Art in galleries is engaging, but art seen in the artists’ own studios, in historic ranches and barns, with the artists themselves there to talk about their work, is a special experience, one available to all who visit Oracle Saturday and Sunday, April 16 and 17, when the town’s art community will welcome visitors to the 24th annual Oracle Artist Studio Tour.
The work is as diverse as the artists themselves: paintings in oil, watercolor and encaustic, decorative and functional pottery, photography, handmade paper, glasswork, clay and metal sculpture, jewelry, quilting, knitting and turned wood. There is work in virtually every medium, sold directly by the people who make it.
Finding the studios is easy. The Welcome/Visitor Center at 1470 American Avenue will provide self-guiding maps plus a preview display of the artists’ work. This year 43 artists are showing at 17 locations. Pick up your map and follow the purple roadside signs to meet the artists and see their work.
At the Wilson Barn, watercolors by Jill Caid, Pat Hardin and Vonnie West, acrylic and collage by Jenine Mayer, Kumihimo necklaces by Laurel Roth. At the Holleman studio, turned-wood lamps, clocks, picture frames and presentation boxes by Christopher Holleman and Huntting Jessup.
Barbara and James Cowlin at Cowlin Studio will show her acrylic paintings of land and water and his fine-art photographs of Western landscapes. You’ll see six artists at the Creighton Studio and screen porch: Judith Walsh’s jewelry and encaustic painting, Diana Creighton’s oils, Don Spaulding’s jewelry and furniture, Dianna Newell’s hand-crafted wood serving boards, Joel Nilsson’s pottery and Pamela Nilsson’s hand-knits.
At the Triangle L Ranch B&B, Sharon Holnback’s glass and iron garden art, Anna-Maria Dickinson’s oil paintings and Suzie Daigneault’s native bee homes. And be sure to take a walk on the art-in-nature trail.
Other artists showing at group locations and individual studios include Ethyl Amator, Sue Armbrust, Val Bembenek, Carolyn Blair, Quentin Branch, Alicia Bristow, Valeska Victoria Cromer, Patty Guertin, Karen Guss, Sarah Hardin, Joe Hatton, Gregg Jacob, Jenny Kilb, Christopher Lucic, Karen Medley, Glenda Neff, Jerry Parra, Andrew Rush, Elvia Schwenke, Margy Smith, Laura Stiltner, Julie Szekely, Linda Tabler, Rich Vokoun and Risa Waldt.