Mark your Calendar! The Artists’ Studio Tour is only a month away, the weekend of June 2nd and 3rd. This is the seventeenth consecutive year that the Topanga Canyon Gallery has invited art lovers into the home studios of artists throughout the canyon. The popularity of the Tour has grown each year, as it has continued to change and offer majestic views from new locations and insight into the process and work of artists newly added to the circuit, as well as recent work of annual participants.
This year 42 artists, working in every possible medium, including metals, glass, ceramics, photography, multimedia, oils and acrylics, watercolors and more, will be showing their work at 17 locations throughout the canyon.
Beginning at Topanga Canyon Gallery in Pine Tree Circle, visitors get a full color, easy-to-use map of all the locations and a sample image from each artist on the back. Artwork from each participating artist will be showing in the Gallery starting May 16, for a preview of what visitors will see at the home studios. Tickets, $15 if purchased in advance, and $20 if purchased at the door, are available at the gallery and online and are good for both days of the Tour.
Gallery visitors will also see a wall of 8″ by 8″ canvases created by many of the Tour artists. You can bid on your favorite in a silent auction until it closes at the Tour Reception, the evening of Saturday, June 2. Bids are taken from May 16 until auction time.
The Studio Tour provides the opportunity to see a broader representation of the participating artists’ work than at almost any other venue. Because of the relaxed nature of the event, artists usually show several collections, which often include more pieces than they would be able to show in a Gallery setting. Artists use this opportunity to show new work, often incorporating additional mediums or enhanced processes and skills.
While the Tour has become a Canyon tradition—it is held the weekend after Topanga Days—it is always a new experience. This year, 18 of the artists are new to the Tour or returning after several years of absence, and seven of the 17 Tour locations are new to visitors. At studios familiar to Tour visitors, they will find different guest artists and new works by those well known.
“I do the Studio Tour every year,” states Karen Riesenfield. “I have the studios I always go to, because I know I will enjoy the location and the work, but each year I also see new artists and new work by artists I know. I wouldn’t miss it and plan my schedule so I’m in town the first weekend in June with plenty of time to spend on the Tour.”
Currently at the gallery is a thought provoking show, “Women At Work,” that explores the work of three female artists working in fabrics, metals, glass and paint and a male photographer who shares his compelling collection of women in their element. These talented artists have created a show that explores current concepts of women and their work. Show continues to May 13.
Visit the Topanga Canyon Gallery or go online to get Studio Tour tickets now; tickets purchased before the Tour dates are discounted to $15; On Tour weekend, they are $20 each. In either case, it is an inexpensive entry to a delightful, art-filled weekend.
The Topanga Canyon Gallery, 120 N Topanga Canyon Blvd. For tickets, tour and show times, topangacanyongallery.com.