Celebrating the visual artists among us

Could you imagine a day without seeing visual art? It would be a rather boring day. Art brings understanding, enjoyment, different perspectives and shared connections. Art can be whimsical and make you laugh or it can be provocative and make you reconsider an issue that you didn't think about previously. And visual art can help us understand our history, our culture, our lives and the experience of others, according to the Smithsonian Institution, and can be a source of inspiration, reflection and joy. With scores of artists living and working in Placer County, we could discover new favorite artists every week of the year if we made a dedicated effort to go to galleries and art events. Luckily for us, the annual Placer Artists Studios Tour is almost here, which will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 12 through Nov. 14. A preview will be from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Taste of the Tour Reception at Blue Line Gallery in Roseville and the gallery from Friday to Nov. 14 will display work from each artist. This year's annual Placer Artists Studios Tour is a big deal with 111 artists showing in 66 Placer County artist studios and galleries from Gold Run to Granite Bay. The 28th annual visual arts extravaganza is sponsored by the Placer Artists Tour to showcase, celebrate, educate and support, according to the tour's mission. That's through showcasing the many talented visual artists in Placer County, celebrating visual artists creating works, educating the community and visitors on how artists create their works and supporting artists by providing opportunities to buy art. Genres include ceramics, drawing, encaustic, fiber arts, glass, ink, jewelry, metal, mixed media, painting, photography/digital imaging, printmaking, sculpture, stone and wood. Making the tour even more tempting is that the Placer Artists Studios Tour is free. The tour is divided into eight accessible regions, making it easy to drive to all the eight regions in the tour's three days. The eight regions are Lincoln, Granite Bay, Roseville/Rocklin, Penryn/Loomis, Newcastle, Auburn, Meadow Vista and Colfax/Gold Run. You could make it an art vacation for all ages, without having to travel more than an hour or so away. Families with children are welcome. In fact, the tour organizers encourage families to attend and many artists will have special activities for children. For example, Stargaard Art Studio in Colfax will offer workshops including "Create your own Bookmarks," "Metal Flower Painting" and "Collaborative Mural Painting." And seeing visual art benefits children immeasurably. "Exposure to the visual arts… expands a child's awareness of the world and is a tool that can be used for learning in science, history, math and more," said Robert Frankel, director of museums and visual arts at the National Endowment for the Arts in Washington, D.C. Just as hundreds of visitors each year are interested in the tour, the artists are interested in talking to the visitors. Photography and digital imaging artist Wayne Hopkins is looking forward to his third year in the Placer Artists Studios Tour. "I'm involved because it's a great opportunity to expose (pun certainly intended) my artistic take on the world to a lot of different people," Hopkins said. "I especially enjoy talking with people about my work and learning what their interpretation is." It is an excellent way to see a huge cross-section of art mediums, according to Hopkins, who will share studio space with William Lum and Leonard James at 2316 Mendota Way in west Roseville during the tour. "Bill is an extraordinary and prolific watercolorist and Leonard is an award-winning wildlife photographer. Together, we will have nearly 300 pieces on display," the jovial Hopkins said. "Savvy studio tour vets often make a day or even a weekend of it that includes a fun lunch or dinner into the schedule. Please come see us. I heard a rumor of chocolate as an additional incentive, LOL." Do yourself a favor and stop by the Blue Line Gallery at 405 Vernon St., Suite 100, Roseville the next few weeks for a glimpse of what our local artists offer. Then enjoy the Nov. 12 to Nov. 14 weekend celebrating the talents of our local artists at the studio tour. These neighbors help enrich our lives through their artistic creations.