Editor's pick: Behind the scenes of the creative process

Twenty Wayne County artists open their doors to the public at the WCAA’s Open Studio Tour

WHEN: Friday, July 25 through Sunday, July 27.

WHERE: All over Wayne County, PA.

COST: Free

CONTACT: waynecountyartsalliance.org or 570/253-6850.

WAYNE COUNTY, PA — Private art studios throughout Wayne County will be open to the public from Friday through Sunday this weekend for the Wayne County Arts Alliance’s (WCAA) 2008 Open Studio Tour.

For a sneak preview, visit waynecountyartsalliance.org, where a digital version of the brochure, a PDF, which includes a map of studio locations, may be downloaded. During tour hours, browsers can stop by Central Park Gallery at 914 Church St. in Honesdale to view works by each of the participating artists, and plan out their routes. Full-color copies of the brochure, designed by a WCAA member and local artist Sandy Cundiff, may also be picked up at the WCAA office and at local businesses throughout Wayne County.

Artists included in this year’s tour work with materials that range from ink, fiber, glass, wood, silver, bronze and found objects, to clay, acrylics, oils, gouache, paper and watercolors. Among them are Dan Brinkerhoff, Janet Gaglione, Roger Hill, Heide von Borgwardt, Dorisa Minor, Raymond Rocklin, David Safhay, Johan Sellenraad, Pat Baker Smith, Ted Sokolowski and Olivia Tolson.

Tour participants will discover giant alien flowers, classical puppets, collages, whimsical carvings, free-form sculpture, pop art and painted abstract jewelry. These artists can be conceptual, lyrical, mythical, surreal or downright funny.

But the tour is not only an opportunity to discover the inspiring variety of local art our area hosts; it’s a rare chance to see artists at work in their own workshops and understand more about the creative process and the people behind the creations—and take advantage of studio pricing. To top it off, it’s an excuse to explore the picturesque back roads and byways of rural Wayne County on a summer’s day.

That’s a package that’s hard to beat.