Drive*Buy*Art tour March 8-10 in Foothills

Once a year, Foothills artists throw open their studio doors and invite the public inside to peruse their creations, hear what inspires them and enjoy a little something to nibble.

Meeting artists in an intimate setting mixed with old-fashioned hospitality spell the successful formula behind the ARTrails Studio Tour.

Organizers say it’s one thing for an art lover to stand before a painting in awe. They say it’s a totally different experience to visit that artist’s creative space and hear exactly how the muses inspire and inform their work.

"It’s just so much more personal when you can meet the artist who has created a piece of art that you enjoy," said Linda Calahan, one of the event’s organizers. "It’s not like going into a store and buying art. You actually get to know the artist and can always remember who painted it and what they shared with you when you met. It’s a wonderful experience."

This year’s ARTrails Studio Tour is slated for March 8-10. The colorful path through the Foothills will offer up 21 artist studios, featuring 29 artists (see list below). The event’s slogan is "Drive*Buy*Art."

This marks the seventh year that Mountain Shadows Artists Association has staged the popular event. And every year, it boasts more artists.

"We’re getting too big for our britches!" Calahan quipped. "More people are also following us these days and wanting to know when ARTrails is going to be held again. People are contacting us, wanting to know. It’s great."

Studios will welcome the public from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday-Saturday and from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday.

Unlike in the past, this year’s event will span only a single weekend.

Color brochures with detailed maps are available at Goldsboro Bakery, Goldsboro Foothills Bakery, the Yuma Art Center and the Yuma Visitors Bureau.

Art styles represented by the various studios will range from painting, pottery and glass to sculpture, gourds and digital photography. Several artists also plan to offer demonstrations.

Most of the art presented will be for sale.

"We sell more art each year than the last. Last year was a huge year for us," Calahan said with pride.

Although most Mountain Shadows members live in the Foothills, the association and its biggest annual event are gradually including more and more artists who live in Yuma proper.

"Yuma artists are very welcome. They usually double up with Foothills people for ARTrails," explained another event organizer, Marijke Farnsworth. "We just don’t want to spread ARTrails out too much because people won’t want to drive too far."

A record number of artists currently belong to Mountain Shadows Artists Association, a fact that obviously pleases Calahan, the group’s president.

"We now have 90 members in our group. It used to be 60 or 70. I think we are getting some name recognition. People are starting to know who we are."

She also credited recent art shows for helping to spread the good word about Mountain Shadows. An exhibit at the Yuma Art Center shared more than 130 paintings with an appreciative public.

"That show was very well received," Calahan said. "It’s great for people to see that we make art fun. If it’s not fun, we’re not doing it!"

For more information about ARTrails, call Calahan at 342-7115 or Farnsworth at 1-209-403-4126.

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The studios:

Penny Scheflo (Oil)

(701) 520-9376

11195 E. 24th Lane, Yuma

Gay Norton (Oil)

(208) 413-0281

11322 S. Ave. 12E #397 (Rancho Rialto Park)

Mary Blair (Bronze Sculpture, Oil)

(406) 360-7089

11525 S. Cassidy Drive, Yuma

Mary Adams

(208) 342-1189

13366 E. 41st Drive

• Mary Adams (Watercolors)

• Adair Bentley (Watercolors)

• Chuck Warner (Watercolors, ink & watercolors wash)

Jim & Marijke Farnsworth

(209) 403-4126

12635 S. Dorothy Drive

• Jim Farnsworth ( Photography)

• Marijke Farnsworth (Oil, watercolor, pastel, acrylic)

• Linda Calahan (Watercolor, oil, acrylic)

Lorraine Fielding (Oil, watercolor)

(928) 342-2812

13583 E. 45th Lane

Connie Oberg

(928) 305-0682

14139 E. 49th Drive

• Connie Oberg (Oil)

• Valeen Trajillo (Oil)

Jodie Williams

(928) 580-0196

13870 E. 49th Lane

• Jodie Williams (Oil, watercolor, acrylic)

• Sue Eddy (Watercolor)

Al Smith (Oil)

(928) 342-2025

13588 49th Drive

Sue Morgenthaler

(509) 480-9484

13218 E. 49th Drive

• Sue Morgenthaler (Watercolor, oil)

• Adell Pullen (Watercolor, oil)

• Shirley Franzen (Watercolor)

• Mary Helfrich (Watercolor)

Sandi A. Gourd Art Gallery

(928) 210-9458

13242 55th Drive

• Sandi Antonacci (Gourds)

• Karen Peterson (Gourds)

Angie Marsh

(832) 782-2292

14341 E. 54th St.

• Angie Marsh (Oil)

• Gloria Keller (Pastel, watercolor)

Barbara Thorvilson

(303) 903-6482

13159 Onammi Ave.

• Barbara Thorvilson (Digital painting)

• Judy Philips (Glass)

Jeannie’s Gallery

(928) 305-0482

14382 E. 50th St.

• Jeannie House (Oil, watercolor, acrylic, pastels)

• Judy Wright (Watercolor, acrylic, Chinese brush painting)

Carol Taylor

(425) 765-5616

13279 Onammi Ave.

• Carol Taylor (Ceramics, oil)

• Cathy Milsted (Acrylic, watercolor)

Judith Harris (Oil)

(928) 305-9755

144672 E. 52nd Drive

Barbara Cavanaugh

(928) 342-9353

13673 Karimme Ave.

• Barbara Cavanaugh (Acrylic, watercolor)

• JoAnn Manning (Acrylic, oil)

Michelle Hicks

(928) 276-4643

14862 E. 51st St.

• Michell Hicks (Oil)

• Sharon Kidder (Oil, acrylics, watercolor, collage, graphite)

Maren’s Watercolor Creations

(928) 345-9503

14812 E. 51st St.

• Maren Waddill (Watercolor, acrylic, coffee)

• Lynn Morgan (Watercolor, acrylic)

Dave Cope

(208) 755-0211

14823 50th St.

• Dave Cope (Photography)

• George Hazard (Oil)

Carol Hartman

(208) 830-8624

14634 E. 49th St.

• Carol Hartman (Watercolor)

• Sara Taylor (Watercolor)

Features editor Darin Fenger can be reached at dfenger@yumasun.com or 539-6860.