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Open Studios Tour

Central Coast Bioneers is pleased to announce that this year’s conference will be a gallery stop on the SLO Arts Council’s Open Studios Tour, Saturday and Sunday, October 15 and 16, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. in the SLO Vet’s Hall foyer. There is no cost to view the artwork, so please feel free to come even if you are not registered for the conference.

We will feature four well-known artists from our community, Carol Paulson, Elizabeth Johnson, Stephen Plowman, and Timo Beckwith. Attendees from last year’s CCB conference will remember Timo’s beautiful artwork adorning the stage at the Spanos Theater.

Carol Paulsen
Carol feels lucky to live in Baywood Park between the ancient breathing estuary and the hills with rocks for bones.

This county has been her home since childhood and has surrounded her with pure inspiration. Here she raised her family, adventured, wore out a few good dogs, made a lot of art and a community of close friends. Carol is a painter, sculptor and a force of nature. She loves it all: family, community, absorbing, making art and her dachshunds, Zoe and Hoopaw. Carol invites you to visit her website to see more: paulsenart.com

Hear it - By Carol Paulsen

See it - By Carol Paulsen

Speak it - By Carol Paulsen

New Growth by Carol Paulsen & Stephen Plowman

Stephen Plowman
Stephen says it all started with an egg and a sperm and has pretty much been a variation on that theme every since.

One Eye On Venus One Eye on Mars by Stephen Plowman

Timo Beckwith
Diverse creative pursuits, which span a wide range of visual and performing arts, public service and arts education, have been the primary areas of focus for Timo Beckwith. These include: painting, sculpture, mask making, photography, sculptural lighting, film making and theatrical production design. He taught art and music in Arts in Corrections for fourteen years, mask-making workshops at Esalen Institute and was the mask maker for a film directed by John Singleton for Columbia Sony Pictures. Timo was a founding member and co- director of Art Lives Here, a member supported contemporary art galley. He has also created and directed public ecstatic dance venues, exhibited art and performed original world fusion music throughout the state.

Performance highlights include: main stage performances at the Live Oak Music Festival and at the Performing Arts Center in San Luis Obispo for San Luis Obispo Ballet Theaters production of Wali Sangara which was choreographed to original music from his album Calinambe ,"Light at The Top" with Johnee Gange. He also recorded the album Human_Human with Chris O'Connell and most recently released his third album Timo Solo.

By Timo Beckwith

Elizabeth Johnson
Elizabeth has lived and worked in SLO County for 25 years creating 2-D and 3-D artwork in a variety of materials. Her work includes cast bronze, steel, mixed media sculpture often using recycled materials, and photographs. This work has been included in many group shows and several solo shows. Installations include a collaboration in an abandoned hotel in downtown SLO, an audience-interactive sound sculpture exhibit at Arternatives Gallery in SLO with a music/visual art performance collaboration at Cal Poly, and a solo installation at Vermont Studio consisting of mostly found or recycled objects. Her cast bronze sculpture has been nationally shown and recognized. She has curated several art shows, the largest being a Public Art show for Arternatives in 1995 that included public art artists from all over California. Elizabeth has completed many functional art commissions in varied materials for private residences. She has been the chair of ARTS Space Obispo Steering Committee and now serves as co-chair.

ARTS Obispo's Open Studios Art Tour (OSAT) is one of the largest Open Studios in the country, with over 200 artists participating annually by opening their studios for visitors to tour during three weekends in October.

Open Studios showcases the quality and diversity of art produced in SLO County. Visitors can see and purchase a wide range of original work by local artists who appreciate the opportunity to share how, why and where their art is created.

OSAT is not only a showcase for artists and a feast for collectors, but ARTS Obispo's largest fundraiser. The funds from Open Studios support ARTS Obispo's community-based programs such as Arts in Education, Art in Public Places, and Art After Dark, supporting arts and culture in San Luis Obispo County.