GRAND JUNCTION, Colo. — Artist Sandy King loves chatting about art with those who visit her home-studio each year during the biannual Open Studios tour.

“My house is also a gallery — art is everywhere. It's one reason I paint — to have art,” King said.

King is one of 33 artists throughout the Grand Valley who will show visitors where and how they go about the creative process during the fifth annual Open Studios Tour, sponsored by Artspace and Open Tours, a service organization for visual artists.

Open Studios — held each spring and fall — is a self-guided tour of artists' studios and personal galleries where people can talk to the artists and in most cases watch work-in-progress. It's also an opportunity to buy art directly from the artist.

This year's fall tour features a wide range of media including painting in oils, watercolors and pastels, sculpture, stained-glass, pottery and ceramics, tapestries, jewelry and much more.

“It's one of the best ways to look at art being made now,” Artspace and Open Tours executive director Linda Brotman-Evans said.

“It's a way to connect with artists, to talk about their tools, techniques, classes.”

King is known for her colorful, bold watercolors of blooming cactus, and local flowers; although for the past two years she has switched to using mostly acrylics on canvas. Her subject remains cactuses, flowers and the occasional landscape.

King estimates there are at least 100 paintings, most for sale, hung throughout her home. She also has prints, does custom printing, and offers some “bargain” paintings each year during the tour.

Sue Parker's workshop and gallery, located on the new Palisade Fruit and Wine Byway, 3535 G Road, is also part of the tour.

Parker is a full-time creator of what she calls functional pottery. Since moving to fruit country from the Roaring Fork Valley eight years ago, Parker has added fruit bowls to her wares.

The bowls — large ones for peaches, smaller dishes for berries — have holes throughout to allow air to circulate while the fruit ripens on your counter, Parker said.

Throughout the tour, Parker said she will be working at some stage of pottery making, whether it's throwing, trimming or glazing clay, or loading or unloading the kiln.

Many of the featured artists show their works nationwide e in other galleries, Brotman-Evans said. Open Tours was started because there are simply not enough galleries in the valley to show all the work being done locally, she said.

Many of the artists will be working in their home studios. Additionally, a group of artists will have easels set up at The Artist's Haven, an arts supply store, 527 Bogart Lane.

Members of the Art Jewelers Guild will be making jewelry at the Fruita Community Center, 324 N. Coulson St. Tours are Saturday, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m.

Maps of the tour are available online at www.artspacecolorado.org or in Fruita at Aspen Coffee, Hot Tomato Cafe, Chamber of Commerce and Camilla's Kafe; in Grand Junction at the Visitor and Convention Bureau, Grand Junction Parks and Recreation, Hang Ups, Traders Coffee, The Art Center, Coffee Muggers, Girlfriends, Planet Wines, Alpine Bank downtown, The Great Frame Up, The Artist's Haven, Planet Earth & the 4 Directions Gallery, KJCT8, Today's Home, The Raw Canvas and Working Artists Gallery, Crossroads Fitness, and Pablo's Pizza.

In Palisade, maps are available at the chamber of commerce, city hall, Twisted Brick Studios, and Parker Pottery.

For more information call 970-640-8177, or visit www.artspacecolorado.org.