In the middle of the pandemic in 2020, a concentration of artists in Kings Beach decided to hold a neighborhood art gathering. Kings Beach Art Tour was the brainchild of artists Cathy Strand and Cathy McClelland, who dreamed it up on a ski chairlift three years ago. Last August they enlisted more than a dozen local artists to put themselves out there and display and sell their work in a safe, outdoor setting.
“We wanted to keep it small and simple and fun. And during Covid last year, it provided people with something to do.” –Kathy McClelland
“We started talking and thinking that we could organize a little art tour within this community, within our little neighborhood,” McClelland says. “We wanted to keep it small and simple and fun. And during Covid last year, it provided people with something to do.”
Kings Beach Art Tour
Aug. 7-8 | 11 a.m.-5 p.m. | Free | kbarttour.com
Download the Art Tour map
Both were seasoned art-tour veterans with North Tahoe Arts. They remembered how spread out the studio tours used to be, alluding to how hard it could be to get from Tahoma on the West Shore to Incline Village, Nev., on a busy summer weekend day.
“We wanted to keep it to the neighborhood,” Strand said.
I enjoyed the 2020 Kings Beach Art Tour on bike and found that all studios were easily accessible. I was able to see more when the artists were clustered into a smaller region. Cycling in from Carnelian Bay, I remember starting at Nicole Stirling’s studio, putting on some 3-D glasses and entering the Glow Booth to take in her amazing mandalas. I then worked my way up to the other side of neighborhood to admire Lewis Kawecki’s oil paintings, then Strand’s backyard with the fused-glass lawn art, then Sara Smith’s where she was talking to a group about her animal paintings.
Riding through the livable part of Kings Beach, I ran into the same people and got a different experience at each place. It was a great way to see the entire area and become familiar with emerging artists. I ended my day at Heidi Reeves’ house to meet jewelry artist Elisa Cutler. I walked through Reeves’ home admiring her miniature felt animals. I ended up in her backyard where Karey Dodge’s weaved baskets were in one corner of the garden and Jane Lufkin’s vibrant landscape paintings were hanging on the deck. There was so much to take in, it was easy to make a day out of it. I was grateful to get out of traffic and experience all that Kings Beach had to offer.
Following the success of last year’s tour, it makes sense that it is returning bigger and better, with more artists in some of the same — and new — locations. It’s free to attend, allowing one to meet your fellow Kings Beach neighbors and support their work.
The self-guided 2021 Kings Beach Art Tour will be on Aug. 7 and 8 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be 20 artists at seven studios within a 1.4-mile radius, showcasing everything from fused glass art to handknit accessories and reclaimed wood paintings.
“We have an eclectic bunch here,” McClelland says.
“And we want it that way,” Strand adds. “We want to showcase a variety of art in all different mediums.”
“Each artist is so different at each location, their styles are completely different,” says McClelland, noting that she’s excited to have seasoned and emerging artists Cathee St. Clair, Michael Bruno and Rachelle Soule at her home this year. | kbarttour.com
Maximize your tour experience
Cathy McClelland | “Look at the map and go to who interests you first.”
Cathy Strand | “Park the car and bring your bike and your hiking shoes and remember it’s two days, so you can split it up and do a Saturday cluster and a Sunday cluster.”
Kayla Anderson | “Start early and go to Tahoe Vista or the Randalls’ house first, then once you get to the outskirts of the grid, park and walk or bike around. Buy the art you’re interested in, then go back and pick it up after the tour.”
