Wood carvings by Mark Paul (Photo provided)

SARANAC LAKE — The arts community in the Saranac Lake region is alive, healthy, vibrant and visible.

This June ushers in another season of Adirondack arts showcased in various venues throughout the greater Saranac Lake Region to residents and tourists alike.

In 2017, Saranac Lake ArtWorks introduced a new way to experience artists’ studio tours in the greater Saranac Lake community by offering six weekends of open studios the last weekend of every month from June through November.

Studio tours offer a unique opportunity to meet area artists and see their work or see artists at work in an intimate setting. With such a large population of artists in the greater Saranac Lake region, it is nearly impossible to do the whole tour in a single weekend. By opening the tours up to a six-month schedule, folks can take their time and have a leisurely experience with artists in one area, then travel to a different artist cluster for another weekend later in the summer or fall.

The tours are all self guided and open to the public.

The first of the six-month series of tours begins on Friday, June 29 and runs through Sunday, July 1 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Not all participating artists keep the same hours or are open on the same days but there are tour maps available listing this information and phone numbers available for confirming directly with artists.

Each month, different artists may be participating in different parts of the Greater Saranac Lake Region. In addition to printed maps, tour schedules may also be found on the ArtWorks website at www.saranaclakeartworks.com.

Each artist studio offers a unique experience and provides new insight into a particular artistic method and medium. Artists range from traditional landscape painters to abstract artists, to blacksmiths and textile artists. There is a wide variety from which to choose on any given weekend of the tour.

Weekend one of the 2018 season includes 14 galleries and/or private studios throughout the area:

-Adirondack Artists Guild — artists working in various mediums

-BluSeed Studios-studio and gallery open for touring and demonstrations

-Marie Cogar — demonstrates designing, cutting and creating fused glass art

-Russ Defonce — Adirondack rustic furniture building

-Tim Fortune – watercolor and oil painting

-Sandra Hildreth – plein air painting demonstrations and paintings on display in her private studio

-Cathy Hohmeyer at The Lodge at Lake Clear — “living museum” that highlights traditional food and “Great Camp” traditions. Cooking demonstrations and tours

-Brenda Hollis – functional pottery and jewelry made from pottery

-Stephen Horne – oil and acrylic landscape paintings, pastel drawings, and giclee prints

-Anne Hughes – Adirondack art created from found objects

-Mark Kurtz Photography — black and white darkroom printing and digital photography printing

-Mountain Farm Studios — wood carvings by Mark Paul

-NorthWind Fine Arts — various member artists will share their artistic processes in painting, pastels, jewelry, digital photography, more

-Train Brook Forge – manipulation of metal

Tour maps are available at participating galleries and other key venues in the village of Saranac Lake.

This project is made possible, in part, by the Essex County Arts Council’s Cultural Assistance Program Grant with funding provided by Essex County.

Saranac Lake ArtWorks is a program in partnership with BluSeed Studios.

For more information, call 518-891-3799 or email: admin@bluseedstudios.org.