Short Takes:Local artists, musicians crowd Balboa boardwalk

Visitors and locals crowded the pavement along the shores of Balboa Island for a stroll through the neighborhood jam-packed with art from all over the region. From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday the walk along South Bayfront filled with onlookers and potential buyers at the 2007 Balboa Island Art Walk.

Nearly 100 artists participated in the event, now in its 12th year. Locals agree the event, although crowded, really gives the tiny island community a chance to show off its artsy side.

Musicians also visited the walk this year, playing along the boardwalk between Marine and Agate avenues. Along the walk, visitors had the chance to meet with local artists and discuss their pieces, ask a few questions, or simply watch them at work.

Returning for the third year, artist Anthony Hunt drove in all the way from Hesperia, mostly to exhibit a number his nautically themed canvasses. Hunt has gained a reputation at the walk for drawing his canvasses upside-down so that he does not have to stop sketching when people wish to catch a peek at what it is he is drawing.

“The kids would always come up and say, ‘what are you working on,’” Hunt said. “So I would turn it over and draw while they looked, and just forgot to turn it back over.”

All varieties of artwork were available to purchase including jewelry, oil and watercolor paintings, photography and other fine art.

William Bonhall set up a memorable display of small paintings, each one depicting well-known business fronts on the island and peninsula. Bonhall set the pictures along a painted street on a board showing each building’s place along either Balboa Boulevard or Marine Avenue.

— Kelly Strodl