Louie

Today and tomorrow are the Whidbey Studio Tour days, and I started my tour with Kathleen Otley, photo above with her willow wall hangings and paintings. I've never been on a tour, so this was a lot of fun. There were over 100 studios to choose from, so it was hard to decide! This was the closest to basketry, so of course I had to start here!

Then I went to Marcy Johnson's studio, which is stunning! It is in her house, recently built, and she designed it so that you enter directly into the studio, where she also teaches weaving classes. She weaves and makes baskets, and owns the Weaving Works store in Seattle.

Next stop was Natalie Olsen, a fiber artist. She is also connected to the Whidbey Weaver's Guild, which I hope to join soon. She weaves, makes silk paper, and does some painting and assemblage. Pretty cool stuff. Her husband, Earl Olsen, is a photographer.

Lunch with Cody.

Then I hit the road again, stopping first at a painter's studio, then woodworker Bruce Launer, who had some incredible pieces. Next was the combined studio of Susanne Newbold and Sandra Whiting. Susanne carves and paints gourds, and Sandra paints on glass, makes monoprints and collages. I had done some design work for them and their friend, so I got to see the completed buildings, too!

Finally I stopped at Susan O'Brien's house, who does a lot of different things. Right now she's buying old wool sweaters, felting them in the washing machine, and re-constructing them into clothing. She also paints in watercolor and oil, and works with glass and metal. She's been a friend since our boys were in grade school together, so it's been very fun to see her progress!

All in all, a great day, and more studios to go to tomorrow!