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Letter to the editor

Enjoy a brush with creativity

Studio hoppers, start your engines. Pick up a map and "waltz" forth Saturday.

By TERRI BRYCE REEVES, Times Correspondent
Published October 5, 2007

It's a dance anyone can do: the Studio Waltz.

No ballroom costumes required - just casual clothes, a bit of sunscreen, maybe a hat. You just hop in your car and go for a spin.

From 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, artists from Clearwater, Oldsmar and Dunedin will open their studio doors for the 15th annual Studio Waltz, a free, self-guided tour.

The artists plan to talk about their craft and sell artwork. Some will demonstrate lampworking, printmaking, papermaking and other techniques.

"If you've ever wondered how art is created, this is a way to look inside the personal space of artists and learn how the creative process works," said Susan Rollins Gehring, one of the participating artists.

This year, the Clearwater Main Library, 100 N Osceola Ave., serves as a central hub where waltzers can pick up a map, watch "plein air" artists at work and preview art on the studio tour.

Maps are also available at other Clearwater libraries, the Dunedin Library, the Dunedin Fine Art Center, the Painted Fish Gallery in downtown Dunedin, and at the Clearwater, Clearwater Beach and Dunedin chambers of commerce.

This year, Clearwater's cultural affairs division is helping to sponsor the event.

Participants will meet artists who specialize in jewelrymaking, photography, painting, printmaking, etchings, mosaics, furniture-painting, dollmaking, bead lampworking and sculpting.

One of the artists is Robin Popp, 42, who teaches oil painting at the Gulf Coast Museum of Art.

Among her favorite subjects?

Crows.

Yes, those black birds often portrayed in movies and books as nasty, noisy birds that eat dead things and give evil looks.

Not so, says Popp, who has studied them extensively.

"They are the most intelligent birds of all. When you watch them, you can almost see them thinking," she said.

"They are a lot like people. They have funerals where they gather and mourn the loss of their comrades. They hold council meetings. They even have a language."

Popp never paints crows black, only shades of vibrant purples and blues. Her fiery backgrounds show through their bodies to highlight their delicate nature.

"Crows are full of attitude, yet so fragile," she said. "I really try to put that attitude in my work."

If you go

15th annual Studio Waltz

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday

Featured artists:

Artists at Clearwater Main Library, 100 N Osceola Ave. (727) 562-4970

Gareth Whitehurst, Whitehurst Gold and Silversmiths custom jewelry, 1433 S Fort Harrison, Clearwater. (727) 441-4185.

Ric Savid, photography, 1457 Satsuma St., Clearwater. (727) 442-5501.

Dave Ewart, portrait and landscape photography, 1891-D Drew St., Clearwater. (727) 441-4249.

Robin Popp, acrylic and oil painting, 310 Patricia Ave., Clearwater. (727) 442-6242.

Beth Warmath, acrylic on wood & canvas, 1024 Nokomis St., Clearwater. (727) 642-1141.

Susan Rollins Gehring, linoleum prints, etchings, monoprints and paintings, 217 Aberdeen St., Dunedin. (727) 736-2466.

Imago Group at Trailside,various artists and media, 464 Douglas Ave., Dunedin. (727) 733-5607.

Ernest C. Simmons, acrylic wildlife paintings on linen panel, 602 Douglas Ave., Dunedin. (727) 738-0161.

Carol Sackman & Blake White, mosaics, painted objects & furniture, art dolls, mixed media, 1524 Alamo Lane, Dunedin. (727) 736-4036.

Connie Parkinson, lampworked glass beads, 639 Michigan Blvd., No. 200; Dunedin. (727) 736-2976.

Barbara Grazul Hubbard, hand colored linoleum prints, etchings and print collages, 1802 Harvard Ave., Dunedin. (727) 734-5663.

Diane Borden Jones, Lee Jones and Luis Arturo Ruiz Contreras, handmade papers, copper sculpture, linoleum cuts for printmaking, miniature sculptures, Jones Studios, 3839 Shore Blvd., Oldsmar. (813) 855-5558.

[Last modified October 4, 2007, 22:11:57]