Connect with 30 artists in 23 studio locations participating from Hobe Sound to Jensen Beach, Florida, during the 3rd Annual Martin County Open Studio Tour. The weekend event is a free self-guided tour allowing visitors to meet and talk with artists in their studio work spaces, view new artwork, and purchase directly from the artists. Some studios are hosting other artists and some will have demonstrations.
Some of the notables include sculptor Geoffrey Smith, nationally known for his wildlife bronzes. His work has been presented to President George Bush and to the Vatican.
Another notable is Lynne Barletta of Visionary School of the Arts, which fills in the gaps of art education in local schools. Barletta is a painter and also the founder of Catch the Wave of Hope, whose aim is to bring awareness, healing, and action to abolish human trafficking. She has received national notice for her work.
Textile artist Suzanne Connors heads the Martin Artisan Guild, a group of local professional artists. Connors works with fabrics hand-dyed with indigo or natural dye and teaches workshops in Shibori, as well as several other techniques, around the country and in her waterfront studio in the Stuart – Port Salerno (FL) area.
Artist Chris Kling paints portraits, figuratives, and landscapes, and teaches oil portraiture at the Lighthouse Museum and Art Center (Tequesta). Kling and her family recently opened Kling Gallery, Wine & Décor. “Being an artist is not just my career,” Kling says. “It is an integral part of who I am and is something that I am compelled to do. My work reflects my interest in boats, water, nature, and the human figure . . . Painting, to me, is reaching out to find the common emotional connection between all of us and life around us.”
The 3rd Annual Martin County Open Studio Tour takes place January 20–22, 2019. For more information, visit https://mcost.org.
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