Laguna Beach Offers a Fine Spot to Learn the Art of Gallery Hopping

Gallery hopping is like a sport in Laguna Beach, a city with an art market both diverse and competitive.

The stretch of Coast Highway just north of the Laguna Art Museum is lined with galleries--places less visible, perhaps, than the downtown sites, but nonetheless as big a part of this art scene.

Fewer tourists venture up here, away from the bustle of the downtown, so the area feels less commercial. So much the better.

11 to 11:30: Ludwick Gallery is owned by Larry Ludwick, who for more than 30 years has been painting practically anything relating to Laguna Beach--seascapes, panoramic views from private homes and personal impressions.

“I don’t know of any older house here where one of Larry’s paintings isn’t hanging,” says Katy Wingfield, one of the three artists who share the space with Ludwick.

The building itself is a cozy cottage crammed with paintings by watercolorist Shirley Denny--who specializes in tropical fauna such as toucans and jaguars--and the work of Ludwick and Wingfield.

Wingfield is a fourth-generation Californian whose enthusiasm for life is infectious. It’ll be she painting portraits and California scenes out on the sidewalk as you walk up.

Ask her why she has such a thing for Tom Selleck, whose portrait hangs in the front window.

11:30 to noon: Just steps from the Laguna Art Museum you’ll find Indian Territory, a gallery/museum housing a collection of Native American art, artifacts, weavings and jewelry.

One section of the gallery is actually built in the style of an early 20th-Century pueblo, with stucco walls and a large glass display case loaded with antique basketry.

I was fascinated by the store’s beautifully evocative Navajo weavings, some of which date to the Civil War era.

The rugs can be purchased and are between $200 and $19,000. Also for sale are hand-carved kachina figures, Zuni fetishes, tiny stone animals carved from as lapis and amber and the otherworldly jewelry fashioned out of gold, silver, turquoise and coral.

For the really curious, the gallery maintains an extensive and instructive library of craft literature.

Noon to 1: This stretch of the Coast Highway isn’t exactly restaurant row, but the Cottage, a popular spot for nearly 30 years, is indifferent to trends or competitors.

The restaurant is a local landmark, having first opened to the public in 1938 as the Laguna Vista Cafe, a complex of tiny rooms with such appointments as a parquet floor, Tiffany glass and period furniture.

The menu features omelets, sandwiches and tried and true Americana--few surprises here.

Such breakfasts as the beefy scramble--beef, spinach, mushrooms and onions--are served all day.

Lunch entrees--such as lemon chicken and spinach lasagna--come with a salad drenched with Green Goddess dressing.

Among the oversized sandwiches are an out-of-this-world Moonburger, which is a one-third-pounder topped with Cheddar cheese, bacon, lettuce and tomato.

And don’t miss the homemade desserts, such as the creamy strawberry cheesecake or a chocolate cake with thick coconut frosting.

1 to 1:30: Lu Martin Gallery is the one with the red awning and Dutch doors; at 3,500 square feet, it is one of the biggest galleries in the city.

It belongs to New Hampshire native Lu Martin, herself a painter. The building has housed an operating gallery for more than 50 years; Martin took it over 10 years back.

“There’s a fine line between decorative art and fine art,” says Martin, who greeted me with paint-splattered hands, “and I like to think we are on the fine-art side of the line here.”

Among the more than 300 paintings showcased are works by Chinese artists Ruo Li and Lin Hua Zheng, who specialize in seascapes and figures.

Their works have increased almost tenfold in value during the past five years, according to Martin.

Another popular artist at this gallery is Paco Garcia, a Mexican artist known for his romantic vistas.

1:30 to 2: Half a block to the north you come to the Robert Schaar Gallery, a spacious, elegant gallery laid out more like a museum than a commercial space. Paintings aren’t piled up one on top of the other here, and there are comfy leather chairs and sofas to sit on while viewing.

Schaar is a well-traveled gent who likes to paint what he sees on his travels, a nationally known artist who has been commissioned by the Professional Golfers Assn., the Kentucky Derby and other sporting venues to capture their events on canvas.

In addition to serigraphs, posters and limited-edition lithos of his works, you can find the work of painter Herb Fillmore, oddball sculptures by Sutorius and impressionistic landscapes by Idaho artist Betty Billups here.

Laguna Beach area map:

1. Ludwick Gallery, 439 N. Coast Highway, (714) 497-7591

Open daily, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

2. Len Wood’s Indian Territory, 305 N. Coast Highway, (714) 497-574

Open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Sunday noon to 4 p.m.

3. The Cottage Restaurant, 308 N. Coast Highway, (714) 494-3023

Open daily 7 a.m. to 9:30 p.m.

4. Lu Martin Galleries, 372 N. Coast Highway, (714) 494-8074

Open daily, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

5. Schaar Gallery, 484 N. Coast Highway, (714) 497-7289

Open daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. * Parking / Buses There is metered parking on both side of North Coast Higway, 25 cents for each 15 minutes. OCTA buses 1 (Long Beach to San Clemente) and 89 (Newport Beach to Laguna Hills) stop at North Coast Highway and Jasmine Street.