[responsive-slider id=4196]

Artists in West Volusia will open their private working studios to visitors during the annual “Off the Beaten Path” Florida Arts Tour Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 22-23. Twenty-one artists will display their work at 17 stops between the hours of 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. each day.

This time, the tour boasts a new website application allowing studio visitors to browse lists of artists and follow easy interactive maps on their phones from tour stop to stop.

Every year, art patrons, collectors and curators, as well as families and children, are welcomed into the studios to meet the artists in their work environments, watch demonstrations, enjoy light refreshments, and shop for unique original works of art. The varied types of offerings includepaintings, sculptures, textiles, jewelry, ceramics, woodworks, photography, printmaking and illustration.

“The tours have been growing rapidly in popularity every year. This year, we have added Orlando-area studios to the tours. People seem to enjoy getting out, exploring, and discovering new ideas,” said spokesman and one of the artists John Wilton.

All studios on the tours will be open for all ages, free of charge, and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The other locations for tours are in Orange County, March 14-15, and Lake County, which includes studios in Eustis, Leesburg, Mount Dora and surrounding towns, April 4-5.

Also, a number of cultural institutions such as museums will be open to the public during the hours of the tours.

Visitors enjoy a self-guided tour with easy-to-follow interactive maps that are on the website, which also features listings of each location with artist information.

The new website at ArtsTours.org is also compatible with smartphones to allow easy navigation on the road.

Additional information is available online at the event website ArtsTours.org.