Amityville tour offers look into artists' studios

Sometimes art does indeed imitate life.

For more than three decades, John Dunlop has spent his weekdays welding and molding metal for work at a Massapequa auto body shop. For the past three years, Dunlop has spent his weekends welding and molding metal for fun at his home art studio.

"I'm just a blue-collar worker who started making art," Dunlop, 50, says with a shrug. "Now I can't stop."

From the subtle dimples of Dunlop's sheet-metal sculptures to vivid watercolor paintings, and the cloth and plastic of life-size figures, the diverse work of 19 artists will be on display Saturday during an open studio tour in Amityville.

The self-guided tour, organized by the Amityville Artists Circle, allows a peek at the work in 12 local studios. During the tour, which lasts from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and costs $12, artists will be on hand to talk about their work and sell their pieces.

This is the group's fourth studio tour since its formation in 2001. After working as a civil engineer for 15 years, founder Andriani Lazaridou Mikolaitis, 54, decided to devote her full attention to her love of art and soon found she wanted a community of artists around her.

"Like any profession, you like to be around people who understand you, who you can bounce ideas off of, who can give you a critique if you want it," said Mikolaitis, who paints and makes beaded jewelry.

The circlestarted with a half dozen members, and now boasts more than 90 artists and art lovers who have the opportunity to display work at five exhibitions a year. The group has a gallery downtown, thanks to the owners of Vittorio's, who provide space next to their restaurant.

For the artists, the tour is a chance to engage others. "It's very exciting when someone else gets excited about your work because it means you've not only captured something meaningful to you, but someone else has seen it in the same light," said Vera Mingovits, 63 who paints and shoots photos.

The term "studio" is used loosely. For many artists, a studio is any space in their home that can be used to set up an easel or work bench. "I have a little bit of nerve saying 'come to my studio' and it's my kitchen," Mingovits said, laughing. "But I think more people need to see that if you want to do it, do it."

For more information, call the artists circle at 631-691-8575 or go to amityvilleartistscircle.org.