By Lele Galer, Columnist, The Times
Following the tremendous success of the Chester County Studio Tour that is held every Spring, Delaware County now has its very first Delaware County Studio Tour this Saturday October 15th from 10-6PM, and Sunday October 16th from 11-5 PM. The Studio Tours were created by artist Jeff Schaller to promote regional art by presenting a brought variety of original art works by local artists, in the inspiring setting of the artist studio. This weekend, visitors will have the opportunity to visit 17 studios, many of which will also host other visiting artists. Most every artistic medium is represented, including: painting, sculpture, jewelry, photography, clay, glass, paper and fiber. In all, 45 artists will be showing and selling their original art work over this very special weekend for art in Delaware County.
Joe Milligan’s Art Studio.
Visitors are encouraged to design their own self-guided tour of the art studios with the catalogue and map, which can be downloaded from www.DelawareCountyStudioTour.com. Additionally, the printed catalogues will be available at the studios the week of the tour and at local businesses around Delaware County.. You can start with the studio closest to you, or anywhere you like, by using the convenient map and website. All of the artists will be on hand to talk about their work and meet buyers and browsers alike. Whether this is your first time buying art or you are a seasoned collector, this tour has something for everyone, in a wide range of mediums and prices.
Try to get up early to get to your favorite artist studio so that you can purchase the “County Collector” piece. The “County Collector Series”, well-known from the Chester County Studio Tour, is an opportunity to collect an original framed 6” x 6” piece of art for the special pricing of $75. Two-dimensional artists have created an original work of art in a simple and elegant 6” x 6” frame, and three-dimensional artists have also created special pieces for this Collector Series. A photo of each work in this series is included in the event catalogue, and may also be seen currently on the website.
Lacunae by Alan Soffer
One of the great artists in the tour is painter Alan Soffer, who recently has a solo show at Church Street Gallery in West Chester. Alan’s art studio is open to the public at 2 Blackhorn Road in Wallingford, and ceramic artist Mitch Lyons will be at that location as well.
Alan says that he will be showing a very broad range of his work, encaustic paintings, figurative work, ceramics, and more experimental pieces including solar prints.
He says that he “loves doing an open studio show!” and that he “can have all kinds of work from past to present..which I rarely show in galleries.” He explains that his studio “is probably more cluttered than most as it is in constant motion”, but isn’t that part of the fun of a studio tour?! See the artwork, meet the artists, and get a sense of the artistic process, inspiration and fun that goes into creating a piece of art.
Also on the map are 6 of the fine art galleries and art associations in Delaware County. This is an excellent opportunity to check out The Main Line Art Center , The Beauty Art Gallery, Community Art Center, Art on the Avenue of the Stars and the Wayne Art Center. The Main Line Art Center, located at 746 Panmure Road in Haverford, will be exhibiting “Panorama 2016, Enlightened Earth” in October, which “investigates the delicate imbalance of nature, technology, and humanity through photography and digital media.” This show features works by Mark Dorf, Julianna Foster, and Nick Pedersen and curated by new Executive Director Amie Potsic.
The Delaware County Studio Tour was created and organized by artist Jeff Schaller, who is also responsible for the Chester County Studio Tour which is in its 6th year. The studio tour offers an unparalleled opportunity to see the abundance of art in our area, meet the artists, and be inspired.
