by Susan Simons
LA VETA- Take a day off from routines and visit local artists at work in their studios on Sat. August 2 and Sun. August 3 from 9-4. Thirteen artists are featured this year. The mediums include creations in wood, oil, watercolor, fiber, fabric, clay, stained glass, leather, acrylics, beads, gems. You will see jewelry, sculpture, weaving, paintings, prints, etchings, musical instruments, fabric collages, leather shields, ceramics, and wearable arts. Most of the artists will have works for sale in their studios or in galleries and many teach classes throughout the year. You can make contacts, get inspiration, learn about classes, and buy exquisite works of art. It’s a full day, free of charge, to promote the artists of the area.
Brochures and maps to the artists’ studios are available in the Spanish Peaks Arts Council (SPACe) Gallery in the Park at Ryus Avenue and Town Park. On the days of the tour, the studio locations will be marked with flags. Most artists live in town, a cluster of three are in Cuchara/Pinehaven, and one is located in “Little Kansas” southeast of town. That artist, Al Clymer, is offering a wine tasting at 5 pm both days.
The three galleries on the tour display the works of these and other local artists. The final stop is St. Benedict Episcopal Church to view six stained glass windows designed by local artist, Anjillee Schwarz (see Stained glass article in this paper).
The tour allows you to talk with artists in their working space, to view the variety of their work, and to understand a little about the art form, the process and the progression of their work. You cannot enjoy this sense of depth and breadth in art any other way.
