A splash of colors strikes you at first glance when walking into painter Frank Owen’s studio in Keene Valley.

Owen’s home and studio was just one of many stops along the first annual AuSable River Valley Studio Tour held this weekend in the communities of Keene, Keene Valley, Upper Jay, Jay, Wilmington and AuSable Forks. The self-guided tour gave art enthusiasts the chance to buy artwork, meet and speak with local artists. About 25 studios participated in the tour.

Saturday afternoon in Owen’s studio, there was a group of about six people at one point. Some were neighbors who were taking the tour, and others were from far away who traveled to see it.

“I’m astonished,” Owen said. “There’s been a lot of people coming by.”

Owen described his creative process, his unique painting style and how he creates several pieces of work at the same time.

Alexi Worth, a painter from Brooklyn, visited during the studio tour Saturday. He is a big fan of Owen and is the owner of one of his paintings.

“There’s been a history of art here that goes back to the 19th century, but people don’t realize there is real contemporary art, too,” Worth said.

Owen, who paints abstract art, said he believes the event was a good idea.

“I think all these Adirondack communities, but certainly Keene, Keene Valley, has a long history of attracting artists,” he said.

Martha Corscaden, the owner of the Art Barn in Keene Valley, said the tour has brought people from all over and has been good for the community.

“This is kind of a new revival of the tour,” Corscaden said. “The arts have always been big in Keene Valley.”

The studio tour started with an opening reception Friday at the Jay House. It was held in conjunction with the opening of Norte Maar’s second annual Jay Invitational of Clay, which, according to the group’s website, included “a weekend of programs and demonstrations including Raku firings, pit firings and alternative firing techniques conducted by the North Country Potters Guild.”

Cheri Cross, the owner of the Jay Craft Center and one of several organizers of the AuSable River Valley Studio Tour, said there has been a history of similar tours in the past. They were held in the 1990s and into the 2000s in Jay, encompassing a smaller geographic area. For a period of time, the Jay artists connected with Saranac Lake artists for a studio tour.

“Geographically, it’s pretty hard to cover Saranac Lake and beyond and then, in this area, Jay, Wilmington and others,” Cross said.

Cross said there was a craving from the art community to bring the idea back. The AuSable River Valley Studio Tour was organized by several artists who mostly self-funded the project. Cross said she hopes the group can find a grant to cover the costs next year.

“I’ve been pleased at the volume of people we had,” she said. “It is a great opportunity to meet creative people in the area, and there is a lot of creative energy in the Adirondacks.”