By JESSE BERTEL
The Daily Courier

With over 100 artists representing a variety of mediums, the 15th annual Prescott Area Artist Studio Tour is a beloved celebration of art in the quad-city area. The tour will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, through Sunday, Oct. 2.

The Studio Tour, which launched with a gala reception on Wednesday, will offer attendees an opportunity to visit with the artists, observe their creative process and purchase one-of-a-kind works of art. Numerous mediums will be on display, including painting, ceramics, jewelry, textiles, woodworking and more.

Attendees of this free, self-guided event may begin at any of the 51 locations throughout Prescott, Prescott Valley, Chino Valley or Paulden and may visit as many as they like.

Drawing from her love of the Western lifestyle, jewelry artist Marty Orosz individually handcrafts one-of-a-kind and limited-edition heirloom jewelry from silver, copper and recycled leather creating unique wearable art. Nature, animals, and the stones themselves inspire her collection.

Orosz explained that she started crafting jewelry after taking a two-week intensive class from a Hopi overlay artist.

“It was a really wonderful experience just learning his creative process and all the techniques that he used and that’s where I learned the Hopi overlay method and how to set stones and how to build three-dimensional pieces,” Orosz said. “I’m also a graphic designer, so I’ve always been into art and I really like the way the overlay process plays with the positive and negative space. So, I use that in a lot of my animal designs.

“I do horses and coyotes and buffalos. I don’t want to use any of the Native American animals or patterns because that’s not my own design, so I use their fabrication method but with my own designs.”

This tour experience allows attendees to learn about the materials, techniques and processes used in creating a work of art, while forging a personal connection with the artists. Seventy-one of the artists participating in the tour are juried. They will open their private studios to the public, while more than 25 additional artists will exhibit their works in four Art Centers: the Mountain Artists Guild, the Suze’s Prescott Center for the Arts, the ’Tis Annex Art Education Building, and the Yavapai College Visual Arts.

As organizations that encourage arts practice and provide facilities for ongoing education, these four centers are integral to the local arts community.

Most artists participating in the Prescott Area Artist Studio Tour will be giving away through a drawing one of their works. Tickets for the drawing may be purchased and used at any tour location. Proceeds from ticket sales will be used to fund next year’s tour, as well as art programs for children in the quad-city area.

The opening reception is free and open to the public and will provide attendees with an early chance to meet many artists featured on the tour and view their work while enjoying music and refreshments.

For maps and more detailed information, visit www.PrescottStudioTour.com.

Jesse Bertel is a reporter/videographer for the Prescott News Network. Follow him on Twitter @ JesseBertel, email him at jbertel@prescottaz.com, or call 928-445-3333, ext. 2043.