Before the Eastside Culture Crawl became a four-day, multi-block-spanning arts and culture extravaganza, it was a much more intimate—though no less inspiring—affair, with only 45 artists showcasing works across three ateliers. Local maker Valerie Arntzen’s First Saturday Open Studios seems reminiscent of those days, offering the public a monthly glimpse into the workspaces of almost 50 artists in Vancouver, North Vancouver, and New Westminster.

February’s event takes place this Saturday (February 6) from noon to 5 p.m., when you can stop by the studios of creatives like contemporary printmaker Kari Kristensen, painter Ray Ophoff, and fashion designer Kjaer Neletia Pederson to learn more about their art, techniques, and inventive processes.

Here are the artists participating in this month’s First Saturday Open Studios session:

Vancouver

Shannon Harvey, painting/printmaking
593 East Georgia Street

Valerie Arntzen, assemblage/collage
800 Keefer Street

Ray Ophoff, oil painting
Back Studio (884 Georgia Street [alley entrance])

Joan Tayler, polymer clay
Back Studio (884 Georgia Street [alley entrance])

Mary Blaze, painting/drawing/collage/repro prints
108-1000 Parker Street

Tannis Hopkins, painting/drawing
108-1000 Parker Street (entrance at yellow door off east loading bay)

Kate MacDonald and Les Sears (K8L35), mixed media/painting/photography
315-1895 Powell Street (buzz 007 at orange door)

Sonya Iwasiuk, mixed media painting
1000 Parker Street (call 778-998-7894)

Sherry Cooper, painting/mixed media
108-1000 Parker Street (entrance at yellow door off east loading bay)

Kari Kristensen, printmaker
1000 Parker Street, Studio 204

Kris G. Brownlee, painting
1000 Parker Street, Studio 204

Alannah Anderson, painting/mixed media 
315 East 17th Avenue

Lori Goldberg, painting
2063 Grant Street (garden Studio)
RSVP by phone (604-313-8039) or email

Doris MacDougall, drawing/painting
#280-1000 Parker Street (ring buzzer on railway side of building)

Michael Fitzsimmons, painting
#280-1000 Parker Street (ring buzzer on railway side of building)

Patsy Kay Kolesar, jewellery
The Onion Studio (103 Union Street)

Jana Kucera (JMK Designs), jewellery
The Onion Studio (103 Union Street)

Galen Felde, painting
#209-339 Railway Street (buzz 209)

North Vancouver

Kjaer Neletia Pedersen, fashion
195 Artist Studios (195 Pemberton Avenue)

Mary Savage, drawing/painting
195 Artist Studios (195 Pemberton Avenue)

Gabriele Maurus, mixed media
305 Mansfield Place