RIGHT : COURTESY OF JESSE BARTELS ; INSET : MARY HURLBUT

Grant Wood and Thomas Hart Benton as well as mid-20th century Disney animated backgrounds , agricultural packing crate labels and advertising illustrations .

“ As for mosaic artists , I ’ m amazed by Niki de Saint Phalle , who has jaw-dropping installations in Encinitas and along the harbor in San Diego ,” he adds .

One substantial work of Tauber ’ s that can be spotted in town is the “ Coastline to Canyon ” mosaic along Glenneyre Street at Neighborhood Congregational Church . He says that he was influenced by digital graphics — specifically elements like pixelation and color bleed — along with aerial photography , light in plein air paintings and ancient inscriptions .

“ It ’ s an abstract and literal narrative of Laguna Beach , our geography and wildlife . Best of all , 700 citizens helped create it ,” he boasts . “ It ’ s my responsibility to put lots of research , thought and planning into … [ my ] designs for each location .”

Another mural that saw local participation for tile creation , “ Swimming in Sea Life ,” adorns the side of The Taco Stand restaurant on South Coast Highway while Mermaid Street is also home to one of his public art pieces .

Tauber is currently working on a huge mosaic for a park in Temple City that has a flora / fauna theme . Catch him at Festival of Arts next summer , where he will be exhibiting landscapes crafted in tile , as well as in the Patriot ’ s Day Parade in March , as he has been named Laguna ’ s 2024 Artist of the Year .

“ I ’ m thankful for the constant support from fellow artists , residents , visitors and especially the city ,” Tauber says .

ART BY MIKE TAUBER 3251 LAGUNA CANYON ROAD , STE . H-1 949-497-3597 ; TAUBERSTUDIOS . COM

Cathy , his mother , is a mixed media artist while his father , Marlo , makes tile sculptures and ceramic installations for local residents — and was Bartels ’ first mentor in mosaic art . “ Among my first jobs , and the longest running , was working for my father at his studio since 1990 ,” he explains .

Others that served as mentors for Bartels include past Laguna Beach High School ceramics teacher and Sawdust Art Festival regular Bill Darnall as well as two late painters , John Eagle and Michael Hallinan .

Bartels mainly uses three materials in his mosaic works : white earthenware , ceramic clay and bright glaze , depending on the project . He often uses the glaze on the centerpiece of the painting , surrounding it with a mosaic frame or border of handmade tiles .

“ I roll flat slabs with a slab roller , which is basically a rolling pin mounted to a table , and take care to compress edges and dry my tiles flat ,” Bartels explains of his technique . “ I also make and use press molds to capture texture on found objects , toys , natural elements , etc .”

Bartels himself has already been exhibiting at the Sawdust festival for nearly 20 collective years , though his stints there had been broken up until 2009 . Now he is a

A tile mosaic ( above ) titled “ The Pearl ” by Jesse Bartels ( inset )

regular , often giving visitors a behind-thescenes look at how he creates his tile pieces . “ The way I set up my booth is as a work space ,” Bartels says . “ I have created more of a studio than a booth . I assemble and cut tiles while I ’ m working there .” After cutting , he adheres the pieces with thin-set cement and finishes them with grout , though he notes that the actual ceramics are created at his home studio due to their delicate nature .

Many of Bartels ’ projects in Laguna Beach are installed at private residences , but he has helped create a number of public art pieces as well , including two cubes at the start of The Promenade on Forest , panels on Mermaid Street and the Brooks Street Beach stairs , which inspired a neighbor on the block to have him design a companion piece as well . He also helped Laguna Beach High School ’ s Class of 2020 leave its mark with a mural on campus .

“ I have two pieces across the street from each other on Coast Highway : The cubes on Forest is a collaboration with [ my father ], Marlo Bartels ,” he notes . “ Recently , I … [ also placed ] an underwater piece in one of the shop windows at … Hotel Laguna .”

Bartels ’ work will be displayed at the Sawdust grounds during this year ’ s Winter Fantasy on Fridays and weekends through Dec . 17 in an enchanting holiday setting . /

JESSE BARTELS 949-315-1832 ; INSTAGRAM . COM / JESSEBARTELS

LAGUNA BEACH MAGAZINE 35