Central Coast Artists
We were originally attracted by the art that is the focus of the event, but we soon found that there were other attractions.  Art is mostly a solitary venture, and the artists really enjoy the opportunity to meet people and discuss one of their favorite topics – their art and the process of creating it.

Finding the studios is an adventure itself, sort of like an Easter egg hunt or a rally.  I can almost guarantee that studios will be on roads you’ve never seen before. and might not even imaged that such a road existed.   Just traveling to various studios gave us a greater appreciation for the depth and range of our new center.  Ironically, one of the studios was right across the street from our flat.  It was a great opportunity to meet our neighbors, and this contact has developed into a friendship.

At one of the studios, an artist explained that, for her, this studio tour was a voyeuristic experience.  She not only enjoyed seeing other artists’ work spaces and how other people lived.  I must admit that seeing how other people live is part of the experience.  By the way, many of the artists provide little treats – mostly cookies, chips, and other nibbles.

One of the artist sites was up one of the coastal canyons.  The road was surprisingly long, and the last mile or more was just dirt (adobe).  The studio was at the road’s end in a farmhouse, and was the workplace for several artists.  I asked one of the women artists what the road was like in the rainy season.  She quipped that once the road got wet, it was like driving on snot.  That may not be the most elegant way to put it, but anyone who has driven on wet adobe roads will agree with her highly apt description.. 

The area for the tour was too large for even the three weekends available.  We made several trips on the various weekends and felt we only saw a sample of the entire tour.  Admittedly there were sites listed in the catalog that had no interest for us, but these tours are a great way to learn about the more pedestrian and cultural aspect of a new community.

We bought several small pieces of art, which is why the artists sponsor the tour in the first place.  Local art is usually a reflection of the community in which it is produced.  Not all the pieces we picked up show views of this region, but they will be souvenirs of our vacation.
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The Central Coast can boast of a large and varied population of artists.  A major reason for this is the disproportionate number of people who chose this area in which to retire.  Retirement is probably the second or third largest industry after tourism and education, although the tourist trade is also an attraction for younger artists.

Shortly after we arrived – actually it was a month after we arrived – we became aware of an “Open Studio Art Tour” scheduled for San Luis Obispo County.  We were first exposed to this kind of event when we spent six-months on Camano Island in Washington State.  Various artists open their studios to the public for a couple weekends.  The sponsoring organization publishes a catalog that gives a brief description of each artist’s work, a photographic sample of the work, and a map of how to get to the studio.