Get a peek at the creative process at Geneva Art Studio Tour
For artists, a studio space is a refuge, an inspiration, a place for creative focus, creative frustration, new energy, fresh ideas, accomplishment and maybe even magic.
See where the magic happens on the Greater Geneva Art Guild's second annual Art Studio Tour, which takes place Friday through Sunday, Sept. 26-28, at various locations around Geneva. For the $10 admission price, visitors will receive a list of artists exhibiting at each location and map.
More than 30 artists will exhibit their work at 12 studios and four businesses. Visitors will see a wide range of mediums represented, said Lorraine Ochsner, art guild president, including painting, sculpture, photography, mixed media art, wood work, fiber art, jewelry and metal work.
What sets the studio tour apart is visitors have the opportunity to see working art studios, watch artists at work and ask questions about their technique and process, Ochsner said.
“It is important for art lovers to see where local artists work. It is very educational.”
Studios featured on the tour range from basements, spare rooms, garages, dining rooms and a sun porch.
“For me, a studio space is part of my life,” Ochsner said. “I've had my own art studio since I was in grammar school and I have always had a studio in every place I lived.” Primarily a watercolor painter, Ochsner also enjoys painting in most mediums from egg tempura to oils.
She converted her historic home's former garage into a studio and workshop. Transforming the old concrete floor and drab ceiling with her paintbrush. She painted stone tiles on the floor, “then came the ceiling,” she said.
“I wanted to see blue sky and something green, so I added lattice with grapes, ivy and roses.” The effect is an English garden against a vivid sky.
“It's a happy place, a creative sanctuary,” Ochsner said. “I call it 'creatively organized clutter' — it is full of items that I need, or might need, someday.”
“Art is my passion, hobby and escape,” said Jane Marble, owner of Art Happens Studio. “I draw inspiration and pleasure from my studio.”
A retired registered nurse, Marble was encouraged by a friend to take up a paintbrush.
“I had no experience in painting and like most people my best drawing was a stick figure,” she said. While mostly self-taught, Marble has taken a number of workshops to learn about techniques specific to various media.
Marble's family has moved six times over the years, and in each setting her studio has been in a different area of her home. Currently her home's finished basement is her studio.
“Over the years it has grown from one easel to three art tables and three easels,” she said, noting that organization is key.
“I am very organized with my art materials, each having their place. I work in a number of media. You will find oils, acrylics, watercolors and pastels in my studio.
Visitors will see several of Marble's works-in-progress. “Watercolor is my favorite media,” she said. “However, I find it challenging and educational to do works in each media type.”
“My studio is the place I have the most fun in life,” said painter Nancy McGuire who works in acrylic, oil and watercolor. She converted her home's dining room into her studio.
“There is enough space in the dining room for a table, easels and storage,” she said, “plus it has north light, the preferred light.”
Visitors will see this unique space, a plethora of her paintings, plus her current works-in-progress.
McGuire draws inspiration from attending galleries, art shows, looking through art magazines, enjoying the beauty of nature and taking art classes. Visitors will see her work displayed in other areas of the house as well.
“Besides in the studio there are paintings in the living room, hallway, bathroom and laundry room. Most of these are for sale,” she said. “A couple of them I couldn't part with.”
For watercolor painter Fatima Figueiredo, her studio is her workplace and the location of her library.
“I teach there, I paint, read my books.”
Figueiredo uses her basement as her studio.
“I have plenty of space, good light and can leave the mess down there. It is a quiet place in the house.”
In addition to the tools of the trade, visitors will see CD players and iPods in the studios, as music is a source of inspiration for the artists as well.
“I change the music depending on the feeling of the moment as the work progresses,” Marble said. “Sometimes I will play the same CD throughout the painting to completion because it seems to carry the flow of the picture.”
The fun doesn't end when the tour ends, however. The Greater Geneva Art Guild will host its second annual Arty Party from 4 to 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 4, at the Geneva Golf Club, 831 South St.
“It's an opportunity to get to know the artists and a fundraiser for the guild and Geneva Cultural Arts Commission,” Ochsner said.
Included in the $25 ticket price are light refreshments, live music, a silent auction and raffle featuring the works of member artists.
For more information, visit genevaartguild.com.
If you go
What: Second annual Greater Geneva Art Guild Studio Tour
When: 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 26; 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 27 and noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 28
Where: Various artists studios around Geneva
Cost: $10 (includes map of studios and artist list, plus $10 coupon that can be used toward purchase of art the weekend of the tour)
Tickets: Tickets are available at Geneva Ace Hardware, Circa, Gallery 28, Crystal Life, The Art Box and Down to Earth Pottery/Needles and Things and on the art guild's website, <a href="http://www.genevaartguild.com">www.genevaartguild.com</a>.