Durango Open Studios Tour and Art Sale set for Oct. 13-14, 20-21

Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio artists to open their studios to the public

Durango, CO – Thirty-three artists from Durango, Bayfield and Ignacio, Colo., will open their studios and invite the public to see their creative spaces the weekends of Oct. 13-14 and 20-21, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. as part of the 4th Annual Durango Open Studios Tour and Art Sale. The event is free to the public, though artists’ work will be available for sale.

“We live in a beautiful part of the country and it is no wonder we have so many visual artists in our region. Many come here and get inspired,” said Denise Leslie, publisher, Arts Perspective magazine, the event’s producer. “The studio tour is an opportunity for the public to meet the artists one-on-one, view their work and learn more about how they go about creating. The creative process is so interesting to watch, and I personally am inspired by the artists’ stories.”

Artists participating in Durango Open Studios (DOS) represent a wide variety of fine arts disciplines, ranging, in example, from the blown glass work of Trefny Dix and Bengt Hokanson to Durango watercolorist Ann Smith, as well as pastel painter Rebecca Koeppen of Ignacio and the fine pottery of Nick Blaisdell. This year DOS will also host its first fashion artist, Sandra Cushman. [Please note, a complete listing of the artists follows this press release.]

“Our Tour Guide and Map is available this year online, so you can plot your routes in the various communities,” said Leslie, noting the guide can also be picked up at the 2012 DOS Headquarters – DurangoSpace (1221 Main Avenue), as well as at the Durango Arts Center and Rochester Hotel & Leland House in Durango, Lavenia McCoy Public Library in Bayfield, Dancing Spirit Gallery in Ignacio and the Visitor Center in Mancos.

The public will have an opportunity to meet all the artists and view a sampling of their work at the Open Doors – A Taster Exhibition of Durango Open Studios, Friday, Oct. 12, 5 to 7 p.m. at DurangoSpace, 1221 Main Ave., Durango. Appetizers, a cash bar and live music by singer/songwriter Robby Overfield are planned.
The DOS artists also enjoyed additional exposure this year during the Durango Parade of Homes event (Oct. 6-7), featured in homes on the tour. DOS artist Jane Mercer’s work was featured on the program cover.

Noted Mercer, “The Durango Open Studios Tour provides us, as artists, an opportunity to connect with the general public one-on-one. I’ve found that people really want to understand our process and how we create art. Plus it’s a great opportunity for us to market our work.”
Further information and details of the various special DOS activities are available on the Durango Open Studios Facebook page or at www.DurangoOpenStudios.com.

Durango Open Studios is part of a series of Open Studio Tours produced throughout the Four Corners region that provide the public a rare opportunity to visit with artists at work in their studios, delivering an insider thrill and unique insight to the creation process. Open Studio Tours is presented by Arts Perspective magazine – a quarterly publication reflecting the diversity of arts in Colorado and west of the Rocky Mountains published by Shared Vision Publishing.

To learn more about Shared Vision Publishing and its activities and services, visit www.sharedvisiononline.com or contact Denise Leslie at 970.403.1590.