Blue Coast Artists Annual Studio Tour
Celebrating their 35th year the Blue Coast Artists will be delighting and educating the public with their annual Fall Tour of Studios. Visitors are invited once again to experience the creative process in action on Saturday & Sunday, October 5th & 6th, 2024.
See a piece of pottery form on the potters wheel, or learn how a wood bowl is created on a lathe, watch the inner beauty of a rock appear through the craft of lapidary, experience trees come alive through brushstrokes or see a piece of pottery come out of a kiln fired with wood. These are just a few of the demonstrations that art lovers of all ages are sure to enjoy during the 35th Annual Blue Coast Artists Fall Tour of Studios.
This annual West Michigan autumn event runs from 10AM-6PM both days and is free of charge. Over the last thirty three years the tour has continued to be an educational and interesting experience for all, by offering a behind-the-scenes look into the studios of working artists. The 2024 tour includes nine working artists studios located between South Haven and Saugatuck. Each site features demonstrations, original artwork, refreshments and more.
Unique art abodes and fall color makes this creative experience fun for the whole family. Lunch will be available for purchase en route.
The tour can be completed in one day and a tour map is available at each site or on the web
at: www.bluecoastartists.com The 2024 Blue Coast Artists Fall Tour includes:
1) Zoies Garden & Gallery (73369 2 nd Ave., South Haven) Nancy Rock Endres’ nature-inspired art has been greatly influenced through the development of her backyard jewel, Zoie’s (life’s) Garden. In 2005, it was featured in Midwest Living Magazine as The Healing Garden, and a tour destination for Frederik Meijer Gardens. Zoie’s Garden & Gallery provides a rich retreat for creating brilliant transparent watercolors featuring
nature-inspired art and familiar scenes from the South Haven area.
2) Blue Star Pottery (337 Blue Star Hwy., South Haven) The studio of Mark Williams features handmade stoneware. Bowls, pitchers, casseroles, teapots and platters are embossed with Mark’s elegant textured designs, which he creates by uniquely combining the pottery techniques of textured slab and throwing on the pottery wheel. Mark will open a new kiln load of his work daily on tour weekend.
3) Khnemu Studio LLC (6322 113th Ave., Fennville) Enjoy the fall harvest at this 1890's farm estate, complete with a restored barn which houses a contemporary pottery and fine craft gallery featuring over 20 Michigan ceramic artists. And the solar powered studio of potter Dawn Soltysiak. Dawn and friends will unload the Manibigama wood fired kiln on Saturday, and will demonstrate on the potters wheel on Sunday; also refreshments will be served.
4) The Blue Vieira Studio / Gallery (6787 116 th Ave, Fennville) This studio is housed on the small 1890’s blueberry estate of artist Armando Vieira Pedroso. Armando is a self-taught artist whose work spans the gambit of abstract paintings, metal work and sculpture blocks to his most recent works of “Wide-Open” barn landscapes. Inclusive
with the studio gallery tour, Armando will have his county coastal cottage open to view his art in a home setting surrounded by furniture he has repurposed from local area antique shops. Armando will be on-site discussing his various styles and processes.
5) Blue Star Studio of Wood and Glass (1684 Blue Star Hwy / 68 th St / Adams Rd, Fennville) Artist Barb Hogarth's work includes stained, blown, and fused glass, as well as Shaker boxes, fanbirds, turned wood, veneer work and turned bangle bracelets. She will be demonstrating how to carve a fanbird out of one piece of wood.
6) Stantall Studio (6691 120 th , Fennville) Stantall Studio is home to artist Kathy Stanton. She works in several mediums including oil paints, digital imagery, jewelry, and creations using stones. All mediums involve elements of the Michigan landscape and bringing out the beauty in the world we see around us.
7) Earth Stories Gallery (2742 Blue Star Highway/68th St.) Earth Stories – a unique combination of art gallery, rock and mineral shop and full service lapidary- The studio and gallery of painter and mixed media artist Curtis Lacy. Curtis creates sharply angled hard edge acrylic paintings, as well as deeply colored and textured abstracts. Earth Stories consigns West Michigan artists creating in wood, glass, jewelry and photograph.
8) Brian Newton Studio (2895 63rd Street, Fennville) Artist, Brian Newton, specializing in turning exotic woods from around the world, but also creates beautiful and functional work from personally harvested local hard woods. He also combines materials to create one-of-a kind pendants, rings, pens and a variety of other treasures.
9) Fernwood 1891 (120 E Main St, Fennville) A restored classic brownstone storefront in downtown Fennville is the satellite pottery studio of Khnemu Studio & cooperative studio location of various artists working in a variety of media. Artists will be demonstrating a mix of art forms throughout the weekend. Check out our 2 new large murals on the back patio . Stop in for breakfast or lunch at our adjoining coffee house & café, ROOT.
MISSION: The Blue Coast Artists is a juried group of working studio artists joined together for the
purpose of promoting, creating, educating and enhancing public appreciation of art.
HISTORY: Celebrating their 33rd year in 2022. The group was founded in 1989 by former members Barb
Bare (Foxglove Studios) and Kathy and Jerry Catania (Fiasco Glass & Vesuvius Gallery) who coincidentally
hosted fall open houses on the same weekend. The following year, Mark Williams (Blue Star Pottery)
joined the group and he is still a member today. The late Al Bare coined the name Blue Coast Artists in
the early 1990’s. Their current membership includes eight working studios, galleries and showrooms.
The Blue Coast Artists were the first group in the region to publish a studio guide and to offer hands-on
demonstrations as an educational tool that provides a behind-the-scenes into the studios of working
artists. The demonstrations take place during an annual event known as the Blue Coast Artists’ Annual
Fall Tour of Studios. The tour started as a way to show customers how a work of art was made and
continues to show visitors how work takes shape and to further their understanding of the commitment
it takes to make art. In the mid 1990’s the tour was opened to the general public and has grown to
attract over 2,000 visitors in two days.