Santa Barbara Studio Artists 24th Annual Open Studios Tour

Art and connection — these are two things you can find at the Open Studios Tour in Santa Barbara. The Santa Barbara Studio Artists (SBSA) are returning with their 24th annual Open Studios Tour this Labor Day weekend. This event offers a rare opportunity to meet local artists and step into their private workspaces. This year’s tour will feature 28 artists, whose studios will be open to the public and marked with yellow flags to guide the way. 

One of the featured artists, Tricia Evenson, graduated with a BFA in Graphic Design from the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena and spent three decades as a creative director and designer for high-profile Los Angeles clients. Evenson is inspired by abstract artists such as Mark Rothko, Wassily Kandinsky, and Jackson Pollock. I had the privilege of interviewing Evenson in her own home studio, which is filled with both her and her husband’s work. Her studio space and home reflects her nature-inspired style with animals, trees, lakes, etc. being the focus of her paintings. Though she experiments with various color palettes, her works tend to be vibrant and are inspired by natural landscapes and subjects. “I’m inspired by the ocean, water, sky, clouds, trees, and living things, everything from insects to elephants,” she said.

Evenson’s painting origins stemmed from her client-based design agency in Culver City as a graphic design artist. In 2012, she wanted to infuse her company with new life through self-directed painting and collage. Through this exploration of painting projects, she and her husband found an interest in fine art and moved to Portland, Oregon, to pursue that dream. “My journey has been from a 35-year career in graphic design, branding, and packaging to fine art, and I started as an abstract landscape artist, and then I started doing wildlife painting. Those are the two things I like doing the most. I also dabble in mixed media, collaging, and bringing different elements to painting. I’m always evolving, and I don’t stick with one thing too long,” Evenson said. 

Evenson and her husband, Stan Evenson, moved to Santa Barbara in 2020 amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. “Everything was pretty much shut down, but we started getting involved in creating art very soon after we moved here, and showing our art. I had a great opportunity to have a solo show within the first six months of being here at the Santa Barbara Tennis Club gallery. Then we joined several different organizations, such as Santa Barbara Visual Artists, Santa Barbara Studio Artists, and Abstract Arts Collective. Our journey has been really wonderful since we landed here five years ago this month. We have found the art community to be extremely welcoming, non-competitive, and encouraging,” said Evenson.

Both Evenson and her husband are showcasing their art in their studio and home in the upcoming Studio Tours. “When people come to our studio, they get a two-for-one, and that’s really exciting, and I think it’s a good draw for people. We both decided to paint really large paintings this year so that we capture people’s imagination and attention. … I really like it when people ask questions about our art. I like to be able to speak to the art or ask a question back, like: What does it mean to you? What do you see in it? What does it make you think of or remember? I want artwork to be evocative, but mostly we just want to have fun,” she said.

[Click to zoom] Tricia Evenson and artwork | Credit: Maya Johnson

In addition to painting, Evenson ventures into many different avenues of art, including writing. “I am writing a book in the finishing stages right now about how to live your most creative life, and how to unblock yourself from the conversations that have you get stuck in your life when the path could be creativity,” Evenson said. She is co-writing this book with another artist from the Santa Barbara area, Carrie Clark-Kenny, and says that it will be in bookstores by the end of 2026. She describes writing as, “kind of like painting a painting, by bringing in a lot of things I know from different genres or different mediums, or just things I understand about art and design.”

Evenson said she is always inspired: “I think that’s the way I live my life. I’m an open person who is excited about new experiences. When I feel like I know something, I try to remember there’s so much I don’t know. So, I want to stay open. I listen, I keep my eyes open, I keep my heart open. I want to take in as much information from the world and the environment, and people I’m spending time with as I can, because all in all of those places I find inspiration. I think inspiration is always in front of us. We just have to stay open to it.”

The Open Studios Tour runs from Saturday, August 30-Monday, September 1, from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, with an opening reception and preview exhibition on Friday, August 29, from 5-8 p.m. at the Community Arts Workshop (CAW). See SantaBarbaraStudioArtists.com for tickets and details. This year’s proceeds will support the Grace Fisher Foundation, which connects individuals with disabilities to art, music, and dance.