Monday, May 10, 2010

Getting Ready for Open Studios


Open Studios is always a joyful experience...meeting and talking with people who have come to see where we artists create our work...a glimpse into the private world of a producing artist...an opportunity to see work in progress as well as finished pieces of art. That's what it's all about.

But before Open Studios happens, artists need to get their studios ready for visitors. For some totally organized artists, that is simple...just straighten a few things, plan refreshments and put the Open Studios signs up.

For others of us, getting ready for Open Studios is a major undertaking. For me, it begins just after taxes are finished...when I start saying "I have to get ready for Open Studios". But the days fly by and the end of April, I realize that time is getting short, and I need to fit "getting ready" into my already overcrowded schedule.

I have a pretty big yard, neglected all winter...that needs to have a spring (now that the weather isn't so cold) grooming. The windows want to be washed. And the clutter of paintings, frames, supplies, unfinished projects, etc...need to be dealt with somehow. Invitations have to be designed, printed and mailed. So May is the month to focus on creating order out of chaos, preparing for the exciting weekends in June when I will share my studio, my work and my lifestyle with visitors.

No, people who visit my studio won't find a perfect environment. Try as i might, I won't be able to magically turn my place into an advertisement for House Beautiful. But the folks who visit me will see what an artist's studio really looks like... paintings not yet finished, completed works, brushes and canvases and paints and art books and all the stuff that makes my studio what it is. They can also walk around my yard, check out whatever is blooming in June and relax for a bit in a lawn chair and enjoy some refreshments.

Most of all, I want people to feel welcomed to my studio, enjoy their visit and leave with a greater appreciation of what we artists do to create our work. That's what makes it all worthwhile.

- Julia Bednar, NCOS Participating Artist #39
Julia will open her Eureka studio for both Weekend 1 & Weekend 2

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