Open Studio Tour: A Journey of Art and Soul
http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/071409_open_studio_tour_a_journey_of_art_and_soul/
By Ashley Anderson
Forty-four Santa Barbara artists will open their studios to the public over Labor Day weekend; tickets are on sale now
Forty-four of Santa Barbara’s leading artists will open their studios to the public for the Santa Barbara Studio Artists’ Annual Tour over Labor Day weekend, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 5-6.
Tour guests will discover an award-winning wonderland of landscape, contemporary and figurative painting, as well as sculpture and assemblage. This rare insiders’ journey guides visitors through the stunning back roads, charming neighborhoods and estates of one of the most beautiful coastal cities in the world. Since the tour’s inception in 2002, art aficionados from across the country have rallied to get first pick at top-quality artwork, and have a chance to meet the artists in their private studios.
There will be an Opening Gala Exhibition from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Sept. 4 at The Divine Inspiration Gallery, 1528 State St. in Santa Barbara. The Gala Exhibition will feature one piece of artwork from each participating studio artist, and collectors will have the opportunity to meet the artists and decide which studios to visit.
For tour tickets — on sale now — maps and more information, click here or call 805.280.9178.
The Santa Barbara Studio Artists’ eighth annual tour showcases a variety and breadth of work by award-winning artists whose works are collected nationally and internationally. Membership in the artist-run organization is selective and competitive. To be considered, applicants must be established career artists who have achieved recognition in their field. Many members have received international acclaim by notable art critics, and their works, in many cases, have garnered prestigious awards and exhibitions in top galleries and museums worldwide, and are held in major private and corporate collections.
All of them have achieved success as top professionals in the visual arts, and their works have been showcased on the walls of some of the nation’s most prestigious galleries, museums and collectors from New York and Los Angeles to Paris and Auckland and many places in between.
The Santa Barbara Studio Artists Annual Studio Tour combines not only world-class art and a breathtaking array of artistic styles but also the opportunity to get to know some of the artists.
Ann Shelton Beth’s locally inspired luminous landscape paintings are distinguished by their vivid interpretation of light and mass, and there is no better place to see them than in the context of her stunning Riviera studio. Betsy Gallery’s mosaic works combine classical handmade Italian glass and 24k gold smalti, Mexican and iridescent smalti, ceramics and found objects. Her in-town Craftsman-style bungalow studio transports visitors into an artistic world unto itself where every turn through her lush garden evokes creativity.
Wayne Hoffman’s journey in abstract painting began in rural Spain more than 30 years ago where, with his wife and children, he took a conscious hiatus from his oceanography career to deeply pursue his artistic passion. Today, when visitors cross the threshold of their San Roque ranch style home/studio, an integrated modernist microcosm reveals itself and is brought alive by Hoffman’s vibrant large-scale abstract paintings. Marlene Struss’ Samarkand studio cottage invites travelers into the world of an artist’s artist. A stunning sculpture done by a friend greets visitors on the front lawn, and her acclaimed photage abstract collages entice viewers into a metaphysical exploration of body and soul. These are but a few of the many artistic prospects ripe for exploration.
Santa Barbara Studio Artists board co-presidents Pamela Enticknap and Karen Fedderson are major California artists. Each has won numerous awards, has exhibited widely across the United States and is held in prestigious private and corporate collections. Enticknap’s loose animated paintings capturing human interaction as well as emotional undercurrents are instantly recognizable. Fedderson’s emotionally charged large-scale oil paintings distill a moment in time and celebrate the beauty of the California coastal landscape with the hand of a master.
“The personal nature of the Open Studios Tour offers a unique forum where the artists, collectors and art lovers create a synergy not found in any other setting,” Enticknap said.
The Santa Barbara Studio Artists event is presented in cooperation with the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitor’s Bureau and the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce.
— Ashley Anderson is a publicist.
http://www.noozhawk.com/noozhawk/article/071409_open_studio_tour_a_journey_of_art_and_soul/