7^th Annual Wrightwood Art Studio Tour – Self-guided art studio tour and auction with artists from the local area exhibiting artwork for sale at studios and other locations throughout Wrightwood.  Media vaires.

7^th Annual Wrightwood Art Studio Tour
Self-Guided Art Studio Tour & Auction held in Wrightwood, California – September 20.

We have a new name but the tour is the same great event in Wrightwood.
The 7th Annual Wrightwood Art Studio Tour is held Saturday, September 20 from 10 am to 5 pm. The Art Studio Tour is a self-guided tour featuring accomplished artists from the local area exhibiting artwork for sale at studios and other locations throughout Wrightwood. This year’s juried event is comprised of a wide range of styles from traditional to contemporary. Media will include oil, acrylic, pastel, and watercolor paintings; metal, glass and bronze sculpture; quilts gourds, basketry, jewelry, and pottery.

Our Silent Auction is also held Saturday, September 20, from 10 to 3, in the Wrightwood Museum, located at 6000 Cedar. The auction includes a donated piece from each participating artist. Proceeds from the auction are donated to local community organizations.

Since 2003, the Art Tour artists have awarded a $500 scholarship to a local high school senior who intends to pursue the study of art. The work of the 2008 scholarship recipient, Caleb Garcia, will be featured along with other promising Serrano High School art students at a special exhibit on Saturday at the Yankee Peddler, 1265 Apple in Wrightwood. Other past recipients of Silent Auction funds have included Wrightwood Friends of the Library, Wrightwood Historical Society, Wrightwood Fire Safe Council, and the Wrightwood/Pinon Hills Firefighters Association.

Tickets for the event are $5. Your ticket is a guidebook with information about each exhibiting artist and a map to exhibit locations. Tickets are available in Wrightwood beginning in August at the Antelope Valley Bank, Cinnamon’s Bakery, Mt. Hardware, Silk Penguin, Something Old – Something New, Village Grind and Yankee Peddler.
Wrightwood is a quaint mountain community nestled in the Los Angeles National Forest in Southern California.

Featured artists at the 7^th Annual Wrightwood Art Studio Tour - Lisa Shatts and David Svenson, were featured guests on Champagne Sundays Radio Show with hosts Blend Magazine editors Nancy J. Reid and Lisa D. Smith. This show aired live on Sunday, Sept. 7, from 11am-1pm Pacific.  To listen to the entire, unedited show, please click here.To listen to Lisa and David's interview, please double click on the Play Button below.


 

For more information, please contact Francesca Ouimette 760-249-6261.

Featured Artists on the 7^th Annual Wrightwood Art Studio Tour - to view full size photos, click on them.

Allen DuPerron - Making recognizable forms from formless material is Allen DuPerron’s idea of a great time. Bringing his 30 years of industry experience melting and shaping steel to the art world, Allen creates unique sculptures that range from whimsical to almost lifelike, using a combination of readily available materials and found objects. “If I can’t enjoy making art, how would I ever expect anyone to enjoy it in their home?” says Du Perron. Allen’s work has been exhibited throughout Southern California and is found extensively in private collections.

Barbara Whitten - Barbara Whitten's works include bracelets, necklaces, pins, and window art. Her work is highly colorful and engaging, and is presented in a wide array of styles and sizes. From delicate crystal bracelets to bold, Middle Eastern-inspired necklaces, her jewelry is always in high demand. Her beautiful window hangings, featuring crystal balls and prisms, allow the interplay of sunlight and brilliant color. Ranging from highly symmetrical patterns to wildly abstract bunches of color, Barbara's beaded jewelry is, indeed, wearable art.

Candie Koehn - With a love for the geometric patterns occurring in nature, Candie’s art is an effort to reflect these patterns to the observer. Unique, rarely observed designs, such as those found on reptiles, amphibians and insects, are her favorite subjects. Candie started her artistic endeavors in acrylic and watercolor painting; mediums used by her highly artistic parents. But not finding the rustic character she was seeking, she soon found the world of gourd art. Candie’s gourd art has been featured in numerous art exhibits throughout Southern California.




Denise Milne - “I love to create paintings that reflect the beauty that I see all around me. That might be the varied colors of a grassy field or the interesting play of light on an underwater trout, of the velvety texture of a child’s face. I strive to express my positive outlook on life through my art. As I create beauty, I am reminded of the Creator of all beauty and I find peace and joy. I love it when others enjoy that same feeling as they view my work”. Denise received her formal art training at Southwest Missouri State University and Brigham Young University. Her watercolors have received awards at several shows throughout California and Utah.




Dillie Thomas - Dillie Thomas and her husband have lived in Wrightwood for 50 years. She paints scenes from the local mountains and high desert area as well as low desert scenes from the Coachella Valley where they spend the winters. They love to travel in the southwest where she gathers even more material for paintings. Inspired by the French Impressionists and the California Plein Air Impressionists she uses a palette knife to capture color and detail in her distinctive landscapes. Her work is featured in various galleries across the country.

DJ Hermansen - “Living in the San Gabriel mountains, I enjoy gathering and experimenting with fibers from the desert floor to the mountain tops. Basketry is a way of life… peaceful, tranquil, with the warmth of mother nature to touch your soul”. DJ has exhibited her work and won awards throughout the west coast. DJ will be exhibiting her baskets, gourds, wreaths, jewelry and her paintings. Look for the large canvases with brilliant color. You will see she portrays an emotional response rather than a realistic representation when she paints.

Francesca Ouimette - Francesca Ouimette will have her latest work on display during the annual Wrightwood artist studio tour. This versatile artist enjoys working in oil, pastel, watercolor, collage and painting on porcelain and silk. In her own words, “Each medium is a new challenge; a new beginning. I let the painting take me where it wants. It leads me to new places where I have never been. I never tire of the journey. ”Francesca's work is hanging in private homes in Europe, Canada and throughout the United States. Her husband, Jerry, expertly frames her work.

 

Joyce Finau - I was born on Tonga Island in the South Pacific. I finished school there and, at the age of 20, went to New Zealand on a working contract. I worked as a sous-chef at restaurants there for 20 years. After spending 27 years in New Zealand, I came to the U.S. in the year 2000. I discovered the lovely community of Wrightwood, where I met Lora Steinmann and her family. They helped me to get involved in various activities in the Wrightwood community, and Laura introduced me to quilting about 6 years ago. I’ve been quilting ever since that day.

Judy Scrivner - Born and reared in Los Angeles, in the shadows of Griffith Park, Judy she developed a strong connection with nature and wildlife at an early age. As she grew older, countless trips to the beaches and mountains of Southern California with her family, traveling to various state and national parks, reinforced this appreciation. She also dabbled in various artistic mediums. Now living in the San Gabriel Mountains, the forest setting inspired her to pick up the paintbrush, and soon oil and canvas paid homage to an endless number of landscapes.

Lisa Shatts - Lisa considers herself fortunate to have traveled and visited many of the world’s greatest art museums of Europe, Greece, Turkey, and the Middle East. Lisa grew up near Paris, France and visited many Paris museums. Her art education led her to obtaining a Bachelors of Arts Degree with a major in Studio Art, from the University of California, Santa Barbara. With a jewelry design studio by the ocean in Southern California, and a home in the San Bernardino Mountains, she continues to be inspired to create seasonal jewelry. Each piece is a contemporary creation of art, and designed to feature select shells, gemstones, coral, or pearls.

Svenson Family - The art of John Edward Svenson, a Fellow of the National Sculpture Society, ranges from 17-ton redwood sculptures and hotel fountains to portrait and medallions of international heads of state. He has produced a wealth of work in stone, wood, bronze and steel since the 1940’s. His sons John, Jr. and David have followed their father’s example by forging their own unique styles and achievements in a variety of mediums.
  Says Kazumi Koabyashi Svenson: “I have been glass blowing and teaching glass in Japan for 18 years.  Making neon art over the years has been my creative outlet. I enjoy the study of deep-sea life and use this as a theme in many of my works.  I have a passion for a special fish, the Coelacanth (Gombessa) from Comoro Island off the east coast of Africa. For me, this living prehistoric fish relates to environmental and evolution issues.  I see beauty in this fish which connects me with human survival. I watch Pa Pa John in the studio carving wood sculpture.  This inspires me to work in wood.”
  David has been incorporating neon in his work since the mid 80’s.  Often the glass/neon is the dominant material.  Other works express just the subtle glow of colored light combined with carved wood or other sculptural materials. Growing up on an orange grove in the rural citrus country of Southern California, yet just a mile away from classic examples of State Route 66 neon signage, left an early impression of multi colored light isolated by the darkness of the night. Learning, teaching, sharing skills and knowledge about glass, neon, art and Pacific Rim cultures are important aspects of David's life today.


Victor Leiber – Victor found a passion for Art and Ceramics and earned his Master's degree at UCLA. Originally from Brooklyn, New York, Victor now lives in Wrightwood where he opened Clay Dove Studio. He is a follower of the Bauhaus School of Art, whose philosophy is that form follows function. Thus, his aim is to create pottery that is pleasing to look at, touch, and a delight to use. Victor uses stoneware clays and glazes fired to 2230 degrees Fahrenheit. All his work is vitreous, durable, free of toxic ingredients, and oven and microwave safe. It is stoneware pottery for the home.