SEBASTIAN — Tucked away all over the Sebastian/Roseland area are lush oases of creativity, studios where a number of the area’s talented artists wield the tools of their trade – brushes, palette knives, rollers, presses, chalk, clay, pens, wheels, kilns, cameras. On Saturday, 11 of these gifted folk opened their homes and their studios – often one and the same.
And on this cool and sunny, totally agreeable Saturday, visitors came in record numbers, maps in hand, to enjoy the work – and the refreshments – of the host artists on the Fourth Annual Sebastian Art Studio Tour.
Photographer, sailor and world traveler Greg Hills, a native of Tasmania, opened his Sebastian studio/gallery on US 1 only last year, and has already won several awards. For the Tour, the focus was on birds, frogs, turtles, lady bugs – and fish. Striking among them was a large, colorful piece that seemed abstract at first glance but was, in fact, a single, huge, fish eye. Also displayed were samples of a lamination technique – “an acrylic face mount” – which give the photographs a dimensional pop.
“I’m still working on perfecting it,” he said. So precise must the process be that, if even if a tiny bubble or particle of dust appears, Hills discards the entire piece and starts from scratch.
For the Tour, silk artist Rita Bernstein shared her home and studio space with jewelry and mosaic artist Marte McMurry. Combining whimsy and craftsmanship, McMurry uses precious metals, unusual gemstones and a variety of techniques to create one-of-a-kind pieces. Her decorative mosaic tile work ranges from small to large pieces for indoors or out.
Catching the eye as visitors entered the patio was an intriguing rectangular mosaic –“Requiem to Madame Laveau,” employing tile, alabaster, manganese and black coral.
In the main house, Bernstein had draped dozens of her hand-dyed feather light, shimmering silken pieces – blouses, flowing scarves, wall hangings – on which she had created a garden of shimmering, watery designs, delicate as fairy wings. The application of color onto silk is painstaking and, depending on the design detail, Bernstein may even use a hypodermic needle to place the color. Her decorative work includes floor-to-ceiling, hanging silken cylinders, rainbows of glowing colors circling down their length.
First time Studio Tour visitors Diane Powell and Kay Moyd, both Sebastian residents, were very impressed, and very happy they had come.
“This was well worth it.” said Moyd.
“We’re having the best time!” agreed Powell.
Mary Segal has converted her Roseland duplex into living quarters, studio and galleries, where she creates and displays her works, conducts workshops and lets studio space to other area artists. Segal has worked with all kinds of materials and methods, always eager to experiment with new techniques and media.
In her studio can be found acrylic paintings, watercolors, pastels, collages, etchings and monotypes, as well as mixed media. Among the most appealing are her pressed flower pieces, with painted backgrounds and real, delicate blossoms pressed here and there, as if nudged onto the surface by a mischievous breeze.
Welcoming visitors to her home in a quiet Collier Club neighborhood, Mary Ann Hall says, “I sold my TransAm so I could use the garage as my studio.”
Her appealing paintings are displayed throughout the house, and mostly eschew watercolors’ ubiquitous pastel tones, for brilliance and rich color.
“It’s Florida, you’ve got to have bright color,” she emphasizes. Among the vibrant paintings – fish, dogs, fruit, joyful fuchsia hibiscus, the standout is a large painting, “Glorious Iris,” which was awarded Best of Show in a juried Treasure Coast competition.
“I love it. Such diversity. Such a range of talent!” Joanie Babel, enjoying her first Studio Tour, exclaimed. “There’s a real sense of community, and such positive energy on every level.”
Her friend, artist Gwen McNenney, said, “As a fellow artist, I find this inspirational!” and pal Marti Green added, “It’s my first time! I love it!”
To enjoy each of the dozen artists’ special creativity would easily take the entire 7-hour time frame. Other Studio Tour artists included: potter Richard Ramirez; photographer and painter Toni Hill; sculptor, musician and mixed media artist Geoffrey Myers; painter and ceramic artist Quentin Walter; watercolorist Roy Woodall; multimedia painter and sculptor Suza Talbot.
