Sisters Arts Association hosts studio tour

The Sisters Arts Association’s eighth annual Artist Studio Tour is happening on the third weekend of September. This is a self-guided driving tour, and it features 18 artists in home studios and host galleries, in and around Sisters.

The Studio Tour takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 21-22, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. Host galleries and home studios will be open to all visitors. The tour attracts visitors from all over the Northwest.

The tour is self-guided and free to all. You may arrange your visit 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, and finished pieces for sale.

Participating in this year’s Studio Tour are: J. Chester Armstrong, wood carver, at his home studio off Edgington; and Steve Mathews, whose gregarious illustrations in pen-and-ink and colored pencil bring new life to hardwoods, at his home studio in Tollgate; and bronze artist and printmaker Danae Bennett Miller of Tumalo. Also in Sisters, visit acrylic painter Sandy Melchiori, pastel artist JoAnn Burgess, and sculptor Gary Cooley. Ken Merrill will welcome visitors to his Canyon Creek Pottery, and Susie Zeitner will throw open the doors to her Z Glass Act Studio.

Other artists are featured in local galleries on West Hood Avenue. Taylor Manoles, Raina Verhey, Maren Veloso, and mixed-media artist Amelia Morton will share their various talents at Space In Common. Painters Dan Rickards and Garth Williams will be in residence at The Rickards Gallery. Henriette Heiny, a painter of fine art abstracts in acrylic (see related story, this page), watercolor painter Don Zylius, and ceramist AJ Evanson will be at Toriizaka Art. The Scratchboard Lady, Jennifer Hartwig, will be hosted at Sisters Gallery and Frame Shop.

These artists represent some of the best in art, design, creativity, and fabrication in this area. Many 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.

A tour guide with maps and addresses of each artist’s location is available in local galleries, Sisters Coffee, Fika Coffee, Paulina Springs Books, Sisters Moviehouse, and at http://www.sistersartsassociation.org. These guides will list and describe each of the artists and their studio or gallery location. Roadside signs will be posted on the days of the tour, and visitors may use their GPS devices in conjunction with the guide.