Sarasota Visual Artist Studios opens art studios to the public

Tom Stephens has always been drawn to artists’ studios. As a kid, flipping through art books, some of the images that fascinated him most weren’t those of the actual featured works of art.

The ones he found most captivating were those that showed the artists in their respective work environments. The photos, showing tools, half-finished pieces and delightfully disorganized clutter, peeled back a layer of the mystery surrounding how art was made. Seeing this, he says, offered something a finished piece of art couldn’t — a look into the creative process.

The local acrylic and oil painter and Ringling College of Art and Design alumnus grew up visiting his grandfather in his studio. A lure-maker and fly-tyer, his grandfather further opened his eyes to the creative process — an impact he says helped steer him toward a career in art.

Today, the attraction still exists. Scrolling through Instagram, he says he can’t help but stop when he sees an artist post a photo of his or her studio.

So when Andrea Dasha Reich approached him with Sarasota Visual Artist Studios, an artists’ collaboration she was developing, he knew he wanted to be involved.

The collaboration, which launches Jan. 7, features 10 established local visual artists in a variety of mediums, who will open their studios weekly for public visits. Each first Saturday of the month through April, visitors can stop by  the participating artists’ studios  for a glimpse behind the artistic scenes.

Reich, an internationally known artist who works in epoxy resin, says she founded the group this fall in hopes of creating a more communal atmosphere among Sarasota’s visual artists, as well as offering patrons insight into the artists’ lives.

“The visual artists in Sarasota are a treasure to this city,” she says. “There’s a long history of them in this community. Art is an important part of life and society, and we wanted to give people an organized way to come together and build that community locally.”

She reached out to established visual artists in the area, and she says the response was enthusiastic. In addition to Reich, the group now consists of sculptor Jorge Blanco, abstract artist Bill Buchman, metal sculptor Duncan Chamberlain, painter and textile designer Elena De La Ville, sculptor Jack Dowd, painters Tim Jaeger, Joseph Melacon and Tom Stephens and metal sculptor Vicky Randall.

When they open their studio doors, guests will have access to things they never would in a gallery.

“I would never put a half-finished piece of art in a gallery,” says Stephens. “But when you go into an artist’s studio, you’re going to see that. You’ll see things that aren’t finished — things that may never be finished. It’s also where an artist does their experimenting. You get to see the cutting-room floor. That’s really fun.”

It’s also an exciting opportunity for the artists.

“The whole idea behind this initiative is to break down those barriers that artists work behind,” says Bill Buchman. “As a visitor, you get to see how much work goes into this, but also, artists work in such isolation. That’s one of the hardest things about being an artist. So this helps bring everyone together.”

The participating artists vary in style, medium and technique, but they all agree they’re looking forward to connecting with the public in their studios.

“Artists are always looking to make a connection,” says               Stephens. “We’re excited to start a dialogue with the public. They can follow a piece of art from conception all the way to a gallery and feel a connection to it. It’s a simple thing we’re doing — we’re just opening the doors.”