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Peer into the personal beauty of the Mid-City Studio Tour

bySamantha Diaz, Managing Editor
June 8, 2023
5 minute read
Jaye Whitworth’s home was filled wall to wall with her handmade intricate art. Like many of the artists on the tour, Whitworth’s art could not be contained to a single room. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
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Over 25 artists across Long Beach opened up their studios, gardens and homes to the community for the final Mid-City Studio Tour. Though the tour included 15 locations, my hopes to visit each spot were quashed by my desire to soak in the personal affections and warm conversations with artists at each of their homes.

Here’s a peek inside some of the artist homes and studios in the final Mid-City Studio Tour:

Sue Ann Robinson

Our first stop on the final Mid-City Studio Tour takes us to Sue Ann Robinson’s home in Lakewood Village—the furthest point on the tour map that comes with a free mini library. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Upon entering the first stop of the Mid-City Studio Tour, attendees enter Sue Ann Robinson’s backyard oasis with small dogs lounging on couches and neighbors making art. A table displays various published art books, along with intricate works from other local artists. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Sue Ann Robinson was teaching attendees how to place drops of dye to create marbled paintings in her workshop. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Seconds after dipping a blank piece of paper in a tray of colored dye, marbles and water, Sue Ann Robinson holds up a finished piece of artwork from her workshop. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
The results of Sue Ann Robinson’s workshop are groovy, marbled dye-colored papers that must hang-dry for at least 10 minutes before attendees carry them home. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)

The next stop on my journey took me to east Long Beach and the home of Gail Werner. She’s one of the founders of the tour and said although she will miss the event, she’s relieved to get a break from the work of hosting and planning.

Werner has two studios in her backyard and invited her friend Judy Chan to house her art in the second studio. Chan said she hasn’t participated in the tour in years, but felt compelled to join in the final iteration of the event.

“It’s been years since I’ve had my art shown so I’m seeing friends I haven’t seen since college,” Chan said.

Judy Chan & Gail Werner

A series of mixed-media pieces by Judy Chan adorned a wall of Gail Werner’s backyard studio. The art pieces included iron and steel metal, paper, light bulbs and other various materials. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
One of the best parts of the Mid-City Studio Tour is seeing the various tools used by Long Beach’s local artists, such as the used paintbrushes and paint-smattered containers in Judy Chan’s gallery. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Long Beach artist Judy Chan poses in front of a collection of her mixed-media pieces in one of Gail Werner’s backyard studios. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Gail Werner, one of the founders of the Mid-City Studio Tour, poses by some of her paintings in her backyard studio. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
A myriad of original paintings and collected art are on display in Gail Werner’s backyard studio. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Half-used paint tubes, clean brushes and various holding containers—including an empty tub of yogurt—sit inside Gail Werner’s backyard studio. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)

Carol Roemer

The third stop on the tour took me to Carol Roemer’s garage studio. Roemer has been teaching art in Long Beach for years and uses various pieces of trash, antique items and anything else she has around her home to create her mixed-media art.

“What I want to do is teach everyone that they can make art because it’s fun and it’s all around you,” Roemer said.

Carol Roemer’s art studio, where she creates mixed-media pieces and paintings, is housed in her garage in east Long Beach. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
A collection of handmade books are on display in Carol Roemer’s garage studio, where many unique art pieces and collections sit. Roemer often teaches her students from various local colleges how to create these handmade books. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)

Joan Skosberg Sanders

The next tour stop was a three-minute drive to the home of beloved artist Joan Skosberg Sanders, where her daughter and other family members hosted the community. Her vibrant paintings were surrounded by colorful vases, green couches, a white Christmas tree and many other bright decorations.

Various pieces from Joan Skosberg Sanders lined the entrance to her in-home studio, giving attendees a sneak peek of her colorful home. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Our third stop of the Mid-City Studio Tour takes us through the home of Joan Skosberg Sanders, a Long Beach artist with a decorating style just as colorful as her art pieces. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Joan Skosberg Sanders poses with one of her many vibrant paintings during the final Mid-City Studio Tour. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Art prints, mugs and coasters with original art are on sale at Joan Skosberg Sander’s home. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)

Jaye Whitworth

Another east Long Beach stop took me to Jaye Whitworth’s home, which was filled with her many intricate lovely dollhouse-themed pieces.

Our second-to-last stop on the Mid-City Studio Tour is at Jaye Whitworth’s in-home studio in east Long Beach. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
A dollhouse framed piece of artwork was one of many intricate creations at Jaye Whitworth’s home and studio. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Long Beach artist Jaye Whitworth poses by some of her many, many dollhouse art pieces that fill her home. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)

Greenly Art Space

My final stop of the day was at Signal Hill’s one and only nonprofit art gallery, Greenly Art Space.

Owner and curator Kimberly Hocking displayed some of her original art that has never been seen before, along with two Long Beach artists who passed away since the last tour (Slater Barron and Pia Pizzo) and two other local artists (Ellen Butler and Anne Kupillas).

A collection of Kimberly Hocking’s art included jars of spools of thread, crayons and mixed-media pieces. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
The felt ornaments hanging from small branches at Greenly Art Space were created by Kimberly Hocking and were never seen by the public before the tour. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Art pieces by Pia Pizzo, a Long Beach artist who died in 2021, hang in Greenly Art Space. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Various pieces of lint art from Slater Barron, a Long Beach artist who died in 2020, hang at Greenly Art Space in Signal Hill. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Multiple wooden books created by Slater Barron were on display at Greenly Art Space. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
A miniature grocery cart filled with essential items was one of Slater Barron’s art pieces at Greenly Art Space. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)
Various pieces of art from Slater Barron, a Long Beach artist who died in 2020, hang at Greenly Art Space in Signal Hill. (Samantha Diaz | Signal Tribune)

This may be the last Mid-City Studio Tour, but it certainly won’t be the last we see of these artists. Many of them mentioned plans to participate in the Long Beach Open Studio Tour and are already planning their next gallery.

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Samantha Diaz, Managing Editor
3 comments
  1. Pingback: Peer into the personal beauty of the Mid-City Studio Tour - Tech News Comcrystal

  3. I love this article about the Mid City Studio Tour, clearly a popular event based on the numbers of visitors to studios. Thank you for your attention to and thorough, informative articles about the accomplished artists in the Long Beach, Signal Hill area!

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