Artists, Their Art & Their Workplace: Studio Tours this Weekend

Artwork by Carol McKinstry on display at the Artist Tour this weekend.

An extraordinary art adventure awaits islanders and visitors all over Orcas Island this weekend.  This is your chance to visit the working studios of 35 premier Orcas Island Artists. See first hand how and where those special techniques are being mastered, meet the artists and purchase their most recent work.

The three-day event is free to visitors, courtesy of the hospitality and generosity of the artists.

Stone sculptor Dave Haslett started the idea for the studio tour two years ago at an artworks meeting. The $150 fee for each participating artist goes towards printing the brochure, signs, ads, banners, posters, and such. Bruce Wilson, who has a background in advertising/design, produced the brochure, and the map showing the artists’ studio locations.

A reception was held at Orcas Center on August 3 to preview the studio tour, overseen by Jacquelyn Kempfer. Watercolors, stone cutting, woodwork, forging, encaustics, ceramics, fiberarts, sculpture, photography, jewelry, printmaking, paintings and more will be on display this weekend.

Andrea Cohen works in mixed media assemblage

The hours of the self-guided tours are:

• Friday August 17, 11 am to 5 pm
• Saturday August 18, 11 am to 5pm
• Sunday August 19, 2012 – 11am to 5 pm

Visitors may find the studios are works of art in themselves representing chaos and order in varying stages. Artists may explain where their inspiration comes from and how they know when they’ve “finished” a work of art.  The studios stretch from Doe Bay in the east to Spring Point beyond Deer Harbor on the western side of Orcas Island. A map in included in the studio tour brochure, and contact information and hours are given for each artist.

The artists are listed by medium:

FIBER ARTS
Barbara Bentley – Fiber Artist
Geoff Shilling – Weaving

The woodworking art of Joe Ciskowski

WOODWORKING
Joe Ciskowski – Woodworking
Laura Yeats – Wood Bowls, Vessels & Furniture
Don Pencil – Wood and Woodturning Art

PHOTOGRAPHY
Karen Pencil – Photography
Peter Fisher – Photography
Peter Fromm – Photography

CERAMICS
Mary Jane Elgin – Ceramics
Peter Pere – Ceramic Sculpture
Ellen Wherrette – Ceramic Sculpture

The ceramic artwork of MaryJane Elgin

PAINTINGS, DRAWINGS, COLLAGE
Marguerite Greening – oil, collage
Jaqueline Kempfer – Oil, watercolor, ink
Bruce Wilson – Encaustic, Thermal Oil & Wax
Kandis Susol – Encaustic, Mixed Media
Jan Rimerman – Mixed Media
Carolyn Wayland – Oil, Acrylic
Josie Barrow – Watercolor, Pastel, Oil
James Hardman – Watercolor, Acrylic, Oil
Janis Mattox – Mixed Media, Fabric Construction
Tina Brown – Printmaker, Paper Collage
Lori Fast – Charcoal, Pastel, Watercolor

SCULPTURE – METAL, STONE, WOOD
Pete Welty – Steel & Stone
Zackarya Leck – Wood, stone, iron
Jorgen Harle – Forged steel
Chris Emmert – Mosaic Art and Sculpture
Dave Haslett – Stone Sculpture
Todd Spalti – Wood and metal sculpture
Lorinda Roland – Sculpture, landscapes
Michael E. Yeaman • Geology & Stone

Sculptor Zacharaya Lech at work

ASSEMBLAGE
April Pollock – Glass & Steel Wire
Siouxz Duncan – Home Styling/Mixed Media
Maria Papademetriou – Mixed Assemblage
Andrea Cohen – Mixed Media Assemblage

JEWELRY
Anusha Solayea – Artful Jewelry

Not all artist studios are open each day for all hours: check with the tour brochure at  https://orcasartistsstudiotour.com/OAST/Brochure_files/StudioTourBroSm.pdf
for specific artists.

For more information contact Dave Haslett at 360-376-6957.