Placer Artists Tour showcases local artists in more than 60 locations

Get ready! The 29th annual Placer Artists Tour, the largest and longest-standing visual art tour in our region, is coming up. This free open studios tour features more than 100 artists, six galleries and seven art and music schools in Placer County. The tour takes place on Veterans Day weekend, Friday through Sunday, November 11-13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. This year, we have added an encore weekend – Nov. 18-20 – to give you time to visit more artists. The tour is a rare opportunity to see talented local artists working in their studio environment, and is a fun and educational event for the whole family. The tour is divided into six regions this year: Lincoln, Roseville/Rocklin, Granite Bay, Loomis/Newcastle/Penryn, Auburn and Meadow Vista/Colfax. Within the Auburn region, there are 34 artists showing in 22 locations, so you will want to spend some time planning your tour weekends. The Arts Directory & Tour Guides are available at Auburn Old Town Gallery, Persimmon Gallery and Visit Placer's Welcome Center on High St. in Auburn, as well as other locations around town. With listings for all artists, galleries and art schools, first and second weekend designations and a regional map, it's a great planning tool. In addition to the Arts Directory & Tour Guide, you may delve deeper by visiting the PlacerArtistsTour.org website. Here, you can explore the online Arts Directory year-round, with more photos and an artist statement from each participating artist, gallery and art school. To answer a common question, our Arts Directory now indicates if artists teach adults and/or children and what mediums they teach. The website also has an interactive map that will help you find locations using your mobile device while on tour, along with an event calendar listing all tour-related events. You may also pre-register for the tour to be eligible to win prizes, including Art Bucks that may be used to purchase art from tour artists. Also new to the tour this year are more than 20 "Dine & Drink" sponsors. Please consult the Arts Directory & Tour Guide and the website to find these great locations to keep your energy up during the tour weekends. Many tour goers have favorite artists they visit every year, excited to see their latest work. Many also search out artists new to the tour and are interested in exploring favorite mediums and learning about unique techniques. There are seven new Auburn artists on the 2022 tour: Elizabeth McComb, textiles and wearable art, #43, showing both weekends; Marcy Mignone, painting, #58, first weekend only; Dirk Dusharme, photography & digital art, #54A, showing both weekends; Monica Wilson, encaustic and photography, #49, first weekend only; Gay Jegers, collage, mixed media and painting, #39, first weekend only; Simon Addyman, painting, #60A and Carol Black-Addyman, drawing, printmaking and paper, #60B, showing together both weekends. Many of the artists will demonstrate their techniques and all will freely answer questions about their art forms. Attendees may purchase original art, prints or art cards directly from the artists. There are two more events to help your planning. The Placer Artists Tour preview show, "Taste of the Tour," will be on exhibit from Nov. 4-20 at Blue Line Arts in Roseville, the most prominent visual arts gallery in Placer County. The "Taste of the Tour" reception with small bites, wine and beer provided by our sponsors is at Blue Line Arts from 5-8 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5. Please watch for several more upcoming articles in the Auburn Journal about the tour. We hope you enjoy exploring Placer County's backroads as you make new, magical art discoveries.