By Anne Whirledge-Karp

Special to the Islands’ Weekly

For 15 years, Christa Malay has coordinated the Annual Lopez Island Studio Tour.

“We wanted to open our studio,” said Malay recalling how the tour began with just six artists.

Now forty-six Lopez Island artists will be showing their artwork at 30 studios during the 15th annual tour from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. over Labor Day Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, September 3 and 4.

This will be Malay’s last year as tour coordinator as she is passing the torch to the Lopez Artist Guild. She will continue to participate in the tour as an artist working with pastels, watercolors, etchings, oils, prints and serigraphs.

Over the years Malay has seen up to 60 people at a time watching a piece in progress in her studio or admiring her garden.

Malay said on average more than 250 people will come to check out the various artists from Humphrey Head to Iceberg Point, who will open their studios and offer a unique experience for the public to see how artists create their art.

Many artists will be actively involved with their media in their studios. Steve Hill, a pastel and oil painter said, “I will have at least 3 works-in-progress on easels that I will use to demonstrate various techniques I employ doing pastels, en plein air.”  On the tour you can enjoy a variety of painters whose styles range from representational to abstract.

At Island Fibers’ studio, Debbie Hayward and Maxine Bronstein love to share their enthusiasm for the textile arts and Lopez wool in particular. They explain that visitors will be able to see the whole process from raw fleece to finished blanket, rug, or garment including carding, spinning, weaving and dyeing. The tour is rich with fiber artists this year, producing hand-woven or hand-created wearables, rugs and frame-able textile works.

There are also a number of glass artists on the tour that use a variety of techniques to produce their unique glass pieces. Images that inspire artists on Lopez have been captured by photographers David Svilar and Scott Hatch and can be seen displayed at their studios.  Several new artists will open their studios this year, including Rahman Anderson’s glass blowing and TJ Anderson’s wood art and forms.

From sculpture and fine furniture to jewelry and pressed flowers, this year’s studio tour will have art of interest to all. Brochures are available at the Lopez Chamber of Commerce Office, in the Village, and at studios around the island. For more information go to www.lopezisland.com/studiotour.

– Weekly staff Cali Bagby contributed to this article.