Virginia Unseld, Gilpin County.     Gilpin County artists are in the final stretch of finishing mosaics, firing pots, pouring candles, polishing jewelry, framing paintings, welding sculptures to prepare for the art enthusiasts who will visit their studios on September 20 and 21.  The hours are 11:00 to 5:00  on both days.

To get a map you can either go to the GAST Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/GilpinArtStudioTour) or pick up a flyer with a map at any studio, the Gilpin Library, or the many generous sponsors who help to make this annual event a reality. There will also be road signs with the Gilpin aspen leaf and yellow balloons to help direct people to studios.

The public is invited to meet the artists and see a preview of the work on Thursday, September 11, from 5:30 to 7:30 at Gilpin Public Library. Refreshments will be served.

The tour is proud to present some new artists this year.  Gabrielle Gerwitz will be exhibiting one-of-a-kind ceramic pieces. She creates functional work with patterned glazed textures based on things she sees in nature.

Gabrielle learned her craft at Hunter College in New York and is one of the kiln masters at the Gilpin Clay Studio. Her prices range from $15 to $150. Last year Gabrielle was part of the Gilpin Clay Studio stop on the tour, but this year she and her husband David Serrano will welcome visitors to their home studio.

David Serrano is a surrealist painter from Barcelona, Spain. He moved to Gilpin County with his wife three years ago. He is inspired by the world around him. He will not be selling his paintings during GAST, but has opened his studio to visitors for the first time.

Julie Ikler has lived in Gilpin County on and off for the past 30 years.  Her work is a form of mosaic called "Pique Asiette,” which translates to “broken plates.”  Julie uses chipped pieces of china or pottery, along with found objects, glass and  tiles  . . . fitting things together like puzzle pieces and combining various shapes and colors into a pleasing design.

Julie studied art at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, and says “I feel like I have finally found a medium that really speaks to me. The possibilities are endless!” Julie’s mosaics range in price from $50 to $500 and she is beginning to accept commissions. So bring that broken plate that belonged to your grandmother and let Julie design a new life for it.

Artist Tom Cowherd is a retired electrical engineer who lives with his wife north of Black Hawk. After 20 years on a farm in Northwest Missouri, he recently moved to Colorado to live in the mountains. Tom has always enjoyed Native American art and began studying earth-centered spiritualties in 1999. He developed both a love and appreciation for Mother Nature’s elements of art.

Using natural stones and minerals, Tom creates simple settings with sterling silver and copper, always aiming to enhance the beauty of the stone Tom learned his silversmithing at the Genevieve Flynn Studios in Kansas City, Missouri. Tom is excited to be living in Gilpin County and experiencing the energy of the stones and minerals in Colorado as he creates affordable jewelry.

Gary Kragenbrink is a Central City sculptor. He has lived in Gilpin County for 27 years. He welds whimsical sculptures, both large and small. “Sophisticated repurposing is a fancy term for found or cast off metal items turned into art objects that bear very little resemblance to  their former lives,” explains Gary.

“My past regular careers of building Package Industrial steam boilers, building maintenance, HVAC Service Technician, and Public Works Operator for a small front range city (42 years’ experience) have given me the knowledge to fabricate with metal. And the skills to use the tools to do so. The rest is just imagination and a good sense of humor.” Gary’s prices range from $65 to $2700. Gary’s studio will be open Saturday only.

The tour also welcomes back veteran artists. Violet Aandres returns this year after a one-year hiatus. Violet’s studio is the northern tip of the tour. She paints glorious Colorado scenes and wildlife in watercolor and collage. She is often inspired by her amazing garden.

Virginia Unseld and Bambi Hansen share a stop on the tour. Virginia is a landscape painter who focuses on painting with pastels. She has won many awards for her paintings, including First Place in the Plein Air Rockies quickdraw in Estes Park last week. Bambi is a long-time member of The Environmental Group in Coal Creek Canyon and practices what she preaches about reduce/reuse/recycle by creating sophisticated earth-colored candles from recycled wax.  Her candles are shaped like pine cones, pyramids cylinders and rectangles and come in a variety of sizes.

Gigi Lamont is a longtime Gilpin resident and ceramic artist who specializes in raku firing. Raku is a Japanese technique which involves adding combustible materials to the firing when the pot is red hot. This produces luminous glazes that are mysterious and gorgeous. Her long wall pockets and wall sculptures of bears and bison have been collected for years by Gilpin residents.

Forrest Anderson owns and operates Wabi Pottery on Virginia Canyon Road in Russell Gulch, just under 6 miles from Central City.  Probably the longest Gilpin resident on the tour, Forrest began making pots at his studio under his house in the ‘60s. His functional mugs, casseroles, flower pots, tea pots, and many other items have been favorite wedding gifts for decades. They feel good in your hands and look great on your counter.  His studio showroom is a refurbished Victorian mining cabin behind his house. This furthest southern point on the tour is a stop not to be missed.

There are three group stops on the tour. The Gilpin Library will be open Saturday and you can see a sampling of all the artists’ work there. Gilpin Clay Studio at the community center will have the work of master potter and instructor Steve Briggs and about 10 of his students.  The Clay studio offers classes year round to mountain residents, so find out about the class schedule for the fall while visiting.

Wheel-thrown work and handbuilt work will be for sale along with outdoor clay sculptures. The Gilpin Arts Association features the work of its members at the huge historic gallery space across from the Opera House in Central City.