Germany. Using the clay, which is plasticized and lighter than ceramic, they apply a technique previously used only for glass beads to create colorful pins, bolos, bracelets, earrings and necklaces. More recently, they’ve begun fashioning “one-of-a-kind” tiles.

Marcia Klass and her sister, Leslie Cadenhead, create whimsical and Renaissance-style masks that they sell at the Sawdust Festival. The soft-sculpture masks and costumes range from animals to feathered creations to ones with more popular themes such as Batman and Dalmatians.

“It’s a nice place for artists to live,” Marcia said. “We’re all struggling, and we help each other out. We have baby-sitting co-ops, and we’re all trying to fix up our houses to make them look nice. There are no pretensions here--just people trying to make it as artists.”

Drake Sawyer, who creates fusion-welding and lost wax casting jewelry, originally rented his Canyon Acres home 22 years ago. A year later, he persuaded the owner to let him purchase the house.

“I’m going to keep my house forever,” he said. “It’s like being in the country and at the beach at the same time. It has a kind of woodsy feeling. I call it my little strip of paradise,” he said.

Because families tend to stay on the street for many years, neighbors get to know one another and see their children grow. “You recognize people right away,” Drake said. “Everyone knows who belongs here and who doesn’t. We all look out for each other.”

Paula Sorenson, who specializes in primitive-style ceramics, says Canyon Acres reminds her of the rural street she grew up on.

“It’s a real nice place for children,” she said. “These kids are looked after by everybody. Since we tend to be separated from our families, our neighbors become a sort of extended family.

“Before we bought our home, I had been trying to move to the street for seven years. When I heard a house was available, I flew over in my nightgown to check it out. That’s how much I wanted to live here.”