Carpinteria Valley Arts Council

Artists Studio Tour 2009

Yesterday I had the pleasure of visiting a number of Carp area artists in their studios. I had the unique opportunity to see the spaces where these artists create their work. For some it was a room in their home and for others it was a separate building on their property. The last studio I visited belonged to Rebecca Lovejoy Stebbins and it was over her garage. She had created an amazing country cottage that seemed as though it was right out of the early 18th century. While Barbara Baker McIntyre's studio used to be the garage to her home. Hers is spacious and yet filled to capacity with works in progress. She and I concurred that no matter how large one's work space was, it would never be large enough. As much of the experience was in seeing art, it was also about discussing inspirations and the creative process. This was certainly the case with Kathleen Lord who also gave me the abbreviated history on Carp and its Chumash Indian ancestery but also the exciting work she does through the Bellas Artes organization. I was admittedly surprised not only by the quantity of working artists in the area but the quality of art as well. Much of the work I saw was just as interesting as anything I had seen in Chicago, New York and elsewhere. Carpinteria has been home to artists for many years due to its ideal climate, inspiring landscape, friendly people, and a very relaxed atmosphere. It's ideally situated between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara and downstate from San Francisco.