WHAT:Vashon Island Art Studio Tour Holiday 2009
WHEN AND WHERE: The tour takes place for the next two weekends, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, Dec. 5, 6, 12 and 13. Some studios will also be open during the First Friday gallery cruise from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4. (See listings on page 19.) The tour is self-guided. For a map, photos and descriptions of all the artists and studios participating in the tour, visit www.vashonislandartstudiotour.com or pick up a copy of the tour brochure, available at most Island businesses.
ABOUT THE TOUR: The tour consists of an exciting and eclectic mix of 38 established and new studios that stretch from the north tip of Vashon to the southern tip of Maury, filled with the creations of 60 of the Island’s most talented artists, including paintings and fine art prints, ceramics, photography, furniture, clothing, toys, jewelry, glass and almost every other medium imaginable.
Organizers tout the tour as the perfect way to find holidays gifts that are affordable, unique and Island-made.
It’s also a chance to see the inner sanctums where so much of the Island’s artistic bounty is created.
“I love seeing artists at work and in their studios, surrounded by their tools, the smells, the grit of the process,” said Liz Lewis, a well-known Island potter.
Many artists will not only be selling art during the tour, but also will be making it.
Brian Brenno will demonstrate glass blowing at his studio; at Liz Lewis Pottery and Raven Ceramics, there will be graffito demonstrations by Karen Larsdotter. Fiddle Home Farm Beeswax Crafts will demonstrate the art of Ukranian egg decorating, and at Willingham Weavery, visitors can try their hand at weaving. At Kathy Pine WorldWise Jewelry, there will also be demonstrations.
Where to start on the first weekend of the tour? Christine Beck, another Island artist, recommended a 9 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 5, preview at Barnworks, located at 12122 S.W. Cove Road. Barnworks, an artists’ collective now in its 27th year, will offer a show of oils, watercolors and pastels.
Beck added that tour-goers are sure to find a wealth of artwork all over the Island.
“The 38 studios on this year’s tour are, each and every one, a treasure house of unique art,” said Beck.
