A peek inside artists' lives in two studio tours

Looking to get to know artists who work in the Hamptons? Want a peek into what their working life is like? The next two weekends offer just what you’re looking for, with a wide range of artists to discover in artist communities outside the traditional hubs of East Hampton and Southampton.

This weekend, artists from the greater Westhampton area will be spotlighted. The 2010 Family Counseling Services Artist Studio Tour kicks off Friday night and continues through Sunday. Next weekend, the focus shifts to Shelter Island, when Artists of Shelter Island (artsi) is holding its annual Open Studio event. Both self-guided tours offer plenty of artwork for viewing.

The Open Studio Event on Shelter Island was born when island artists banded together around three years ago to create a unified art event. This year marks the unveiling of a new name (artsi), a logo and a website. As in prior years, the Open Studio Event is free, with 19 artists featured in 17 studios on August 21 and 22 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Westhampton area artist studio tour is a more formalized affair. The event begins this Friday with a Meet the Artists Party at the Full Moon Arts Center in East Moriches. The ticketed studio tour is scheduled on Saturday and Sunday, August 14 and 15, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tickets are $35. Proceeds benefit the Family Counseling Services (FCS), which is sponsoring the tour.

Both open studio events provide the chance to get to know artists working locally. They also offer time to talk with artists about their artwork and to see a body of work instead of selected pieces in a gallery show. Each event provides a glimpse into working art communities that are driving forces behind the creation of both tours.

Artsi has 17 studios featuring the works of 19 artists. An artist roster, samples of their work, and a tour map can be found at www.artsi.info.

The event is juried, with many of the best and brightest Shelter Island artists involved, said Jackie Black. Ms. Black and Roz Dimon are two of the movers and shakers who brought Shelter Island artists together to forge a connected community.

While Artsi’s Open Studio event fosters connections among Shelter Island artists, the main point is to provide exposure for their art. Visitors can expect to see paintings, photography, sculpture, digital art and custom furniture. There is abstraction, landscapes, figurative, narrative, environmental, fantasy and realist art. In nearly all cases, studios feature the artwork of a single artist in the place where the work is made. There is no charge for admission. Visitors arrive on their own timetable and art can be purchased and commissions arranged.

The FCS Artist Studio Tour also offers a broad viewing experience. In nearly all cases, studio stops from Quogue to East Moriches feature works by multiple artists. There are 18 stops on the tour, with the work of some 44 artists on view. Half the stops are galleries or art centers.

Stops include libraries in Quogue and Westhampton Beach, Gallery BelAge, the Fitzgerald Gallery, Amy’s Art Studio & Farm and Roseline Koener’s atelier in Westhampton and Art & Soul Gallery in Eastport, among others. The Remsenburg Academy and Full Moon Arts Center are also part of the tour.

Artist studios are mostly single artist stops with a few featuring the works of multiple artists. A list of participating artists can be found at familycounselingsvc.org.

Like their Shelter Island peers, artists in the Westhampton area want an annual open studio tour to call their own. Teaming up with FCS made sense, pointed out tour co-chairs Candyce Brokaw and Pam Capozzola. The artists gain exposure for their art with FCS’s assistance and the artists help raise money and awareness for the non-profit organization.

This is the second year for the FCS Artists Studio Tour. The tour has expanded the number of stops and the number of artists participating.

One of the highlights is the Meet the Artist reception. This year, artists will be demonstrating as well as attending, offered Ms. Capozzola. Linda Cassidy with be making “energy portraits” in pastels and photographers Meryl Spiegel and Lou Capozzola will be making portraits and capturing candids. Frank Latorre and The King Bees will perform. Mr. Latorre is an artist/musician who now owns Art & Soul Gallery.

Knowing the FCS Studio Tour would be returning, many artists have worked a bit harder to create new works for viewing, Ms. Brokaw said. She pointed out returning visitors can see what an artist has been up to since last year and may notice shifts in the work.

Tickets for the FCS Artist Studio Tour are $35. Tickets can be purchased at the Full Moon Arts Center, 6 Moriches Avenue, East Moriches at the Meet the Artists reception and can also be purchased at Galerie BelAge and the Remsenburg Academy on Saturday and Sunday. For information, call 288-2055 or visit familycounselingsvc.org.