Art aficionados gave last Saturday’s eighth annual Sebastian Art Studio Tour a perfect 10 after local artists threw open the doors to their inner sanctums for all the world to see. Visitors exclaimed over sculptures, jewelry, paintings and wearable art, and relished the chance to chat with the artists about their techniques.
“Art tour studio season is a big thing in New Mexico where I lived, and I thought why not do that here,” said mixed-media artist Mary Segal, who introduced the concept to Sebastian. Segal said she enjoys visiting other artist studios to “see how people are making things. You get a much fuller picture of the artist that way.”
Visitors to Stouthouse got a twofer – viewing the Seth Thelonious Alvin Foster Art Collection and stained-glass pieces by the late Weldon J. Stout, as well as works by Mary Pratt, the current artist-in-residence.
“This community is very art-minded,” said Pratt, sharing the plethora of work completed since arriving just five weeks ago.
At Geoffrey Myers’ studio, impromptu jam sessions accompanied the sculptural artist as he discussed his art and music with passersby.
This was Julie Hewitt’s first year on the tour, and her fluid acrylic paintings attracted quite a bit of chatter. Hewitt uses palette knives, brushes, an air compressor, straws and sticks to manipulate the paint.
“People are looking at the art and asking about the process,” she said. “I think it’s that personal connection of knowing how I do it that draws people to the tour.”
Oil painter Lana McConnell said she enjoyed chatting with fellow artists who stopped by, adding, “I’m trying to do a new thing with oil pours, so it’s been fun to talk to some acrylic artists and find out how they do it.”
Shelia Lougheed’s house, where she and studio mate Suze Lavender work, was so full of artwork that it spilled out onto the lawn with colorful abandon.
Rita Bernstein’s studio was a cacophony of color and design, from the painted floors to the ceilings, not a single wall in the house is the same color. Her studio is as much a canvas as the multiple mediums she uses to express herself, including silk paintings, wearable art, iconography, miniature sculptures, painted eggs and aromatherapy.
Trekking west of town, visitors were treated to a trio of creative energy at the Richard Ramirez studio where the ceramic artist and painter was joined by his daughter, jewelry designer Elena Ramirez, and guest artist Crystal Ploszay, a concrete artist.
“People come because they like art and they want to support the artists,” explained Ploszay. “They’re curious about our art brains. Artists as a species are something that people want to understand, because we seem to have something people who aren’t artists can’t identify.”
Robert and Lynn Johnson have forged a creative environment with their steel sculpture and jewelry. Lynn shared insight into her jewelry designs as Robert demonstrated the tools used to bend red-hot metals into art.
“It’s nice to see original artworks and how they’re created,” said Lanie Dreer, a former art teacher as she walked through Roy Woodall’s studio. “I like to see the different media and different interpretations of what the artists do with it.”
Photos by: Denise Ritchie
Click HERE to see more or buy photos
