Wednesday, May 29, 2013

15th Annual North Coast Open Studios Starts This Weekend



Open Studios Will Run Two Weekends: June 1-2 & June 8-9, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Have you ever wondered what goes on in an artist’s studio? Have you questioned how they create the pieces you see hanging in a gallery? Here’s your chance to find out. The Fifteenth Annual North Coast Open Studios (NCOS) will take place over two weekends, Saturday and Sunday, June 1-2 and 8-9, 2013 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.  This is your chance to meet the artists firsthand... explore types of work that are both familiar and new to you... and purchase work directly from the artists!

NCOS give you a unique opportunity to visit the places where art is made as Humboldt County artists open their studios and their creative process to you. Here’s your chance to see art in action, ask questions of your favorite artist, and see what techniques, tools and inspiration go into making art.

Visitors to North Coast Open Studios will be treated to displays of art in both traditional and non-traditional spaces throughout Humboldt County. During this free showcase for the arts, mid-career and emerging artists working across a broad spectrum of fine art styles and craft media – including painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, glass, fiber, jewelry, furniture and ceramics – will display and sell their work to the public.

There will be more than 100 artists, businesses and galleries participating, including favorite artists from past years and artists that are new to Open Studios. In fact, more than 20 of the artists on the tour are brand new this year! The guidebook has complete informatith issue of the North Coast Journal, at the Ink People Center for the Arts, and in many arts friendly venues throughout Humboldt County. Or, you can view the guide online at www.northcoastopenstudios.com.
on about each participating artist, including an image of their work, their contact information and address (with a handy map), their open weekend, and much more. You can find the 2013 North Coast Open Studios Guidebook in the May 30

For more information, contact Taffy Stockton, NCOS Coordinator by email at contact@northcoastopenstudios.com, or by calling (707) 834-6460.

5 Women Artists Join to Show Their Work at Samoa Women’s Club During North Coast Open Studios



For the first time, five local women artists will join forces to show their diverse art and demonstrate their tools and techniques at the historic Samoa Women’s Club during the first weekend of North Coast Open Studios.

The Samoa event will run for one weekend only, Saturday and Sunday June 1 and 2 from 11 am to 5 pm. Participating artists include silk painter Tina Gleave, beeswax collage artist Gigi Floyd, fiber artist Cindy Shaw, ceramic artist Marty Flora, and Japanese ink painter Annette Makino.

During this free, family-friendly event, the artists will demonstrate their artistic techniques. Makino will grind a sumi ink stick in a traditional Japanese ink stone and show how to paint with bamboo brushes on rice paper. Floyd will have the tools and supplies that she uses to create both her collages and block prints, and will be happy to explain each process. Gleave will demonstrate silk painting without resist lines, while Shaw will share her deconstructed silkscreen process of placing textures under the screen, such as leaves, and transferring it onto paper.

Free refreshments will be served. In addition to original art, there will be haiku greeting cards, prints, handmade books, fabric-covered boxes and tee shirts for sale.

The historic Samoa Women’s Club, which looks right out onto the dunes, is rarely open to the public. The house is located between Arcata and Eureka at 115 Rideout Avenue in Samoa, a four-minute drive from the Samoa Bridge.

Directions are as follows: From Samoa Boulevard, turn left onto Cookhouse Road. Turn right onto Vance Avenue, and then take the first right onto Rideout Avenue.

For more about North Coast Open Studios visit their website at www.northcoastopenstudios.com, or call (707) 834-6460.

Ceramic plate by Marty Flora.

Handmade book by Cindy Shaw.



Queen of Cups, melted beeswax collage by Gigi Floyd.

True Colors, silk painting by Tina Gleave.

Summer Solstice, Japanese Ink Painting and Haiku by Annette Makino.

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

North Coast Open Studios Artists Group Show in Fortuna


During the first two weekends of June, more than 150 Humboldt  County artists will open their studio doors to share their work and inspirations with the public. Studios will be open Saturday and Sunday, June 1-2 and 8-9th, 11 a.m. until 5 p.m.

This is a wonderful time to talk with artists, see their work in a wide variety of media, and purchase art for your home or business. For a comprehensive listing pick up a copy of The Open Studios Guidebook, which has artist studio locations and maps.

Participating Fortuna artists will show their work in a group show at the new MGC from May 13th through June 12th. The MGC will be a part of Fortuna's First Friday Art Night on the evening of Friday, June 7th, 6-8 p.m. Artists include Monica Schill, Willa Briggs, Jennifer Mackey, Susan Cooper, Teresa Saluzzo, Martha Giotes, and  Elaine Gredassoff. The Eel River Valley Multigenerational Center (MGC) is located behind the St. Joseph Parish Activity Center at 2280 Newburg Rd., Fortuna.


Ginko, silk painting by Susan Cooper.

Blue Vines Vase by Martha Giotes of Martha's Pottery.



Harvest by Teresa Saluzzo of Winding Rose Studio.


Encased in Concrete, mosaic by Monica Schill.
Textile by Jennifer Mackey.

For more information, see: www.northcoastopenstudios.com and www.ervmgc.com.