The world may not yet have the technology to unlock the secrets of artists’ fascinating minds, but there is an event that can crack the door into their creative process, and it’s coming to your neighborhood. Portland Open Studios, the free, self-guided art tour where painters, sculptors, photographers, and more invite the public into their workspaces, is back for two weekends in 2025 — Oct. 11-12 and Oct. 18-19, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

It’s an intimate opportunity to see local artists in action and show your support by purchasing their pieces for your home.

Now in its 27th year, the nonprofit is represented by a new board, a dedicated team of volunteers, and 103 participating artists across the city, divided into eight regions to help simplify your explorations: North, Northwest, Southwest, Inner, Middle, and Outer Southeast, and Inner and Outer Northeast.

Each is represented by community leaders who have worked behind the scenes all year to support their fellow makers and make sure everything goes smoothly for the thousands of art enthusiasts who will stop by.

For David Trowbridge, whose nature paintings incorporate acrylic marker to accentuate brushstrokes and add graffiti-like marks to the canvas, this will be his fifth Portland Open Studios. “My hope, which has always been satisfied, is to meet people who have a passion for art, are curious, and want to talk about it,” he said.

As stunning as his paintings are, he jokes that it's his studio that will take your breath away first. “The first thing they will notice is the view! My studio in the West Hills faces east and looks over the city, the river, and Mount Hood,” Trowbridge said. “Everyone comments on it when they walk in. Accessing the studio does require good mobility, as the stairs leading to it are steep.” Visitors can see several of his in-progress pieces, as well as 30 to 40 other recent works and a screen projecting digital art. “The back space is my storage, and contains all of my past work, and during the tour typically has a few ‘sale bins’ with older paintings, etchings, drawings, etc.”

Over on the northeast side of town, Anne Mavor will display many of her botanical contact prints, which she makes using plant pigments, shapes, and textures on substrates like fabric or paper. “There is no ink or paint involved. I print on used or vintage fabric like linen, hemp, and cotton to keep the work earth-friendly,” she explained. People who stop by can experience the process of harvesting flowers and leaves in Mavor’s garden, arranging them on fabric, and steaming the rolled-up bundles to transfer the dye.

This will be Lea K. Tawd’s first year as a community leader, although she did show her wood-panel paintings at last year’s Portland Open Studios. That experience boosted her confidence about inviting strangers into her backyard studio; now she looks forward to inviting others in to see her Reiki-inspired motifs. “I am also an energy healer.  I begin nearly every day in the studio by lighting some candles and sitting at my altar,” she said. “Visitors will get to walk under my beautiful willow tree and see the mural I’ve painted on my studio doors.  I’ll have a lot of work hanging up, including a special series that I am working on just for the Portland Open Studios tour. I have several smaller items, including prints, journals, and candles, and hopefully my oracle deck will be ready and available.”

Aurora Oliva is a testament to the fact that it’s never too late to discover your self-expression. Although art was always present in her life — she remembers tacking a poster of Mary Cassatt’s "The Child's Bath" in her high school bedroom — it was the pandemic that pushed her to start painting, just shy of turning 50. Guests will pick up on that sense of fearlessness in her work, and have the chance to test their own skills by painting with Oliva. “What you see that's hanging on my wall is merely the artifact of all those internal decisions that I made. A painting is a culmination of lessons learned from previous successes and failed attempts,” she said.

Representing the Inner Southeast, painter Alison Dougherty developed her craft through trial and error. “Experimenting in life and in my art practice, asking questions, listening, learning, taking chances, and grabbing opportunities when they presented themselves helped shape who I am as an artist today,” she said. Doughtery supported herself for 24 years, painting more than 100 murals across the country for Trader Joe’s; in 2014, she left behind the corporate world in search of creative freedom. Most of the time, she describes her personal studio as a “beautiful disaster,” but Doughtery also says she cleans up well.

“This is my world beyond worlds. There will still be paint all over the floors and soft hip-hop music filling the void in the background,” Doughtery said. “There’s a good chance we will have a champagne toast to each other for good health and even greater art after they’ve bought a piece. My goal in the end is to give the viewer a visual experience. If I've accomplished that in their visit, we all win.”

Whether you decide to stick to your neighborhood or take your art explorations across the city, you’re certain to find visually interesting work and a kindred soul or two. Plot your course at PortlandOpenStudios.com.

Meet the Team

Andrea Henning (North Portland Community Leader)
Jonny Luczycki (Outer Southeast Community Leader)
Jerry Svoboda (Inner Northeast Community Leader)

Portland Open Studios enjoys the support of an art-loving community that volunteers time and energy to bring this wonderful event to life. Visit PortlandOpenStudios.com to join our volunteer list.