Local artists on display this weekend for Tour of the Arts

Alpine Artisans' annual Tour of the Arts, highlighting artists in the Blackfoot and Seeley-Swan Valleys, is scheduled for Oct. 9 and 10 this year to take advantage of the autumn foliage changes, particularly among the larch.

This year marks the 18th anniversary of the tour, said Jenny Rohrer, program manager for Alpine Artisans, Inc. The event was started by AAI artist Christine Jewett in 2004 and allows local artists to open up their studios to the public and give people a glimpse into the creation of different types of artwork.

"Every year, it's a little different. Artists come and go, so the location of the studios and exactly how many people participate varies. There's usually some new work to be found. It's always really fun to discover the studio locations," said Rohrer, who noted that the backroad drives out to the studios can be beautiful.

The event includes stained glass artists, jewelers, painters, weavers, carvers and more exhibiting their works and processes at eight different locations this year. The tour stretches from Grace's Gallery in Condon through Seeley Lake and Ovando to the Heritage House in Lincoln. Swan Valley Copper in the Swan Valley and Annie Allen Art Studio in Lincoln, which were originally planning to participate in the event, will be closed due to COVID-19 precautions, said Rohrer, adding that AAI highly recommends visitors be masked indoors.

The Swan Valley Museum in Condon and the Brand Bar Museum in Ovando are each featuring three artists as part of the event.

"It's fun when you go to the museums, because not only do you get to see the artists but you get to see the museum," said Rohrer.

The tour strives to showcase the wide variety of artwork created in the Blackfoot and Seeley-Swan Valleys and to show artists at work.

"Before we got involved, it was a great thing to go to Seeley Lake and go around to the different places and see where these people lived. It was amazing," said Lincoln jewelry artist Sally Bogaert, who has shown her own work in the Tour of the Arts for the last few years.

"Swanwoods was good to go to. You could see from beginning to end. That's the kind of thing that's neat. You just get to get a real close feel for the people that are making that stuff," said Bogaert.

In addition to the wide variety of artwork and processes on display at museums and studios, some galleries have opened up their locations for artists and will be hosting demonstrations.

Patti Chamberlin is scheduled to demonstrate her pine needle weavings on Saturday from 1:30-5 p.m. at Gallery 83, which will also highlight the work of more than a dozen local artists. Wood sculptor Will Katz plans to hold demonstrations at the Grizzly Claw Trading Co. on Saturday and Sunday, and chainsaw sculptor Scott Thompson is scheduled to demonstrate bear carving both days at 1 p.m. at Willow Creek Studio. All three locations are in Seeley Lake.

Lincoln acrylic painter Lisa Gibson and fiber artist Tammy Jordan are scheduled to show their work at the Heritage House. Gibson said she's looking forward to connecting with visitors in-person.

"I think this is my fourth year. I haven't done an in-person art show in two years. Most of my work is solitary, and so I love doing art shows just to connect with people and talk and visit. Tour of the Arts is just a fun weekend, and Lincoln has so many wonderful artists," said Gibson, who began drawing and painting about ten years ago. Gibson said she switched to acrylic painting from watercolors to help maintain the vibrancy of color after the paint dried.

"I love color. It's very energizing. I use a lot of watercolor techniques with acrylic. I end up doing a lot of florals. I never considered myself a flower person, but that's just what started coming out when I started doing art," said Gibson, who plans to have several of her larger artworks on display at Tour of the Arts in response to client requests.

Tour brochures are available online at http://www.alpineartisans.org or in Lincoln at the Heritage House and the Lincoln Library.