The community is invited to see artists at work at the ninth annual Round About Artist Studio Tour, scheduled for Friday, Saturday and Oct. 18.
Sponsored by the Caddo River Art Guild, the self-guided driving tour will take visitors to the home studios of local artists and to the Arkadelphia Arts Center, where other artists will display their works. The tour is free and open to the public.
“All we ask is for those planning to go on the tour to register at either the Arkadelphia Arts Center, 625 Main St. in Arkadelphia, or at the Diamond Lakes Regional Visitor Center, 124 Valley St. (off Arkansas 7 near exit 78, Interstate 30) in Caddo Valley,” said Farrell Ford, president of the Caddo River Art Guild and executive director of the Clark County Arts and Humanities Council, which supports the Arkadelphia Arts Center. Advance registration will begin at 9 a.m. Thursday.
“No ticket is needed,” Ford said. “Just register so we can keep a count of how many people take part in the tour. Visitors will be given a tour book that will guide them to the various artists’ studios.”
Ford said 21 area artists will participate in this year’s tour, which will be offered from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday and from 1-4 p.m. Oct. 18. Not only will the artists be demonstrating their work; they will also have work for sale.
“All of the artists are members of the guild,” said Ford, who is among the participating artists. “They pay a fee to participate in the tour. Those fees allow us to advertise the event. We also advertise it through social media such as Facebook.
“We have a very diverse group of artists taking part in the tour. That’s the great thing about this tour. Even if they all did oil painting, those paintings would all be different.”
Among this year’s artists on the tour are John and Deborah Tackett, who live in Caddo Valley.
“We are so glad to have them back on the tour this year,” Ford said, adding that the Tacketts took a year off from the tour last year. “They make it special. They feed the people apple cider and marshmallows roasted over a fire.”
John, 66, and Deborah, 55, retired last year after many years in the insurance business.
“We’ve done the tour since it started, except for last year, when we retired,” Deborah said. “We took the year off and traveled.”
John specializes in painting (pen and ink, watercolor, acrylics) and gourd sculpture, and Deborah works in photography, ceramics, painting and knitting.
“We piddle,” Deborah said, laughing. “We retired last June and thought we would have plenty of time for art.”
Both said they are busier than they ever have been.
“I’ve gotten into framing now. I recycle older frames,” John said.
“We’re also opening up a gallery for this tour,” he said, noting that he is remodeling part of their studio for the gallery.
John grew up in Havana — not Cuba, he pointed out, but Yell County. He has a degree in art from Arkansas Tech University in Russellville.
“I never really pursued it,” he said of having a career as an artist after graduation. “I knew I could never make a living doing it.”
He retired from a career in the insurance business after 25 years. He now makes art full time.
“I use my family as an inspiration,” he said, noting that he often tells a story that goes along with the piece of art he has created. He said his parents “migrated down from the Boston Mountains and settled in the Ozarks.”
“They were simple hardworking people who made do with whatever they had available. I have always admired their creativity and ability to turn simple objects and ideas into things of interest and beauty. My objective is to capture a part of their spirit in my work and to reflect the colors, simple joys and special times I remember.”
John said that when he and Deborah built their house in 1997, “Deborah encouraged me to build a studio. It makes all the difference in the world,” he said. “Making art is a great release.”
Deborah grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. She attended Ball State University for one year but never graduated. She is now working on a degree at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia, where she is studying photography. She retired after 34 years in the insurance business.
“I’ve always loved photography and creating things,” Deborah said.
“We happened upon the tour by accident,” she said, recalling how they first signed up for it. “Farrell had seen my photographs. It was the first year they organized the tour, and she encouraged us to participate. We did, and we haven’t looked back.”
Deborah said she and John love to travel, and she takes photographs wherever they go.
“We’ve been to Europe and all over the southwest United States,” she said. “I like nature, and I like working right here. I don’t use Photoshop or any manipulation. I photograph what I see, and that is what you get.”
In addition to their art, the Tacketts also enjoy another hobby together — refurbishing old travel trailers. Deborah, who is a member of the Sisters on the Fly outdoor women’s group that often travels via vintage travel trailers, has restored a 1965 Tee Pee travel trailer using a cowgirl theme. John has restored a 1964 17-foot Airstream Bambi travel trailer, which the couple recently took to Ben Bend National Park in Texas.
Both of the trailers will be open during the upcoming tour.
In addition to Ford, who will show her paintings, fiber art and art glass, and the Tacketts, the following artists and their works will be featured on the driving tour:
• Michael Uhl, painting and masks;
• Rita Earles, painting;
• Ellen Ludwig, metal sculpture, enamel and jewelry;
• Kelly Haddox, jewelry and Zentangle (style of drawing);
• Deloris Lynders, jewelry and Zentangle;
• Morgan McMurry, Raku pottery;
• Samuel Blackmon, painting and woodcarving;
• Jerry Burrow, fused art-glass jewelry, mixed-media collage, encaustic and oil painting;
• Shawn Armstrong, zipper jewelry;
• George Baker, woodcarving;
• Nik Chamberlain, watercolor painting and equine art;
• Evelyn Good, painting, fiber art and jewelry;
• Amy Hornsby, watercolor painting and fabric painting;
• Wanda Huneycutt, painting;
• James Langley, painting and woodcarving;
• Dolores Middleton, Temari (thread balls);
• Donna Twyford, watercolor painting; and
• Johnny Whatley, painting.
For more information on the ninth annual Round About Artist Studio Tour, call (870) 403-8216 or visit www.caddoriver
artguild.com.