More than 165 local artists are preparing to participate in this year’s Open Studios Art Tour, scheduled two weekends October 10-11 and 17-18.
Among them are four creatives who have each participated for more than half of the 28 years the event has been hosted in San Luis Obispo County by SLO County Arts.
Painters Robert Burridge, Glynis Chaffin-Tinglof, and Jim Tyler are participating in both weekends this year.
Ceramicist Charles Varni is returning to Open Studios in 2026 for the first weekend only after a five-year absence—but this year marks the 17th time he has opened his studio for touring and demonstrations during the annual event.
We asked these Open Studios veterans what visitors should expect, and why they think the program has had such lasting appeal to both artists and the public.
What can visitors expect when they show up at your studio this year?
Varni plans to have approximately 100 pots, plus sculptures, at his Oceano studio, he says. “I’m currently working on the final 25 pots.”
After a hiatus, Chaffin-Tinglof is getting back to full time painting. “I am excited to have created about 15 to 20 new paintings for this year’s event.” She is sharing her space in Los Osos again this year with Morro Bay artist Roné Prinz, who sets up an adjacent working studio and talks about her techniques and wide variety of subject matter.
Tyler says he paints about 50 pieces a year, so he doesn’t create specifically for Open Studios because he always has a variety of new work. “I paint what makes me excited,” he says. “I do stock up on giclee prints of all sizes, though.”
Tyler is making it a family and friends affair this year. Joining him at his San Luis Obispo studio are his wife Sheri Klein (fused glass), their daughter Janna Tyler (felt floral arrangements), and friends Leigh Ramirez (silver jewelry), Rebecca Wamsley (ceramics), and Barry Lundgren (wood turning).
“We have a large house and studio that easily turns into an art gallery for OSAT,” Tyler says. “We don’t have any overlap in mediums so there’s a huge variety of art. It’s very fun for the artists, and all of our visitors talk about how great it is to see so many artists at one place.”
How do you prepare to welcome visitors into your work space?
Some artists spruce their studios up a bit for Open Studios, while others like to expose the real process of making art.
Burridge says he cleans up his workspace in Arroyo Grande so people can move around and view the art: “If you want to clean the house—or studio—have a party!” He organizes his different themes and subject matter to make it easier to view, and arranges gallery bins for small works and a table for limited edition prints.
“This year I will not be ‘cleaning up’ my space,” Chaffin-Tinglof says. She wants to leave “the mess of creating” in her Los Osos studio out for visitors to see.
“I enjoy meeting people in my studio, to chat about all things art,” Chaffin-Tinglof says. “Many aspiring artists come out on the tour which is always fun. I share materials and techniques, if there is time.”
What might visitors discover about your work and your creative process?
“OSAT is my chance to show my complete body of work—nudes, portraits, story-telling nocturnes—not just the local landscapes that I have in galleries,” Tyler says. “These aren’t my most commercial paintings but they’re the ones I love best.”
His pastel paintings have been featured in Pastel Journal Magazine and Plein Air Magazine. “For me, painting isn’t simply about recording what a place looks like. It’s about capturing what made the scene compelling in the first place—the light, the atmosphere, the color, the composition, and the feeling of being there.”
Varni says his pottery is inspired by the earth’s geology. “I use multiple colors of natural clays and take inspiration from the wild backcountry of the Central Coast, the bowels of the Grand Canyon, and the colors and textures of Arizona, Utah, and New Mexico.”
As a potter, Varni says he makes rock vessels. “I mix fine grains of eroded mountains with water, create a vessel, then heat it to more than 2,200 degrees which transforms it into a ‘rock pot.'”
Burridge is an industrial designer who, after 25 years in the corporate world, now focuses his life on painting every day. His work hangs in permanent collections of international embassies, corporate galleries and art colleges.
Chaffin-Tinglof is a mixed-media artist. “I concentrate mostly on abstract aerial landscapes,” she says. “The paintings I am working on lately are from my Terra Incognita Series (Unknown Lands).”
Why participate in Open Studios?
“We always benefit when we participate in Open Studios,” Burridge says. “I enjoy showing my latest work for comment, and sharing with the like-minded art community. Of course, it is always wonderful to get sales too.”
Chaffin-Tinglof agrees that sales are a big part of the event. “To see my work go off to new homes is great, especially when the new collector sends pictures of the pieces in situ.”
Tyler says new customers are important, but the event also draws new models as well as artists signing up for pastel lessons.
According to Varni, Open Studios provides a larger context for understanding the passion, love and spirit that inspires him. “As a succulent collector for more than 50 years, always looking for unique pots, I started making my own 34 years ago.”
Without the work of packing and loading his van, a studio/garden sale allows Varni to more easily offer planted pots from his personal collection, a diverse selection of unplanted pots, and hard to find plants. “I am able to actually demonstrate some of the techniques I use in my studio, providing insight into the creative process,” he adds.
“OSAT is the biggest art event of the year in SLO County,” Tyler sums up. “It’s a major opportunity for artists and for visitors.”
The 2026 Open Studios Art Tour catalog is available online. Free printed copies are available throughout San Luis Obispo County.