Wimberley is a magnet for artists, and this tour, sponsored by the Wimberley Valley Art League, featured the studios of ten nationally and internationally known artists.

The studios represent a number of artistic genres, including oil painting, watercolor, mixed media, sculpture, and fabric art. Each artist is notable in his or her field, and both their studios and their works are rich and diverse.

» More about the artists
 

More about the artists whose studios are featured on the 2005 tour...

Lillian Arnold is a noted watercolor painter. Arnold's subjects may be flowers, rocks, even a collection of engine parts. Hundreds of art books line her studio, and her paintings are in private collections in the U. S. and overseas, as well as at Blair House and Unique to Antique in Wimberley.

H.B. "Butch" Casanova's studio is a techno-innovator's dream. Casanova crafts free-standing and bas-relief sculptures that reflect his strong sense of design, order and justice. As he transforms his beautiful mental images into tangible sculptures made of modern high-tech materials, Casanova wears many hats... metalsmith, welder, carpenter, chemist and toolmaker.

Jerolyn Bahm Colombik's paintings (and sculpture) are noted for the expressive faces, particularly grandmothers, who reflect family and regional identity. A careful observer of people all over the world, she seeks out grace and kindness in her subjects and uses those same qualities in her art.

Roger Colombik, a sculpture teacher at Texas State University, balances university work and independent projects. Roger sculpts in bronze, aluminum, stone or steel in his massive fabrication studio. He and his wife Jerolyn have spent time in the Balkans, and he has written his first book about that region, Quiet Divide. "Physically, sculpture is brutal to build," he states, "but, mentally, writing is the toughest of all."

Susan Cranshaw,  who specializes in fine art quilts, had her own pottery and ceramics studio in Vermont, then met and married fellow artist Alfredo Sanchez in Mexico. When Cranshaw switched to a "softer" medium and began to create art quilts, she found her imagination kicking into high gear. Cranshaw is writing a book about quilts, and designing kits for sale.

Following an Air Force career, sculptor Kerry K. Christensen now molds clay, carrying from mind to heart to hands her intense responses to life. From her quiet, organized studio the artist meditates, sculpts, and keeps an eye on her chickens and horses. She is also an instructor in the Arts from the Heart youth education program.

In her hilltop studio, Leah Dunaway creates abstract paintings using multiple textures and layering techniques. "As an abstract artist I don't paint directly what I see, but the vistas, as well as the integrity of nature, influence everything I paint." Watercolor Magic magazine included Dunaway as "One to Watch" in their 2003 yearbook.

Matthew Fuller produces classical, fine arts photography, primarily large scale black and white photos. "Images take on another dimension when they're scaled up," he explains. His locations include international sites. Fuller's work is on display at Davis Gallery, Austin; Verve Fine Art, Santa Fe, Kansas City, and Austin.

Suzanne McBride, a former software engineer, is a multi-media painter and sculptor in wood, clay and bronze. McBride focuses on the heroic nature of her animal subjects, emphasizing their essence rather than an exact likeness. "There are no green rabbits in real life and no purple cats, but that's sometimes needed," she says. McBride's work is in private collections and public display at the Austin Nature Center.

Alfredo Sanchez, a native of San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, moved to Wimberley in 2000. Sanchez paints his trademark large oils to classical music. Using layers in almost translucent tones, Sanchez captures the natural beauty of his subject. "When I look at the painting and it says to me 'Don't touch me anymore!' I stop."

The studios of all these fine artists were open in May, 2005, in scenic Wimberley.

Proceeds for the tour supported the art education programs of the non-profit organization, The Wimberley Valley Art League.