STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREN BOSSICK

Step into Jack Sept’s leathercraft studio, filled with the smell of freshly tooled leather used for saddles, belts and billfolds. Tour EJ Harpham’s expansive ceramics studio where she creates wall tiles, kitchen sinks and dishware when she’s not tending to her beautiful vegetable and flower gardens.

Shake paws with Lisa Holley’s therapy reading dog as you watch her paint the latest in her series showcasing what animals eat. And watch Jeweler Lisa Horton combine her fascination with plants and metalsmithing to create jewelry with impressions of leaves, flower petals, twigs and seed pods.

The Artists’ Studio Tour of the Wood River Valley will offer art lovers the opportunity to visit with 40 artists from Bellevue to Sun Valley Friday through Sunday, Aug. 22-24.

The free self-guided tour will take place from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. There will be art for sale at each location and the opportunity to discuss techniques and inspirations with the artists.

Visiting eight studios over the three days will qualify tourgoers to enter a drawing with gifts from participating artists as prizes. Those visiting studios in Bellevue get one chance per visit at a $100 gift card from Mahoney’s.

There will be a wide range of mediums, including painting, sculpture, photography, jewelry, glass, leather, wood metal, basketry, ceramics, textiles and wearable art.

One artist—Marty Lyon will donate 80 percent of the sales of his pastel landscapes to The Space, which provides afterschool tutoring and enrichment experiences for sixth- through twelfth-graders.

“In these days of molasses-speed supply chains and slowed-down shipping, it makes even more sense to shop regionally from artists who have stock on hand ready to hand over to you,” said Lisa Horton, chair of the Artists’ Studio Tour of the Wood River Valley board of directors.

For a map of the participating artists, visit https://artiststudiotour.com/locations/. Maps will also be available at artists’ studios.