Hidden between posh new townhomes and the old bricks of folk music venue Anderson Fair, artist Joan Son’s cozy bungalow and studio invites passersby to wonder what is inside with a colorful array of origami butterflies fluttering across its front porch.
The public will have the opportunity to explore Son’s and several other Montrose artists’ creative spaces as part of the East Montrose Civic Association’s Art Walk and Home Tour.
The art walk is free and will feature fifteen artists at seven sites. The home tour will showcase six Montrose houses — from the area’s early 1900s cottages to its mordern townhomes.
One of those artists, painter and sculptor Lori Betz, is excited to show her studio to the public.
“They’re going to get to see behind the screen of the art community,” Betz said. “We have the gallery up front, but now you get to peak behind the curtain and see the artist’s studios, houses, things they wouldn’t normally have access to.
“I think it’s interesting for people to see the different phases that a sculpture goes through before it becomes a bronze, and they’re going to be able to see that by walking around my studio. I think though for the public, the studio part is kind of fun.”
The art walk will stay true to East Montrose’s slogan of being a “living mosaic” by featuring the different styles of both art and the homes the works are shown in.
Sculptures, paintings, origami and even body butter art will grace a variety of homes ranging from 1900s cottages and 1920s art-deco to modern townhomes.
The planned route for the walk starts at Betz’s gallery on West Gray as it snakes its way through the neighborhood, wrapping up with Will Brooks’ ink and acrylic work at a townhome at 512 Fargo.
Along the way, tour-goers can check out charcoal drawings from Constance Braden at 920 Damon Ct., along with a trio of sites at the intersection of Grant and Welch St., including Anderson Fair and the studios of Son and Gerida Brown.
A few blocks away, the photography of Gloria and Richard Stamper will be on display in their 1920s studio at 1904 Whitney. Prints and drawings of Penny Cerling can be seen down the street at 419 Willard.
“This community with the East Montrose Civic Association, it’s such an active community. It’s really like a small town,” Son said.
“It’s a small neighborhood community, and it’s a very artistic community.”
