Ah, artists—reclusive, angst-filled-while-waiting-for-the-muse—well, not so much for this group. They’ll be defying those stereotypes on Saturday April 26, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and Sunday April 27, from noon to 4 p.m., by welcoming visitors to their studios in Elmira and Corning. Through the weekend, visual artists working in a variety of media will throw open their doors to let the curious peek behind the scenes, find the unexpected, buy the irresistible, and learn about each artist’s process.

“A lot of people ask about process,” notes Beth Landin, (41 East Market Street, Suite 205, Corning) who will be turning her second-floor studio into an exhibit space. There’s a recurring theme—the conviction that artists are living an ideal life. Many visitors want to know how they do it—and are not-so-secretly wondering whether they could live that dream themselves. Sometimes it’s couched in another question, like when Beth is asked how long it takes her to complete a painting. Her answer? “Years of study and practice, and then the time to paint.”

And also, like every artist on the tour, not painting while she reconfigures a space to make it more visitor-friendly, gathers refreshments, prepares herself for questions and feedback. “It’s delightful to me to be able to host people in the studio,” she says. She will have work in progress on an easel, finished paintings, prints, cards, ceramics, and a few light refreshments.

Eleven artist studios and galleries are involved with Arts in Bloom—the list of participating artists is on Facebook. Jesse Gardner, owner/director at West End Gallery (12 Market Street, Corning; westendgallery.net), a founding member of the event, along with the ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes, will be hosting at least four artists at the gallery, with a succession of artists demonstrating their process during the weekend.

“Whether visitors are art collectors, appreciators, fellow artists, aspiring artists, or even the ‘art curious,’ this is a wonderful opportunity to watch a professional artist at work,” Jesse says.

Bridget Bossart van Otterloo, whose studio is at 10 Jackson Circle, Corning, recommends beginning at the West End Gallery as a home base. She counts herself as one of the instigators of the post-pandemic incarnation of the art tour. She says each artist involved takes part in the organization, making it “totally a group effort.”

Bridget believes Arts in Bloom is a valuable event. While the creative process is often solitary, “I don’t want to be making art in a vacuum,” she says. “People have always been interested to see how artists work, and each artist’s personal space is inspiring to see.” Sometimes visitors, inspired by her work, will want to take a class with her. “It’s all interconnected.”

Some artists, like Lee O’Connell (81 East Fifth Street, Corning) work from home. While her real studio is in a former upstairs bedroom—she’s a poet and writer as well—Lee wants to make things easier for visitors, so she’s setting up a temporary gallery of her work in a downstairs den with an accessible side door.

“Arts in Bloom is my way to open my studio to new people,” she says. “It’s exciting to share what I do with somebody new.”

Lee took up the arts in retirement. She loves hearing people say they’ve followed her work on Instagram, but that seeing it in person touched them even more deeply. And to those expressing the wish to follow in her footsteps and explore art, “If they’re still working full time I tell them, ‘you will too, eventually.’”

The Turquoise Terrapin is between Corning and Elmira, a little off the beaten path at 465 Steege Road, Corning (actually closer to Big Flats), where Kelly Ormsby designs jewelry out of natural materials like parrot feathers, rattlesnake bones, and, of course, turquoise. Kelly’s love for designs inspired by the Southwest was honed by her former job at the Rockwell Museum. Her workshop, in a woodsy cabin next to her home, has a fireplace, colorful Mexican tiles, and beautiful things she’s collected on her travels.

“I’m really grateful for the people who take the time out of their day to come and learn about what I do,” Kelly says. “I take it as a huge compliment. I learn from them, and they get the novel experience of seeing something that isn’t usually open. It’s an exchange.” Perhaps, depending on his mood, the weather, and Kelly, Lyle the tortoise might also make a cameo appearance.

Marc Rubin (166 North Main Street, Elmira) puts some specials on one wall, and often fields interesting questions from those who visit his studio. Some viewers will see the sometimes-startling juxtapositions in his signature still-life paintings and ask, “What’s the story behind this one?” He likes to turn that question into “What do you see? Once it’s on your wall, it’s your story.” Marc’s space is a storefront, where the plants, real stuffed animals, and a small herd of easels give some insight into the creative process he invites people to share with art lessons and by looking deeply into the world around us.

“What you see is usually not what you think you see,” he says. Ceramicist Colleen McCall (50 Foster Avenue, Elmira—look for a house with butterflies) sets up a gallery space on her home’s first floor, allowing visitors to enjoy the integration of her work with the décor in a space as colorful and patterned as her pottery.

“People want to see the artist’s life, not necessarily where it’s made,” she says, adding that she actually works in her home’s basement. For Arts in Bloom last year, she incorporated an interesting twist by setting up an adjacent room with her seconds and irregulars as a fundraiser for Meals on Wheels, which enabled her to give that group a generous donation. That’s prompting a repeat for 2025.

So, in more ways than one, art is, as Bridget notes, “a healthy habit to get into.”

“Art is really important for creative and innovative thinking, and the arts are really important for long-term learning for adults, too,” she says.

See it for yourself at Arts in Bloom.