Forty-four of Santa Barbara’s leading artists Santa Barbara’s leading artists will open their studios to the public for Santa Barbara Studio Artists’ Annual Tour over Labor Day weekend, from 11 am to 5 pm, Saturday September 5th and Sunday September 6th, 2009. Tour guests will discover an award-winning wonderland of landscape, contemporary, and figurative painting, as well as sculpture and assemblage. This rare insiders’ journey guides visitors through the stunning back roads, charming neighborhoods and estates of one of the most beautiful coastal cities in the world. Since the tour’s inception in 2002, art aficionados from across the country have rallied to get first pick at top quality artwork, and have a chance to meet the artists in their private studios. There will be an Opening Gala Exhibition from 6-9 pm on Friday, September 4th at The Divine Inspiration Gallery 1528 State Street, Santa Barbara, CA 93101. The Gala Exhibition will feature one piece of artwork from each participating Studio Artist, and collectors will have the opportunity to meet the artists and decide which studios to visit. For tickets, maps and more information call 805-280-9178 or visit www.santabarbarastudioartists.com
Santa Barbara Studio Artists’ 8th Annual Tour showcases a variety and breadth of work by award-winning artists whose works are collected nationally and internationally. Membership in the artist-run organization is highly selective and competitive. To be considered for membership applicants must be established career artists who have achieved recognition in their field. Many members have received international acclaim by notable art critics, and their works, in many cases, have garnered prestigious awards and exhibitions in top galleries galleries and museums world wide, and are held in major private and corporate collections. All of them have achieved success as top professionals in the visual arts, and their works have been showcased on the walls of some of the nation’s most prestigious galleries, museums and collectors from New York and Los Angeles to Paris and Auckland and many places in between. Johnson & Johnson, Xerox, Gallery of Modern Art ~ Ekaterinburg Russia, Gallery 825~Los Angeles, Montclair Museum, Pleiades Gallery Chelsea ~New York, International Assemblage Artist Exhibition ~Berlin, Germany, are just a few of the galleries, exhibitions, museums and collections where Santa Barbara Studio Artists’ members’ works have been featured.
The Santa Barbara Studio Artists Annual Studio Tour combines not only world-class art and a breathtaking array of artistic styles but also the opportunity to get to know some of the most interesting people you’ll ever meet. Ann Shelton Beth’s locally inspired luminous landscape paintings are distinguished by their vivid interpretation of light and mass, and there is no better place to see them than in the context of her stunning Riviera studio. Betsy Gallery’s mosaic works combine classical handmade Italian glass and 24K gold smalti, Mexican and iridescent smalti, ceramics and found objects. Her in-town Craftsman-style bungalow studio transports visitors into an artistic world unto itself where every turn through her lush garden evokes creativity. Wayne Hoffman’s journey in abstract painting began in rural Spain over 30 years ago where, together with his wife and children, he took a conscious hiatus from his Oceanography career in order to deeply pursue his artistic passion. Today, when visitors cross the threshold of their San Roque ranch style home/studio, an integrated modernist microcosm reveals itself and is brought alive by Hoffman’s vibrant large-scale abstract paintings. Marlene Struss’ Samarkand studio cottage invites travelers into the world of an artist’s artist. A stunning sculpture done by a friend, greets visitors on the front lawn, and her acclaimed photage abstract collages entice viewers into a metaphysical exploration of body and soul. And these are but a few of the many artistic prospects ripe for exploration.
Santa Barbara Studio Artists Santa Barbara Studio Artists Board co-presidents Pamela Enticknap and Karen Fedderson are major California artists. Each has won numerous awards, has exhibited widely across the US and is held in prestigious private and corporate collections. Enticknap’s loose animated paintings capturing human interaction as well as emotional undercurrents are instantly recognizable. Fedderson’s emotionally charged large-scale oil paintings distill a moment in time and celebrate the beauty of the California coastal landscape with the hand of a master. Enticknap comments, “The personal nature of the Open Studios Tour offers a unique forum where the artists, collectors and art lovers create a synergy not found in any other setting.”
The Santa Barbara Studio Artists event is presented in cooperation with the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitor’s Bureau and the Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce Santa Barbara Chamber of Commerce. For tickets, maps and more information call 805-280-9178 or visit www.santabarbarastudioartists.com.
About Santa Barbara Studio Artists: Santa Barbara Studio Artists is a nonprofit organization of professional fine artists dedicated to providing recognition and opportunities for participating professional level studio artists residing in and working in the visual arts in the Santa Barbara area. For more information visit www.santabarbarastudioartists.com.
