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Some clouds early will give way to generally clear conditions overnight. Low 39F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph. Clear Colored Glass Marbles
Laura Arns of Arson Studios.
With so many dimensions found inside this large marble, one is left wondering how on earth Laura Arns created it.
Greg Gilbert's Mickey Mouse pop art collage can be viewed at the Maturango Museum throughout the end of October.
Robert Jennings of ArJay's Creations.
Rossie Calvin of the Holiday Boutique.
Jacques Canot of Roadrunner Wood Art.
Kathy Fields of Sunna Ceramics.
A peak inside the studio of Laura Arns.
Studio goers stopped at Arson Studios to take a peak, and they surely were not disappointed.
Laura Arns of Arson Studios.
With so many dimensions found inside this large marble, one is left wondering how on earth Laura Arns created it.
Greg Gilbert's Mickey Mouse pop art collage can be viewed at the Maturango Museum throughout the end of October.
Robert Jennings of ArJay's Creations.
Rossie Calvin of the Holiday Boutique.
Jacques Canot of Roadrunner Wood Art.
Kathy Fields of Sunna Ceramics.
A peak inside the studio of Laura Arns.
Studio goers stopped at Arson Studios to take a peak, and they surely were not disappointed.
Local artists offered a rare peak inside their studios during the Maturango Museum's annual Open Studio Tour held Saturday and Sunday.
With 23 participating artists, it was not an easy feat to make it by all the featured studios over the weekend. But for those who drove around tour to the different venue sights, it was a remarkable experience.
During the weekend, participating artists opened their doors to their homes and/or studios for the public to take a peek at what they are creating. Some artists were featured in their own environment while others grouped together at selected studios, making the task at hand easier.
So many of the artists are well known to the community, such as Lois Hinman (functional and sculptural pottery, ceramics and oil paintings), Skip Gorman (metal art), Howard Laire (silver and semi-precious stone jewelry, animals and abstract paintings), and Ace! of Minerals Unlimited (wire-wrapped semi-precious stone jewelry). Other artists were first time participants and surely didn't disappoint.
Opting to spend all day Saturday touring studios, the Daily Independent made it by four random stops and viewed the artwork of Rossie Calvin, Robert Jennings, Kathleen Murray, Sally Adams, Birgit Gagliardi, Kathy Fields, Jacques Canot, Laura Arns and Greg Gilbert.
Each artist was unique in their own right. Some, however, offered the eclectic, making this a truly pleasurable experience.
First stop was the Inyokern Chamber of Commerce where Rossie Calvin and Robert Jennings paired up for a personable display.
Calvin is the creator of specialty wreaths and gift baskets. She is also the co-owner of Calvin's House of Dreams featuring collectibles, vintage and antique, and is located at 6553 W. Inyokern Road. She can be reached by calling 793-7276 or 793-1984.
Not to be missed is Calvin's Halloween Wreaths which are not only a great addition to your festive decorations, but her prices are a steal for the quality of her work.
Calvin said she creates her pieces at affordable prices because then everyone can afford them and enjoy her talents. See more of her work at her Inyokern store.
Jennings is the owner of ArJay's Creations and an up and coming artist. He creates metal artwork, custom signs, fire pits, wind spinners, split letter monograms and more.
Jennings has an array of Petroglyph metal figurines as well as so much more. It's not just what he creates, it's how he uses different materials in his pieces that make them so unique.
Creating his pieces for the past two years, Jennings said he selected his pieces for the Open Studio Tour carefully.
His latest creations include shadow boxes featuring safari animals.
"That's what is tripping my hammer right now. Next, I want to include local animals found in the desert in my pieces," Jennings said.
Jennings is located at 6552 Inyokern Road, and can be found breathing life back into the antique store, Lupe's Attic. Stay tuned for an official grand opening, however his pieces can also be viewed on his Facebook page or by calling 377-7313. Ask him about his F Bomb can openers for an affordable stocking stuffer.
A short distance away was Kathleen Murray's studio, the Forest Kat Studio, which she opened up to four other artists who all offered different and unique pieces. She specializes in expressive realism watercolor and acrylic paintings.
Actively painting since 2006, Murray said she started doing art at a young age and picked it back up after retiring.
"I always wanted to live in an old church," Murray said of her studio/home which is adorned with stained glass. "It's very peaceful. It's very me."
Set inside a lovely old church, the renovated studio also serves as her home where she displays and sells her pieces at 6525 Sunset Ave., in Inyokern. She can be reached by calling 719-291-5243. View her artwork at forestkatstudio.com.
Joining Murray was Jacques Canot of Roadrunner Wood Art. He specializes in wood sculptures and light fixtures. He can be reached by calling 793-7800.
Canot also chips his own Petroglyph designs that look like the real deal. His walnut and driftwood pieces are stunning, especially his driftwood mirror he had on display.
He has been creating his pieces for the past six years.
Kathy Fields and Birgit Gagliardi of Sunna Ceramics were also found in the Inyokern studio. Fields specializes in functional and sculptural ceramics, and Gagliardi specializes in ceramic artwork like birdhouses and castles and pumpkins. Fields can be reached by calling 408-9747 and Gagliardi by calling 661-343-2015.
Working in collaboration, Fields and Gagliardi feed off each other while creating their ceramic pieces.
Fields described the process of making her pieces, proving that her artistry is an act of love.
"All ceramics are a long process. We do have a lot of fun," Fields said.
Popular is Gagliardi's gnomes and villages which are reasonably priced and sell out quickly.
Finally, Sally Adams of Iron Buzzard Metalwerkes featured her metal cut-out sculptures and copper jewelry. She can be reached by calling 977-6786.
Adams has been creating her pieces for 10 plus years. It serves as both her passion and her hobby. She leans towards the Petroglyphs and western jewelry pieces.
Making our way back into Ridgecrest, the next stop was to see a live demonstration by glass artist Laura Arns at Arson Studios. Her torch-worked glass beads, sculptures, jewelry and more are visibly stunning. Her glass marbles leave the art lover scratching their head, wondering how so much depth and precision can be found in any single piece.
Arns has been creating her glass pieces for the past 15 years. She said she can't keep her glass candy canes in stock with the holidays coming up.
"I still regularly take classes from some of the master artists from around the country," said Arns.
View her work at arson-studios.com or her Facebook page. She can be reached via email at studios.arson@gmail.com.
A final stop before calling it a day was at the home of Greg Gilbert who uses his residence as his working studio.
Upon entering, one is immediately made aware of the talent that lives within the four walls of that home. His larger than life pop art collage pieces featuring old comic books and life-size western photography is splashed on nearly every wall of his home.
Gilbert uses layers of color while creating his collage pieces, which he says is a labor of love.
"I call it contemporary, vintage, Hollywood pop art," Gilbert said describing his work which, well, you have to see it to believe it.
Gilbert can be reached by calling 375-5547.
It is with great regret that we didn't make it by all the participating artists, including Eileen Shibley (abstract, floral, landscape and ‘wild women’ watercolor paintings.), Nancy Crawford (watercolor and oil paintings), Marcela Everitt (oil and acrylic paintings), Janice Allen (oil, pencil, charcoal and watercolor paintings of realistic animals and landscapes), Debra Newton (oil, watercolor and pastel paintings), Aubrey Phillips (wood sculptures, walking and talking sticks), Mike Mumford (forged-steel artwork including shadow sculptures and decorative items), Larry Sawyer (wood, metal and etched glass decorative and functional artwork), Debbie Benson (ceramic sculptures and functional items, mixed-media found items objects), Nichole Larson (oil paintings of landscapes) and Jerry Bradley (stone, wood, metal and Corian sculptures).
This just gives us more to look forward to in next year's Open Studio Tour.
A sample of all the artists' pieces will continue to be on display at the Maturano Museum in the Coso Room. The museum is open daily from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. In addition, a Retrospective Exhibit featuring the posters of the past 18 years of Open Studio Tours is also on displaying for a peak into the vast talent of past artists.
With the holidays coming, its worth taking a peak at the talent that is found in the Indian Wells Valley before dropping your Christmas dollars on anything other than handmade creations that are out of this world.
For more information, call the Maturango Museum at 375-6900.
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