Hop on a bike or carpool with friends and spend an art-filled afternoon exploring the homes and studios of Key West artists on Saturday, March 4, 2023 from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Produced by The Studios of Key West, the annual Artist Studio Tours take you on a self-guided journey through the secret lanes and hidden alleys of Old Town. The Studios gives you an all-access pass to visit the creative studios of painters, musicians, sculptors, and writers. Tickets are $30 general admission and $25 for members (discounted price will display upon member login) and can be pre-purchased online or by phone at 305-296-0458. Tickets can also be purchased on the day of the tour at Stop #1: 718 Olivia Street.
This year's self-guided tour showcases the homes and studios of eight local and national artists, including Meggi Siegert's distinctive pink Victorian house on Olivia Street; the "Writers and Artist House," where artist Rebecca Bennett, and writers Jessica Argyle and Rosalind Brackenbury can be found; installation artist and designer Mimi Hein's home studio; and New York/Key West artist Susan Sugar's "Turtle House," which was called an "artist's paradise" by Coastal Living magazine. Visitors will also find expressionist oil painter Scott Gruppé's workspace and gardens tucked behind a secret lane.
Explore the Homes & Studios of:
1. Meggi Siegert, painter, has always been fascinated by portraits and figures, but it wasn't until she moved to Key West a decade ago that she - surrounded by colors and a creative community - found her way back to art. Meggi works in oil on linen. A recurring theme in her work is the depiction of vulnerability, strength and resilience as is the stillness of the figure surrounded by movement. She looks behind the layers to capture glimpses of intimacy.
2. Susan Sugar, painter, is a New York/Key West artist who has been capturing the tumultuous ever-changing seas and skies for decades. With a background in dance and architecture, she works with rhythm, space, and light, recreating what she sees and feels, searching for what moves her most.
3. Scott Gruppé, painter, is an internationally known expressionist oil painter. The fourth-generation artist was born in Boston, lived in Europe for 10 years and has called Key West home since 1990. His figurative expressionism is often referred to as "poetry in motion."
4. Rebecca Bennett, painter, has been working at the studio on Grinnell for 13 years. "A studio away from living space is such a blessing, since oils do generate fumes, and the process can be chaotic and messy. I work generally one or two paintings at a time, to get some drying time, and the space is just big enough to accommodate my process. I get to listen to the happy dog noise from the park next door, where people meet to exercise their dogs. There is a history of creative effort here that continues with my two studio mates." Rebecca recently had a solo show "Silence" at The Studios and is represented by Gingerbread Square Gallery.
Rosalind Brackenbury, writer, has been working in the studio at Grinnell Street for about fifteen years, since she inherited her room from Robert Stone. Original inhabitants were Stone and Annie Dillard. She has been working this year on finishing a new novel "Bone Whispers," due out from Epicenter Press in 2024. "I love my studio here and the way I enter it between two mature gumbo limbo trees, that make a sort of portal to pass through on my way in to work. There's nothing like having a space with no outside interruptions, out of the house, with no phone or internet or other distractions! And working alongside two other artists is both inspiring and supportive. I've always liked working with the smell of oil paint..."
Jessica Argyle writes historical fiction set in the Lower Keys, and has recently completed "Sidetrack Key," the sequel to "No Name Key." Set in the Florida Keys of the 1930's, both novels feature a deep sense of place and atmosphere with an avenger-styled heroine determined to flourish in the male-dominated culture of the era. Jessica wrote "Sidetrack Key" in the small back studio, fittingly enough, on top of a converted cistern.
5. Mimi Hein, visual artist, is an artist and ukulele player whose art encompasses paintings, installations, and repurposing found objects. She loves originality and appreciates great design.
Sponsored by Jane Gardner Interiors.