Wouldn’t you love to walk into an artist’s studio, look around, admire pieces of art and maybe acquire a treasure or two?

This weekend, 17 Bowen artists, studios and galleries will open their doors to the public for the Studio Tours as part of the BC Cultural Crawl – a province-wide event with more than 60 participating communities.

Islander Joshua Van Dyke is keen to welcome visitors. He lives close to Josephine Lake and has created a number of pieces inspired by his surroundings. The graduate of the Glasgow School of Art moved to Bowen Island in March and has been actively involved in the Bowen Island Arts Council as well as the Bowen Island Youth Centre, where he leads the popular Tuesday Arts Camp. When asked to describe the program, he said, “It is like an open bag. We did a lot of painting, but it might turn into something else and involve sculpture. I did workshops in Scotland where I encouraged the kids to re-use found objects to raise awareness for recycling.”

An example of Joshua Van Dyke’s artwork has been showcased in the recent exhibit at The Gallery at Artisan Square and he hopes to work together with gallery coordinator Ann Ramsay to organize an art show featuring local youth.

In addition to Joshua Van Dyke, there are a number of well-known names on the list of the Studio Tours: Stuart Slind, Gregg Simpson, Robert Wall, Sharon Norman, Lori Stringer and Mary Farrie. The tours also highlight the wealth of galleries operating on Bowen Island: The Gallery at Artisan Square, the ArtsPacific Gallery, the Purple Door Gallery, Nature Encounters Tours and Travel Ltd. and the Bowen Island Heritage Preservation Association Museum. Yellow banners will mark the location of participants and will invite visitors to check out the GILT Studio Gallery, Christie Grace Studio, Stands Tall Creations Woodcarving, Cloudflower and Many Moons Pottery Studio. Please note that Kim Kasasian’s studio will be closed this weekend. However, during the rest of the summer and throughout the year, tours may be arranged by contacting the artists. For more information visit www.biac.ca or pick up a brochure at the information centre, the library or participating galleries and studios. Studio Tours on Bowen (Aug. 15-16) take place from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.