Yakima Artist Studio Tour Sneak Peek

new face mugs partway through the glazing process

This weekend, September 4, 5 and 6 is the Yakima Artist's Studio Tour featuring my studio and 6 more artist's studios in Yakima. I've been cleaning my studio and firing my last few kiln loads in anticipation of this event. 

The seven studios on the tour feature work by 20 artists, including ceramic artists like myself, painters, sculptors, woodworders, jewelry makers, and more.  I will have my remodeled studio open for folks to see and I will have sculpture and functional pottery for sale. I also have some newly fired face mugs (which people requested at the last event I did this summer).

new face mug: are noses part of the respiratory system?

I plan to keep my studio door and windows open and leave the fan on to encourage air circulation. I will be wearing a mask (either for COVID or for smoke, or both, though I'm hoping it won't be smoky this weekend) and I ask others to also wear their masks inside. I will also have work displayed outside in my yard.

new sculpture: Chartreucat, 2021

I recommend you start the tour at my studio, 203 S. 8th Ave. Mine is the most eastern of the studios, located near Davis High school and Astria/Regional Hospital and seems like a good place to start. Of course I have ulterior motives for having you start with me.

see Artebella Gallery's Tour page for a better view of this map

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for kids and seniors and your ticket gets you into all seven studio for any and all of the three days of the tour. You are welcome to visit studios on more than one day if you like.  My hope is that folks check out the tour on Saturday, then bring all their friends on Sunday ;-)

new work, just after unloading this weekend

You can purchase tickets from me on the day of the tour or beforehand. Since this is our first year, its hard to guess how busy the tour will be. I'm hoping to spend more time talking with visitors about my work than selling tickets, so buying ahead of time is encouraged. Additionally, if you buy from me, half the ticket price goes to me (to offset the costs of being part of the show). If you'd rather support other artists, half the ticket price goes to them if you buy from them.

new scream mug: jade

The Tour is sponsored by Artebella Gallery and Pamela Searcy has been doing and amazing job and the bulk of the work around advertising and coordination of the event. You can access tour info, ticket sales locations, and a map at the Artebella Gallery's Tour page and all the artists have trifold brochures, personalized postcards and booklets with maps and info about each artist. I also have plenty of paper maps of the tour locations at my studio.

new scream mug: sky

If you would like to buy tickets ahead of time, you are welcome to give me a call (509) 654 6487 or email me at rdorn@me.com.  Or you can stop by sometime this week. I am doing some new student advising and some studio cleaning this week, but I should be at home most of the day each day.

new scream mug: jade and red

For me, it's getting to be that time of the year when I slow down in the studio as I get ready for the academic year. I just unloaded a kiln load of mostly screaming face mugs, as well as some bowls and a batch of small vases. 

new bowls

Earlier in the summer I finished some sculpture and I am still hoping to finish a few more items before Saturday if I can fit in time for cleaning, advertising, advising, glazing, and firing.

new sculpture: Vazoom

I'm planning to clean out most of the works in progress and storage from my studio so that the studio can feature all finished work. I'm also hoping to have a discount table for work that's been hanging around a little to long. I'd rather it go to a good home than sit in storage boxes here. 

new stuff: tiny vases and bowls

My daughter and her friends will also be selling jewelry they've made as Dezignosaur. Since sometime in spring, they've been having lots of fun making jewelry from oven bake clay, beach glass, rocks, and felting. For my birthday I got 9 pairs of earrings and they've made a lot more since then. They showed their work at the Fresh Air Art Festival this summer and even have some pieces on display at Oak Hollow Gallery right now.

my felted mask earrings (and a radish earring and part of a fruit earring) by my daughter

I hope you do come see me and my fellow artists this weekend at the Yakima Artist's Studio Tour. The event runs Saturday and Sunday 10-4 and Monday, Labor Day, 10-12. More information here or here.

new mug: scream in jade/red

This is a great opportunity to buy gifts for the coming holiday season. It's a great way to support local makers in your community and also not have to worry about shipping delays. All of our work is one of a kind, so no one else will have gotten the same thing.

new mugs with sprigged textures

Please do contact me if you have questions about the event or want to buy tickets.  I look forward to seeing you all this weekend!