LB artists reveal their creative processes and work spaces during open-studio tour

Cory Bilicko
Culture Writer

Local painters, illustrators, ceramicists, sculptors and jewelry-makers really exposed themselves artistically last weekend when they opened up their work spaces to the public for the third annual Long Beach Open Studio Tour. Twenty-five artists in 18 locations participated in the two-day event, each representing one of four neighborhoods: Belmont Shore, Wrigley, California Heights or Bixby Knolls.
Lisa Wibroe, who organizes the tour each year, was also one of the artists representing the Wrigley area, along with David Early, Monica Fleming, Ricardo Guitidiaz, Jeff McMillan, Curt Miller and Riley Wilkinson.
Wibroe received her bachelor’s degree in fine art in 3-D media right after earning a degree in psychology, both at Cal State Long Beach. She has worked as an art educator, director and finance manager of a private school, art curator, interior designer and landscape designer. Her involvement with the studio tour began three years ago.
“In 2009, I participated in the Mid-City Studio Tour (MCST) and tried to convince the group to make it an annual event,” Wibroe said. “At that time, Craig Watson was the director of the Arts Council for Long Beach, and he was very supportive of having a studio tour on an annual basis during GLOBAL (Greater Long Beach Arts Lab, which is now known as Long Beach Arts Month). Some artists from the MCST were also on board. I used my resources to develop several art studio hubs in Wrigley and Bixby/Cal Heights and held our first tour in October 2010.”
Wibroe said she received a grant from Connected Corridor, a project of the Long Beach Community Foundation, and that subsequent tours have been partially sponsored by the Arts Council. She also said the open-studio tour has been growing every year and that it’s the most anticipated event for Arts Month.
“Visiting an artist in his or her own studio environment is like viewing a cave painting in its cave, in situ, versus a museum, out of context,” she said. “The public gets to see the art from the artist’s perspective instead of a curator’s or gallery’s presentation.”

She mentioned that neighbors are also enlightened as to where artists live and work amongst them. “Artists become an integral part of the community when they open their studio doors, engaging with neighbors and making new connections,” she said. “Art collectors can take pride in supporting local artists, and artists take pride in having their work become part of local art collections. It’s a win-win situation for all!”
Wibroe’s goal is to make the tour an event that occurs consistently on the second weekend every October during Arts Month. “Sponsors are always needed to help fund the marketing expenses and provide live entertainment as the event is free and open to the public,” she said. “We plan on expanding for the next tour to be held on Oct. 12 and 13, 2013.”
This year’s tour was the first one for McMillan, a painter who studied at the Academy of Art in San Francisco and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in fine art in illustration from Art Center College of Design in Pasadena in 2004. He has exhibited in New York, San Francisco, London, Canada, Mexico, and Los Angeles, and his clients have included Nike, Disney Consumer Products and Mountain Dew, among others.
McMillan said he finds the tour really valuable because it allows the artists to connect with the community. “They can see works in progress, collectibles and art from the vault, and get a view into how the artist creates work and see the inspiration around them,” he said. “I always really enjoyed seeing other artists’ work spaces. It inspires me, makes me want to change up and reorganize my studio.”
McMillan estimates that about 50 people toured his studio on Saturday and a little more than 50 visited it the next day. “I like being connected to my community, and doing something like this is a great opportunity to connect with the neighbors you’ve never met, artists who live around the block and whoever else you get to meet,” he said. “I met all kinds of interesting people over the weekend. Long Beach is a melting pot of creativity.”
Cat Riley, who characterizes her creations as “Zen-inspired art,” was displaying and selling various types of pieces, including drawings, bookmarks and jewelry, in a home in Bixby Knolls. Accompanying her were Tina Burnight, who specializes in ceramics and mosaics, and Mary Grace, who is a studio potter. This was Riley’s second year participating in the tour, and what distinguishes her from other artists is that she donates her proceeds to a charity.

“It was a great way to meet the neighbors and get a feel for the people who support the local artists,” Riley said. “I saw many of the same folks this year, and it was so nice to see them again. When deciding to join again this year, I hoped to get more exposure for my art and to make a little money for my charity— the Los Angeles Food Bank. This weekend accomplished that by bringing a steady stream of lovely people in and out both days.”

Also in the Bixby Knolls and Cal Heights area were Cynthia Evans, Susan Erikson Hawkins, Andrea Magolske, Bonnie McCarthy, Douglas Orr, David Rodriguez, Robin K. Smith, Philip M. Smith and Annie Stromquist.
In the Belmont Shore area that weekend were Dorte Christjansen, Annie Clavel, Cathy Pavia, Sue Rutherford, Sally Smeltzly and Stephen Werlick.
This year’s tour was also the second for Christjansen, who showed her watercolors and batiks. She said the open-studio event is a great reason for locals to get out of the house and into the community to meet a variety of people. Since the artists are stationed at their own studios during the event, they toured each other’s spaces the week prior.

“The previous week, most of the artists went on a pre-tour so we could see each others’ studios and to help make recommendations based on the various interests of visitors on the tour,” she said. “I was delighted by the variety, creativity and originality of the artists and the way they had set up their homes, gardens and work spaces, and I heard many comments to that effect during Sarurday and Sunday. I was touched by the interest and support of the community and happy to meet so many locals. We so rarely meet or get to know our neighbors. It’s also a great opportunity for people to learn about and acquire original art from the artist who made it.”
For general information about the tour, visit LBopenstudiotour.com . To view McMillan’s art, visit jeffmcmillan.com . Riley’s work can be seen at flickr.com/photos/52822842@N00 . Burnight’s work is viewable at burnight-art.com . Grace’s pottery can be viewed at crackpotart.net . Christjansen’s artist website is dortechristjansen.com .
Look for profiles on the aforementioned artists in future issues of the Signal Tribune.