By Gail Tansill Lambert
You’re invited to step into another world on the last weekend of April — ten artists’ studios and homes are open to the public for looking, learning — and even buying art. The Ninth Annual Open Studios Tour runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday and 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday. Admission is free and whether you visit all ten galleries or pick and choose, it’s your call. Last year I ran out of time at the first gallery. My new goal is to miss fewer artists! Light refreshments are available and children are strongly encouraged to attend.
There’s a self-guided tour map online, which can be found at
openstudiosofroanoke.com, or you can pick up a brochure at the Taubman Art Museum or local art galleries. The pas list the artists at the different studios along with an example of each artist’s work. You’ll find a full range of fine art including painting, sculpture, ceramics, jewelry and collages.
Sculptor J. Gail Geer’s widely acclaimed work attracts an immediate bond with those who see it. Exquisite are a white bear carved from Italian crystal alabaster and a pear carved from African Kisii Stone. Geer’s minimalist sculpture is reminiscent of Eskimo Inuit art and the deceptively modern looking Cycladic art from the Aegean islands carved some 3,000 years ago.
Her work can be seen at Gallery 108 in Roanoke and galleries in Richmond, Portsmouth, Clifton Forge and Waynesboro.
Come hang out with 27 artists at 10 venues on April 25 and 26!
Photo: "Fishing Bear" by J.Gail Geer