Artistic impressions
Taos Studio Tour to feature 19 artists’ creative spaces
For art lovers and anyone who despairs of the quarantine, the Taos Studio Tour will open 19 studios this Labor Day weekend.
Everyone must wear a mask, and artists are limiting visitors to three or four at a time, Taos Artist Organization member Sarah Bush said.
“We’re following all the state mandates for observing social distancing,” she explained. “Many artists will have seating outside with seats six feet apart.”
The artwork on view includes painting, mixed-media, mosaics, jewelry, pottery, textiles, sculpture, pastels and more in styles ranging from plein air (outdoor) realism to abstraction and contemporary works. The tour is free.
“We decide we could do it if we follow the rules,” Bush said.
Some artists declined to participate because they were uncomfortable showing their work during a pandemic, she said. Last year’s tour featured from 35-40 studios. The artists are calling the 2020 version “The Jewel Box Tour” because of the smaller size. Some will offer miniature “swag bags” of refreshments.
The preview party will be virtual at 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 4, because large public gatherings are banned. From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 5, the artists will open their studios the way that small businesses and boutiques have opened during the pandemic. The studios will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. through Monday, Sept. 7.
To register, visit taosartistorg. org. A tour map is also available. Each studio will display a tour flag for easy recognition.
An artist herself, Bush moved to Taos from New Jersey two years ago. Visitors to her studio will see her work “What Hope Looks Like,” a mixed-media piece on aluminum.
“I make drawings and collage and I scan them,” she said. “And then I digitize them and make them new on the computer.”
She infuses the results in metal, then adds shellac. She paints and draws on them, often in gold leaf.
“On that one, there’s mica flakes as well as gold leaf,” she said. “A lot of my work is about transformation. I express that transformation in imagery. To me, that means hope.”
The tour also includes “Canyon in July,” an oil painting of the Taos Gorge, by Albuquerque artist Krysteen Waszak.
“She has quite a following,” Bush said.
This year marks the tour’s “10th or 12th year,” she added, “Nobody can remember.”
“There might be some pentup shopping desires out there,” Bush said. “We’ll hopefully raise a toast to everyone with art and healthiness.”