‘Pageant of Disaster’ lets artwork do the scaring for Halloween
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SAN CLEMENTE — Jim Long, a former ranger at San Clemente State Park, not only has interpreted nature for decades but has had a long-time fascination with art history and literature.
So, it is no surprise that “Angel of Grief,” the featured creation this year in his “Pageant of Disaster” on Avenida Barcelona, has taken him almost a year to research and build.
Together with longtime friend Jim Serpa, a former supervising ranger at Doheny State Park, Long creates the annual displays they call “Tableaux Non-Vivantes,” or “Pageant of Disaster.”
The displays, which spreads across Long’s front yard and to the top of his house in San Clemente, grow more extravagant and intricate each year. Their theme is loosely based on Laguna Beach’s summer living picture show “Pageant of the Masters.” Last year, the street was closed to traffic and thousands came out to see the displays.
“Pageant of Disaster” will remain up through the weekend.
To create the “Angel of Grief,” Long, 70, took at least six trips to a cemetery in the town of Colma, near San Francisco, where a replica of the original angel sculpture — built by William Wetmore Story in Rome in 1896 — is located. He traveled there to make sure his version is accurate down to the smallest detail. He also asked a friend visiting Rome to go to the Protestant Cemetery there, where the original stands, and take measurements.
The “Angel of Grief” sculpture was the last piece Story created as a tribute to his wife, Emelyn Story. The artist died a year later. The statue rests beside Emelyn’s grave and has been the source of inspiration for dozens of replicas around the world.
“I copied every angle and curve and figured out how to get the compound curve in the wings,” Long said Monday, Oct. 29, as he and Serpa put the finishing touches on the angel and other pieces new to this year’s “Pageant.”
Each wing is composed of 11 pieces of Styrofoam, all laminated together.
“I staggered each one to get the inner curve,” Long said. “Then it was a matter of sanding and carving it into an actual wing and getting all the feathers in. The wing came out every bit as I wanted. This is better than the one in Colma. It is a profoundly eloquent expression of grief and desolation. But, it’s also an expression of love.
“Grief is one of the universal truths,” he added. “It’s influenced artists for ages.”
Every night for at least a week, onlookers have gathered in front of Long’s home fascinated by the artwork and their detail.
A literary section of “Pageant of Disaster” — dedicated to the works of Edgar Allen Poe — includes a tribute to his last completed poem, “Annabel Lee,” about the death of a beautiful woman. To illustrate the piece, Long and Serpa created an angel lying across the top of a kid-sized sepulcher. They also included references to Poe’s stories “The Gold Bug” and “The Black Cat.” The latter tells the tale of the friendship between a man and a black cat, Pluto. One night the man comes home drunk and believes Pluto is avoiding him. He grabs the cat and gauges out its eyes.
The story and poem titles are written on tiles that are part of a mausoleum inspired by a cemetery in Argentina. Skeletal arms extend from the wall and beckon guests to come inside.
Though Long and Serpa say they don’t expect most people to know the backstory to each piece, they’re happy when visitors realize the “Pageant of Disaster” is not just a typical spooky Halloween haunt.
“I’ve always regarded Halloween as a holiday of the imagination,” Long said. “We’re using our imagination to bring things to life.”
Bill Brooks, who worked as a volunteer at the state parks, has helped Long and Serpa create their masterpieces for about six years. The retired Irvine school teacher said he appreciates Long’s efforts.
“Rather than a quick scare, it leaves you wondering and makes you think,” Brooks said. “That’s part of the purpose of art. Nothing will grab you or make you feel sick or scared.
“I think Jim has a different interpretation of death — it’s a lot more positive,” Brooks added. “He understands the circle of life better than a lot of people. Art is inspirational. We often forget about it in our modern times.”
‘Pageant of Disaster’
Where: 141 Avenida Barcelona, San Clemente
Open: Halloween through the weekend