30th Annual Open Studios Art Tour

Over 300 Artists Open Their Doors for 2015 Art Tour

Open Studios Art Tour kicked off thirty years ago in 1986 with a simple goal: to get art fans and artists together – all across Santa Cruz County. Artists open their studios, and art enthusiasts go on tour. The public visits studios, meets artists, sees their process, and buys art directly from the source.

New this year! For the first time, there are FOUR ways to get the Open Studios Guide:

• Get it FREE! 35,000 copies of the Guide in the September 30 issue of Good Times.
• Preview the Guide online: artscouncilsc.org/open-studios — no cost!
• Buy the Guide now for just $5! Full list of outlets at artscouncilsc.org/open-studios.
• Purchase the App for just $4.99 – available Sept. 18th on iTunes & Google Play.

Proceeds from Guide & App sales support the arts & arts education.

Studios are divided between North and South County (with the Santa Cruz Yacht Harbor as the dividing point). October 3 & 4 features North County artists (157 artists), October 10 & 11 features South County Artists (131 artists), and October 17 & 18 is an Encore Weekend that features select artists in both North and South County (230 artists). Each day, studios are open from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m.

The 2015 Tour features nearly 300 artists working in dozens of mediums. This year, there are 36 artists who are new to the Tour and 29 who have participated for more than twenty years.

A preview exhibit featuring work from every 2015 Open Studios artist will open on Saturday, September 26 and run through Sunday, October 18 at the Santa Cruz Art League (526 Broadway in Santa Cruz, Wed through Fri 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. and Sat & Sun 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.). A public reception will be held on Sunday, September 27 from 3 – 6 p.m. with entertainment by Kuzanga Marimba. The Preview Exhibit will be part of the First Friday Art Tour on October 2.

“Giving the Guide away for free truly makes Open Studios an all access show. We hope that thousands more people choose to venture out to studios and discover for themselves how awesome it is to meet an artist in their creative space,” said Ann Ostermann, Open Studios & Events Manager.

The public can pre-purchase the Guide for $5 at outlets throughout Santa Cruz County and beyond starting on Wednesday, September 9. For the first time, visitors from out of county can preview the Guide online — artscouncilsc.org/open-studios — giving them an idea of all the incredible art they can see during the Tour.

The $4.99 App is a portable guide which helps to create personalized tour maps; to find new artists based on location, medium, and other criteria; and saves information for revisiting favorite stops.

“We knew that the 30th year of the Open Studios Art Tour needed to be special,” said Michelle Williams, Executive Director. “We hope that everyone in the county will pick up a free Guide – or even just feel warmly welcomed to stop in anywhere they see our Open Studios green signs.”

Hotel Paradox is a major sponsor and the Preferred Hotel Partner of the Open Studios Art Tour. They are offering a Santa Cruz Arts Package, which includes a discounted stay, Open Studios Art Tour Guide, and $20 credit to Solaire, their on-site restaurant.

Proceeds from the Guide and App sales support the Arts Council’s arts and arts education programs. Visit artscouncilsc.org/open-studios for more information and a list of where the Guide is sold.

Producer of the Open Studios Art Tour, Arts Council Santa Cruz County is a passionate supporter of the arts. They promote, connect, and invest in the arts in order to stimulate creativity and vibrancy across Santa Cruz County. artscouncilsc.org.

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Artist Stories

Marie Gabrielle (#38): A full-time artist, Marie Gabrielle will be showing all new paintings on the Tour this year, including imagery of Montana, fly fishing, and collection of landscapes from Brittany. She is most inspired by color and the play of light and form in her surrounding landscape.

Jeff Arnett (#74): “Since nature spent hundreds of thousands of years forming [the stone], my modest job is to reveal its inner beauty.” No surprise, then, that Jeff Arnett’s inspiration comes from the material itself. He will be giving demonstrations of stone carving, wax sculpting and assemblage during both weekends of Open Studios. And, for a small donation, you can participate by carving a stone of your own!

Bonnie & Steven Barisof (#107): Working in clay, Bonnie & Steven Barisof are inspired by being part of the continuum of artist and craftsmen who have been developing this medium for thousands of years. They love the challenge and opportunity to come up with something new, so expect to see new shapes and textures at their Open Studio.

Michael Singer (#133): Inspired by form and line, great design of the Art Deco and Art Nouveau periods, and by the grain or edge shape of his materials, woodworker Michael Singer crafts furniture with a graphic element -the line of a leg, an inlay pattern, or a play of curved details off of a rectilinear form. Before taking on furniture making full time, Michael spent 20 years as a Marine Biologist, studying everything from nearshore fish ecology to oil spill cleanup agent toxicity. His other occasional vocation is as a fine art photographer. At Open Studios, he plans to show work in progress, finished works, and will open his house to show off his kitchen, bathroom, and storage solution design work.

James Aschbacher (#184): “Lit from within,” and excited by his own whimsical view of the world, artist James Ashbacher’s inspiration arises from his own pencil doodlings. James promises that visitors to his Open Studio will leave “wearing a big smile and wanting to celebrate Life” after interacting with the 40+ original paintings on display featuring such titles as Magical Inheritance, Building Our Dream House, A Book Is A Wondrous Thing, Kitty Bookmark, and The Love Bandit Strikes Again.

Irene Reti (#204): Influenced by photographers Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, and inspired by the landscapes of our state, Irene Reti considers taking pictures to be a discovery, a prayer, or a form of poetry. “Light streams through the glass eye of my camera, translating poppies, waves, granite cliffs, fallen leaves, sleeping cats, the forms of the universe into a digital language that opens the aperture of my heart.” Irene directs the oral history research program in the Special Collections and Archives Department at the UCSC Library and has written and published many books.