Arts & Entertainment

ARTsee Tour Provides Open Door into Creative Process of Somerset Hills Artists

A close-up view of art for sale, and tour of real artists' studios is becoming an annual ritual for some.

This Saturday and Sunday, those who had picked up maps — or may have just noticed the bright ARTsee signs with balloons attached around Bernardsville and Basking Ridge — were treated to the third annual ARTsee tour of the studios of some of the thriving artists who live and/or work in the area.

"There will definitely be a fourth year as our 'artist family' keeps growing and evolving into an even more amazing group of professionals," said Kristina Lloyd of Basking Ridge, who said she alone had 133 visitors sign in at her home studio during open hours.

On Sunday evening, she said that the 20 participating artists all had not turned in their paperwork but she expected that the numbers of visitors over the duration of the two-day tour was likely similar to last year's 500 people who stopped along the stops of the tour.

The tour works much as do local garden tours, with maps given out and also provided online for downloading, in order for participants to travel from studio to studio. Some artists without studio space displayed their paintings, photos and other pieces at Bernards Township's Farmstead Arts off King George Road.

One of the new artists this year was Bruce Rice of Basking Ridge, who displayed many of his "surrealistic expressionism — or expressionist surrealism" paintings, on the walls of his garage of his Old Coach Road home.

Rice said he and his wife, Myong, work in commercial real estate, although he has always loved to paint. He lists Max Ernst as an influence.

Bernardsville artists on the tour route included: Susan Berry, Brigid Glynn-Young, Patrick Healy, Gail Mardfin, and Mark Thompson.

Basking Ridge artists to be displayed included Alex Bigatti, Vicky Knowles, Susanna Kopchains, Kristina Lloyd, Beth Murphy, Caren Frost Olmsted, Bruce Rice, Mahvash Saba, Anjali Shalit, and Anna Vranckx. 

Artists whose work was on display at the Farmstead Arts included Joanne Devine (from Elizabeth), Anthony Galati (Stanhope), Laurine Gilbert (Bernardsville), Anita McKenna-Murphy (New Vernon), and Frank Pietrucha (Basking Ridge).

To be included on the tour, artists must live or work in Basking Ridge or Bernardsville. Devine, from Elizabeth, said she is employed at the Veterans Administration New Jersey Health Care System in the Lyons section of Bernards Township.

Those studios contain works in progress, demonstrations, and finished artworks available for purchase. New artists have been added to the tour this year, said a release from the organizers of the tour.

With studios located is picturesque areas of Bernardsville and Bernards Township, the free, self-paced tour is the perfect way for visitors to spend a leisurely early autumn weekend — and some people have put the tour on their annual calendars, say the organizers.

No reservations are required and the studio tourists can just show up and enjoy, either or both days, rain or shine.

Many comments referenced how ARTsee is filling a void in by offering hands-on, close-up view of the creative experience. 

“We heard consistent feedback from visitors who praised the high quality and diversity of the art work,” tour co-founders Caren Frost Olmsted, of Basking Ridge, and Gail Mardfin of Bernardsville reported in an earlier release.

"There is something very special about the tour in that talented individuals are opening their homes to observers to become a part of their artistic process," said Lloyd.


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