There is only one weekend left to enjoy this year’s HWY 62 Open Studio Art Tours, during which artisans across the high desert open their studios to share their wares and artistic processes with the public. This past Sunday, my husband and I embarked upon our first visit to the annual event. Tantamount to an art safari, the uniquely immersive experience took us from one end of the Morongo Basin to the other! With a whopping 188 artists participating and a vast array of mediums to explore – from paintings to ceramics to jewelry to textiles – there is literally something for everyone! Read on for a few highlights from our first HWY 62 Open Studio foray.
xo, Lindsay
OPAL ATLAS &
JESS FITZGERALD – STUDIO #64
I have been a huge fan of stationery designer Marlene Dunlevy ever since discovering her adorable line of Joshua Tree-inspired souvenirs earlier this year. So getting to meet her in person at her pop-up studio with mixed media artist Jess Fitzerald was easily the highlight of my tour experience! Bonus – Jess’ five-acre “creative compound,” the Landers Homestead, is an absolute delight, complete with a labyrinth, a pink trailer, and gorgeous views of the surrounding landscape!
ANNA STUMP & TED MEYER – STUDIO #11
This singular painting/mixed media studio is situated inside a former cow barn at Twentynine Palms’ first – and only – dairy farm, which was built in the 1930s. The original well is even still pumping away outside! Visiting the space was like stepping back in time, with owner Anna Stump, a mixed media artist who paints on found objects, regaling us with tales of the property’s unique history while we perused her colorful works.
CYBELE ROWE – STUDIO #69
Deep in the heart of Landers sits the studio of Cybele Rowe, whose large-scale sculptures are displayed throughout her acreage in a whimsical sculpture garden that has become a local roadside attraction. But meeting Cybele is the real attraction here! Warm, bubbly, and inviting, she is joy personified and all too happy to share her captivating tales of traveling the world to complete her many larger-than-life commissions.
RECAPITATE HEADWEAR – STUDIO #16
Catch an up-close-and-personal glimpse at the art of hatmaking courtesy of “High Desert Hatter” Todd Fink and his handsome workshop/showroom in Twentynine Palms, where he boils, steams, sands, burns, and handcrafts headpieces for his many dedicated clients. Those clients include the cast of Kevin Costner’s new western film Horizon, for which Fink created many custom pieces. You can even pick up a replica of Costner’s character’s headgear on-site.
ART-O-MOTIVE GALLERY– STUDIO #8
Sheliah Bailey crafts gleaming metal sculptures from the shells of burned-out automobiles, transforming destruction into beauty, at her inventive Art-O-Motive Gallery in Twentynine Palms. Along with Sheliah’s pieces, works from sculptor Duane Byrd and painter Stacy Byrdare also on display. Be sure not to miss the local history room, filled with unique desert ephemera, as well as the two friendly-faced “greeters” parked out front (pictured).