There are lots of places for the public to see fine art and craft. Galleries, cooperatives, museums, and airport shops all show the very best of what local artists and craftsmen have to offer.

Every weekend during the summer there is an arts festival or fair. But only on the weekend of September 11th and 12th, will the public have the opportunity to see how and where fine art and craft is created!

Front Range Open Studios is a group of full time professional artists and craftsmen  who realize that the techniques, talents, tools and raw materials they work with are a mystery to their friends and neighbors.

So, for one weekend each fall, they open their workshops and studios and allow their guests to see how they create their art. Since there are many forms of creative expression there are many different mediums to explore.

Have you ever wondered, “How is that made?” Richard Pankratz will show the step-by step process of creating a bronze figure and  how he mixes ceramics, glass and bronze to make heirloom quality furniture and vessels.

Jodie Bliss’ studio in downtown Monument will offer the opportunity for guests to create a sand mold for an iron pour later in September.

At Nancy Bonig’s studio you can watch the various steps in creating kiln worked glass and even create your own!

This year you can meet the alpacas that provide the fiber for Barbara Ziek’s  home décor and art clothing. Mediums of creative expression include oil and acrylic painting,  metal smithing, handmade paper and mobiles, sculptures in bronze, iron, and steel, ceramics, watercolors, batik, kiln worked glass, jewelry design and fabrication, photography, and fiber arts.

You will see how each artist and craftsman has transformed his or her working space with tools, music, books, and specialized materials into their own unique sanctuary, where they find creativity and inspiration.

How would you like to be the artist? Perhaps you would like to glaze your own raku pot, paint an alcohol ink magnet, felt alpaca wool into a decorative necklace or make your own glass. There will be demonstrations of technique or tools and guests can enter drawings for gift certificates to local restaurants and for original works of art by some of the artists!

This is not a traditional studio tour where you drive from location to location just to see multiple artists and finished product!

You will have the opportunity to purchase first rate art and craft at special prices,  but you will also gain the unique experience of watching how and where your collectible was made!

For more information about this event, a list of all thirteen participating artists and craftsmen, and a map to all fourteen locations go to our website, www.frontrangeopentudios.com.