Western Loudoun Art and Studio Tour

Has anyone seen this banner???? It's not an amber alert or a silver alert...it's a BANNER ALERT! Someone stole our banner from the Gateway Shopping Center in Purcellville...cut the zip ties and made off in the night! We would love to have it back so if you have any information, please let us know! Purcellville Police Department

What a great weekend! We’re so happy to have seen you all! Thanks to everyone who participated and our especially to our sponsors: Visit Loudoun, Franklin Park Arts Center, Round Hill Arts Center, Virginia Commission for the Arts, National Endowment for the Arts, Loudoun Arts Council , NOVEC, The Town own of of Lovettsville, the Town of Round Hill, and the Purcellville Arts Council, Lizard Graphics, Alizarin Graphics, the Gateway Gallery, and Artists in Middleburg.. What a great community effort!

Good Morning! We’re all getting ready for the third and final day of the Western Loudoun Art and Studio Tour. 30 Tor stops open 10 to 5. Which stops will you visit today? 🤔

Time to plan your itinerary for Day Two of the 2023 Western Loudoun Art and Studio Tour. All stops are open 10 to 5 today (and tomorrow). It’s a beautiful day to drive Western Loudoun, meet artists, and look at art! More info at wlast.org.

The Tour starts TODAY! Most studios are open 10-5. Check online to make sure your favorite is open. ALL studios will be open Saturday and Sunday. Hope to see you this weekend!

WLAST starts TOMORROW! Plan your route now. Visit wlast.org for all the details, including our interactive map. Most studios are open Friday through Sunday 10-5, but a few are open Saturday and Sunday only, so double check before you hit the road. 56 artists, 30 Tour stops and Loudoun’s scenic countryside — a great combination.

It’s almost here! The Western Loudoun Art & Studio Tour !
The 16th annual WLAST starts in just two days, Friday through Sunday, June 2, 3, & 4, 2023!

56 artists in 30 studios and 2 art centers across Western Loudoun County will be open to the public exhibiting their art and their process.

Most locations are open on Friday, June 2nd; check our website for that information. All locations are open Saturday and Sunday, June 3rd and 4th. Hours on all days are 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Go to our website at www.wlast.org. Read about the Tour artists, see their work and plan your route using the interactive map.

We can't wait to see you all!

Originally from Michigan, Bethany Widom grew up around industrious people. Learning to bake and sew at a young age, sparked her creative side. She used frosting to paint, sculpt, and decorate cakes. By age sixteen, she was rearranging patterns and manipulating fabric to come up with her own fashion creations. She is intrigued by the glimpses of everyday life in Old World paintings, and the subject matter of her own still life paintings reflect that intrigue, although her work reflects a more recent past, with objects that were a part of her own life. Find Bethany and her work at Loudoun Street Studios, Tour stop 16 in Leesburg, June 2 through 4.

Allison Wiese is a guest artist at Tour Stop 2 near Leesburg. Growing up in a small lake town in Michigan heavily influences Allison's work. Beaches, lakes, and sunsets make their way into many pieces. Her background as a clinical therapist specializing in adolescent depression and anxiety informs her creative process. She works to cultivate a sense of joy in every piece, and lately Loudoun's cows have made their way into her compositions."My art is a love letter to and a meditation on everything in and around our vital oceans," she says. Meet Allison and see her vibrant work Friday June 2 through Sunday, June 4.

Amie Ware is a guest artist at Tour stop 19 (Hunt Country Jewelers in Purcellville). A nature photographer who focuses on Loudoun County, Amy enjoys spending time outdoors to explore and discover the simple beauty and wonder of the nature which exists all around us. Tour stop 19 will be open June 2 through 4.

New to the Tour! At Tour stop 18 in Hamilton you'll meet painter Amy Walton. From still life pastels to abstract oils, her work seeks to capture the breathtaking natural beauty of the landscape and plants around her. She works in oil and acrylic paints, as well as, pastel, mixed media, and watercolor. Her studio will be open all three days of the Tour, June 2 through 4.

WLAST artist Judith Thompson's paintings tell stories! Each painting begins with just an intuition. With each stroke, the composition emerges. This openness allows discovery and surprise during her painting process. Favorite subjects are women, fabric, animals, and color. Meet Judith and see her work at Tour Stop 32, Saturday June 3 and Sunday June 4 only.

White House Ceramics, Tour stop 6, is Kristen Swanson's Lovettsville studio. Asian art has a strong influence in her work, which also references traditional and contemporary textile patterns and traditional botanical motifs. Her original designs are hand painted and carved. Kristen wants her porcelain pottery to be used in the everyday domestic landscape of people's lives. She says, "I believe that intimate contact with objects that are handmade, intentionally crafted, and beautiful can transform common experiences into meaningful experiences." Tour stop 6 is open all three days of the Tour, June 2 through 4.

A longtime member of the Loudoun Sketch Club and signature member of The Maryland Pastel Society, WLAST artist Libby Stevens is inspired by the natural world around her. Libby travels Loudoun's back roads to find rustic barns, overgrown fields and rural farms for her subjects. She works from life, outdoors "en plein air" and from her own photographs. Her primary medium is pastel, but she also works in oil and watercolor paints and makes beaded jewelry. Find Libby and her work at Loudoun Street Studios, Tour stop 16 in Leesburg, June 2 through 4.

Patricia Stephenson runs Moon on the Mountain Farm and Fiber Arts, a sheep farm and fiber arts studio. This year she will be a guest Artist at Tour Stop 25, Franklin Park Arts Center. Her fiber art items are made from wool produced on the farm, hand dyed and hand crafted using a variety of felting and weaving techniques. Items for sale include felted accessories and clothing, paintings, sculpture, greeting cards and gift items. Tour Stop 25 will be open Friday June 2 - Sunday June 4.

WLAST 2023: Lifelong artist Katherine Riedel uses oils, pastels, and watercolors to capture the beautiful scenery she sees around her. She has also worked as an art instructor, teaching all ages for more than 30 years. Visit her painting studio in Waterford (Tour Stop 11), open Friday June 2 through Sunday, June 4.

At Ninepatch Studios (Tour Stop 12 in historic Waterford), you'll find fiber artist Kathie Ratcliffe. Kathie pieces quilts in miniature form, inspired by antique originals. Her work illustrates the range of American quilt design of the 19th century. Many patterns anticipate abstract design elements of modern art. All are fitting in traditional or contemporary décor. Kathie's studio will be open all three days of the Tour, Friday June 2 - Sunday June 4.

WLAST 2023: For painter Nancy Ramsey, art is primarily about the process. She might find inspiration in a figure, a landscape, music, or bits of imagination. After that, the act of painting is improvisational, each new stroke or mark coming as a reaction to the one before. In this conversation, Nancy is involved with the twists and turns of the interaction rather than worrying about where it will end. Find Nancy's vibrant abstracts at Tour Stop 10, south of Lovettsville. Her studio will be open only Saturday June 3rd and Sunday June 4th.

Terri Parent is a fine art photographer specializing in nature, travel and still life photography. Using a digital camera and iPhone she captures artful images of the world around us. When creating a photograph, she looks for great composition, imaginative colors, unique details, and a story waiting to be told. Terri says, "Pushing creative boundaries and sharing stories continue to be an integral part of my current and future work." Terri's studio is Tour Stop 26B, adjacent to Round Hill Arts Center, and will be open all three days of the tour, June 2 through 4.

Karen Oliver is a collage artist who will be exhibiting as a guest at her daughter's Amy’s studio, Monkeytown Pottery (Tour Stop 30) in Bluemont. Karen's work focuses on the beauty of everyday things, especially the nature. Though her work is representational, it is not necessarily realistic, and consists of assemblages including paper of many colors and textures and the occasional insect wing, bit of shell, or other found object. Visit Tour Stop 30 Friday June 2 through Sunday, June 4.

WLAST artist Amy Oliver began her clay journey at James Madison University, where she studied ceramics. Having a background in drawing and art history, her work features hand carved illustrations of her own version of mythology — these pots truly tell a story. Amy’s stoneware pieces are meant to be a part of everyday life and used regularly. Everything is dishwasher, microwave and oven safe. Meet Amy at Tour Stop 30, Monkeytown Pottery, June 2 through June 4.

Tour Stop 27 in Round Hill is Potterosa, David Norton's studio. David is a self-taught, full-time potter, and has made functional stoneware pottery and ceramic sculpture for over 40 years. He has had his own handmade pottery gallery in the Torpedo Factory Arts Center in Alexandria, Virginia, for most of that time. David has artwork in collections in over 85 countries. He has exhibited and taught at the Smithsonian’s Renwick Museum, and given extensive workshops in Venezuela, Poland, and in the Washington, DC area. and his work has won acclaim by both the New York Times and the Washington Post. Potterosa will be open Friday June 2 through Sunday, June 4.

Jack Nevitt has been a nature photographer since the early 1970s. He retired from the Federal Government in 2003 as a Photo Lab Tech/Video Production Specialist and has been making nature and sports photography full time ever since. He has been published by the National Wildlife Magazine, Virginia Wildlife Magazine, Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, Time Life Magazine, Loudoun Magazine and other publications. Jack has shown his work at Galleries across Northern Virginia. You'll find him at Tour Stop 15, the Clay and Metal Loft in Leesburg June 2 through June 4. #

2023 WLAST Artist Kaarin Nelson will be at her studio, Whimsy (Tour Stop 4), all three days of the Tour. Her work is an expression of the joy that comes from doing what she loves. Kaarin's acrylic paintings start with a very dark or often black background, and then layers of color and texture are added as she continues to play with the overall composition on the canvas. Her work features bright colors and organic shapes, creating colorful scenes from Kaarin's vivid imagination.

In 1997 Rob Mock decided to make his wife a wooden bookmark for a Christmas gift. His love of wood and woodworking has grown steadily over the past 25 years. He has created hundreds of one-of-a-kind sculptures, musical instruments, and gift items, and his passion for woodworking continues to grow. Meet Rob at Tour Stop 3, Taylorstown Pottery, June 2 through 4.

Photographer Jeff Miller is a guest artist exhibiting at Tour Stop 8, Clay-Ward Studio. Jeff considers his camera a time machine that captures more than just time. It captures people, places, and things. It captures emotions, memories, and dreams. It captures stories. As a photographer, Jeff enjoys trying to record tmoments that will never occur again. He also enjoys photography demonstrations and answering all your photography questions! Tour Stop 8 is open Friday through Sunday, June 2 - 4.

New to WLAST this year! Tour Stop 5 is Sedonaville Spirit Glass, near Lovettsville. Artist Deb Maurer uses iridescents, dichroics, gemstones and crystals to infuse every glass piece with its own inner light. Ever changing through the day depending on the direction of and type of light, moons shine, stars twinkle, eyes sparkle, building lights come alive, and skies brighten and darken between day and night. From suncatchers and panels to birdbaths and garden ornaments, each of her pieces is truly unique. Meet Deb and see her work Friday June 2 through Sunday June 4.

WLAST 2023: At Taylorstown Pottery (Tour Stop 3) you'll meet artist Bryan Mattraw. His original plan was to become a painter as well as an art teacher, but one course in pottery changed all that. He was immediately hooked on ceramics. Today he makes exclusively wood-fired objects in his outdoor kiln. For Bryan, pottery combines the abstraction of form with a purity of purpose and a connection to science. Bryan says, "I make pots that are intended for the hand and home, which I hope will be beautiful to the eye and the soul of the beholder. Tour Stop 3 will be open all three days, Jun 2-4.

Amy Manson's passion is working with clay, a soft malleable substance. She then shapes it into an durable object of both beauty and function. The process and transformation of soft clay into a hard object meant to be seen, used, passed along, and maybe even eventually broken and given back to the earth seems to mirror personal growth and transformation. Amy's work includes themes found in nature. You'll find Amy and her work at the Clay and Metal Loft, Tour Stop 15 Thursday June 2 through Sunday June 4.

Jane Mann is a fine art photographer, and a digital and intaglio printmaker. She uses digital photographic equipment and photo editing programs to create vivid, compelling images and photomontages intended to provoke thought. The intaglio printmaking process helps her reduce an image to its essentials – light, shadow and line. Her use of atmosphere, composition, and light dramatically enhances each subject and imparts a sense of place to her landscapes or cityscapes. Find Jane and her work at Tour Stop 26C (adjacent to Round Hill Arts Center) June 2 through June 4.

Tour Stop 26C, David and Jane Mann's studio, is adjacent to Round Hill Arts Center. David's intaglio prints, relief prints, and digital prints start as drawings or photomontages, combined and manipulated until they become more abstract and symbolic. David works to create scenes that will evoke a mood or a strong sense of place or of time. Meet David and see his remarkable work Friday, June 2 theogh Sunday, June 4.

Let’s meet another WLAST 2023 artist: Yousung Choi Largent was born in South Korea, and earned her Bachelor's Degree in Fine Arts: Pottery from Daegu Catholic University in the city of Daegu. After moving to Round Hill in 2014, she began her own home ceramics and pottery studio to pursue and share her passion for functional fine art. Much of Yousung's work is wheel-thrown stoneware, with some hand building and armature work. She takes much of her inspiration from nature. Her beautifully painted motifs are meticulously brushed by hand after the bisque firing, using vibrant and carefully selected tones of under-glaze. Meet Yousung at Tour Stop 25, Franklin Park Arts Center, June 2 - 4.

Erin Landavere moved to Loudoun County in the mid 1990s and fell in love with what was then a rural county. She visited many local potters, adding their unique mugs to a growing collection. Then she progressed to taking lessons from Loudoun potters Shawn Grove, Bryan Mattraw, and Kristen Swanson. Nature is a big inspiration for Erin, who has created beach mugs from visits to Hatteras Island, the Jersey shore, California, and Puerto Rico. Loudoun is another favorite theme, inspiring her “Loudoun County” mugs. Find Erin at Tour Stop 2 Friday, June 2 through Sunday, June 4.

Marcia Klioze had a long career, spanning over 30 years, working in senior staff positions and freelancing as an editorial and medical illustrator. Now she has immersed herself in traditional oil painting, mostly portraits and figurative work. Marcia is drawn to the narrative in this type of painting. I like to think that my paintings are more than just mirroring a person's features," she says, instead, she aims to capture a moment , or their essence that depicts exactly who a person is. Meet Marcia at her Atelier Garage studio, Tour Stop 14, on Saturday June 3 or Sunday June 4 only.

WLAST 2023: meet sculptor and printmaker Brian Kirk at his studio, Tour Stop 24 in Purcellville. Brian's main medium is welded steel, but he also makes experimental prints using the steel that he works with to create rust patterns on archival paper. Sometimes he uses these rust prints to assemblages coated with encaustic wax. He also does traditional printmaking, including linocuts, engravings and silkscreen prints. Brian's studio will be open all three days of this year's tour.

At Tour Stop 6 in Lovettsville you’ll meet jeweler Teresa Jardines, Friday June 2 through Sunday, June 4. Teresa's goal is to create beautiful, artistic jewelry that inspires and brings people joy. All her pieces are handmade with care, using traditional silversmithing techniques, and sourcing primarily US-mined turquoise. Many of her pieces include designs that reference the American southwest. Jewelry can be a decorative expression of one’s personality; it can also embody a wish, a memory or even a sacred object for some. Teresa sees these different viewpoints as opportunities for her original designs to speak.

One of the artists at Tour Stop 26a (Round Hill Arts Center), Meredith Hilt is a metalsmith and jewelry artist. Meredith's love of animals and nature often inspires her work. Her items are unique, and handmade using silver or copper sheet metal/wire, stone and sometimes polymer clay. Using age-old techniques with saw, hammer, torch, and hand files, the resulting pieces become wearable pieces of artwork. Visit her Friday June 2 through Sunday June 4.

Pastel painter Hope Hanes' process in the studio is experimental and varied. She also works en plein air whenever she has the chance -- "I find direct observation of light and the landscape to be the best teacher," she says. While it takes time for her ideas to develop, in contrast, working with pastels offers immediacy and directness. Hope sees her artwork as a record of her travels and experiences. You’ll find her and her work at Tour Stop 25, Franklin Park Arts Center, June 2 through 4.