Tour offers glimpse of artistic process

Sisters Arts Association’s fifth annual Artist Studio Tour is scheduled for the final weekend in September. This is a self-guided driving tour, featuring 35 artists in 25 studio locations in and around Sisters. Some artists will be sharing studios in order to minimize drive time. The tour guides, with artist locations, are available in local galleries, hotels, businesses, the Chamber of Commerce, and online at http://www.sistersarts

association.org.

The Studio Tour takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 25-26, between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Studios will be open to visitors, who will be able to arrive by car, bike, or on foot, depending on studio location. Masks are required, and artists may limit the number of indoor visitors at any time. Several artists will be set up for outdoor demonstrations as well. Safety recommendations are in effect at all studios for everyone’s protection.

Last year’s Studio Tour attracted several thousand individual visits to artists’ studios, and resulted in direct sales of art as well as future commissions. Sisters Country artists are always grateful for community support and work hard to help make the community a very special place for visitors.

No matter what their media — and there are many here — all of these artists represent some of the best work in art, design, creativity, and fabrication in this area. Most of them rely on sales of art so this event is a win-win; not only do the artists retain 100 percent of the sales of their work, but they may also present special, one-time-only sales

items to the public.

No preregistration is necessary to visit the studios, nor is there any admission fee. You may arrange your visit to studios in any order, and spend as little or as much time as you like with each artist. This is an opportunity to meet your favorite artists and to see what they do and how they do it. They will have works in progress, as well as finished pieces that will be for sale.

The tour will include a quick-draw raffle for two $100 gift certificates, good for purchase from any artist’s studio. As you drop in for a visit, each artist will offer you a chance to sign up, free of charge. You may enter one ticket per artist, and sign up in as many studios as you visit. The drawing will take place at the end of the tour, and winners will be notified by phone and email.

The weekend events will kick off with the Fourth Friday Art Walk on September 24. This is the standard all-day art walk through the galleries of Sisters.

Pick up your copy of the printed Studio Tour Guide during Art Walk or access one at http://www.sistersarts

association.org under “maps and guides.” Roadside signs will be posted on the days of the tour, but visitors are encouraged to use their mapping devices in conjunction with the Studio Tour Guide for directions to each studio.