This past weekend was the first annual Yakima Artist's Studio Tour. My house was one of 7 on the tour. I've been advertising it heavily here and on social media for the last few weeks.
sculpture set up above and around the small photo booth in my studio
The event went fairly well, considering the smoke and the covid and this being the first year. I had about 100 people come through over 3 days. That estimate is pretty rough, since we didn't start counting until 1:30 on Saturday. We tried to just reconstruct who had been here during the busy midday.
Dezignosaur display for my daughter and her friends
This was the first year of what we plan to make an annual event. There was some confusion from some visitors about whether this was the same or different from the event Larson Gallery used to do, the Tour of Artist's Homes and Studios, which I participated in way back in 2013, but I think that confusion had little impact on whether folks wanted to attend. It was interesting to listen to people describe the Larson Gallery's Tour. One person was complaining that it was always the same artists; I think they may have been thinking of June Art Fest.
Face bulbs, new work as of May 2021
As I type this, I realize that these three events seems very different in my mind (different times, locations, prices and artists), but they probably seem pretty similar to someone who isn't focused on the differences. Probably a bit like how I view all the wine/beer related events around here that I never attend. I don't spend much time thinking about the difference between Fresh Hop Ale and Spring Barrel events--and couldn't tell you off-hand when or where either event would be.
the Dezignosaur girls finishing their last pieces the night before the show
Besides being the first year of the show, this year's tour was challenged by the spike in COVID cases and the smoky weather from the forest fires. We're hoping at least one of these situations will be changed next year. Though I also realize that exactly one year ago we were talking about how "next year" we'll certainly be through with COVID.
masking and covid, we're all getting tired of it
We had a fairly steady stream of visitors to the studio all day on Saturday. I only knew a few people, but everyone was pleasant and almost everyone knew how to wear a mask.
is this how we wear masks? no?
I posted a sign, but the vast majority of people came wearing masks already or had them ready to put on. I think one person forgot and we gave them a mask.
the sign for masking in my studio
On Sunday people came in bursts. For a long time at the start no one showed up. It was lovely weather outside, so I read my book in the shade in the yard. But then a bunch of people came all at once. Sunday's attendance was like that all day, lulls followed by bursts where there were so many people I could barely talk to them all.
Monday was a short day, just 10-12, but I think it was nice to give people a chance to get to a studio they missed or revisit one to buy something they liked the first day. We didn't have many people on Monday, but those who came mostly bought something, which was nice.
sad, tired face mug
Honestly one of the nice things about this year's inaugural show was that it forced me to thoroughly clean my studio and unpack or uncover some work that had been put away after a show or during our renovations.
face bulbs, new as of May 2021
I had never gotten a chance to display this set of face bulbs, even though I had fired them in early May. I didn't have a wall available for taking photos. For this show I got down my temporary walls from a show at Yakima Maker's Space in 2017. I was able to display wall work without hammering into my new drywall and I was able to cover up my clay storage with the temporary wall.
my portable bulb wall blocks my clay storage (and hangs on my drawers)
The temporary wall in the studio hung over the front edge of the drawers on my main work table. The other hung over the fence. Both of them have cleats in the back that were a very nice fit for this setup and easy to move and hang.
second portable bulb wall on the fence
People generally didn't want to walk all the way across the lawn to see the one hanging on the fence, so next time I might have to set up some sort of path or enticement to walk over there.
signage directing people away from the front door
Since my whole house wasn't open, I had set up signs and a path of lawn sticks and balloons in the side yard to guide people from the sidewalk along the side yard to the studio entrance.
balloon and stick path
I lined the walkway with balloons, which mostly meant that we spent the entire weekend listening to balloons pop in the sun. In person (though not in photographs), the lawn sticks and sculptures made it pretty clear where the pathway was and the balloons were probably unnecessary except for the kids.
sculpture lined path to the studio
It was nice to see my studio totally clean. In fact, one day I was talking to a man for 10 minutes when he asked to see my studio. He was standing next to my wheel. Apparently the studio looked so clean and unused that it wasn't even recognizable as such.
finished work on display on my ware shelves and wheel
I also like how colorful the studio is with all the work on display. Now, the next day, the studio doesn't look so much like a showroom or gallery. I started putting stuff away so that I'll eventually be able to use the space again. I have a list of things I want to work on, once I get time. Classes start in two weeks, and I need to get ready, but cleaning and taking work out and setting up for the show reminded me of a number of projects I want to work on, finish, try out, redo, or explore.
Video tour of the studio tour this past weekend (no audio)
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