Ever marvel at a piece of art and wonder how it came to be? Find out by exploring where the muse meets artists during the ninth annual Los Padres Artist Guild Studio and Garden Tour and Sale. Wander beautiful gardens, visit sunny studios, and see incredible works of art, all thanks to artists opening up their studios to the public. Each year during the studio tour, the public enjoys chatting with the artists and seeing where they create their work, whether it’s a backyard workshop or bright, window-filled studio.
Art lovers can enjoy refreshments, beautiful garden settings, and even take home a favorite piece of art. This year’s event is dedicated to the late Bill Shinn, an internationally known artist who was a supporter of the arts and who passed away earlier this year.
This studio tour will feature 50 artists who will show their works at eight homes in the Santa Maria and Orcutt area. Participants need to purchase a tour book, which holds directions to each site, artist information, and a description of each studio or garden setting.
Michael Corob, who handles publicity for the Los Padres Artist Guild, said approximately 300 to 400 guests participate in the studio tour each year, with proceeds from the tour book sales benefiting the Los Padres Artist Guild’s scholarship fund.
“I call it a once a year ‘artventure,’” Corob said. “It’s kind of like a treasure hunt, where people can go house to house, place to place, and hopefully find something that moves them enough they desire to purchase it.”
On the map this year will be Corob’s sunroom studio, which faces out upon succulent plants, fruit trees, and playful birds; Minnie Anderson’s patio, which leads into a manicured yard surrounded by a canopy of pine trees; and Marilyn Murray’s garden, which has a pond, a putting green, and an atrium.
Corob said the artists enjoy the chance to chat with visitors and talk about the process that goes into making their art. Pat Stalter will be another artist opening her grounds during the studio tour. Stalter said she’s a host each year, and this year she’ll have several artists sharing her garden setting. They’ll feature decorative Ukrainian egg art, jewelry, photography, and more.
“I like showing people what we local artists are capable of, what we do, our passion,” Stalter said. “Because we really do this out of passion.”
Arts Editor Shelly Cone can see the sky when she writes. And some cars. Contact her at scone@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jun 9-16, 2011.
