Coffee tour, tobacco tour, football tour’ among the bewildering variety of trips offered to tourists, the colorful flyer of Costa Rica Art Tour caught my eye. The day trip visiting the workshops of artists in and around San José is the brainchild of Molly Keeler, who started the company in December 2004, after she was invited by an old friend to visit the Galería Ulises art fair in San José 's Plaza Roosevelt.
Struck by the variety of art exhibited, Keeler approached the artists with a proposal of an art tour.
It is common in New York to attend open house weekends, during which artists open their studios and workshops to visitors. I was determined to offer this opportunity to artists here, as well as an alternative kind of tour, said Keeler, an art school graduate.
Costa Rica offers high-quality art at affordable prices but how can we build that bridge between the artists and the tourists? How would a foreigner navigate the complicated Costa Rican address system if he wanted to get to know local artists?
There are plenty of art galleries in Costa Rica, but an opportunity to meet the artists and share their vision is a different, enriching cultural experience, she added.
Tourists love the opportunity to enter a typical Tico house, chat to the artist and walk out with a high-quality artwork. Painter Mario Madrigal, a charismatic artist with a workshop in Barva de Heredia, north of San José, said he was hesitant about the idea at first.
In the beginning I was a bit apprehensive about opening my house to tourists, he confessed. But I quickly realized how enriching the experience can be. I enjoy displaying my art and discussing my ideas and methods with tourists, and visitors love the opportunity to practice Spanish over a cup of coffee there is no language barrier in art. Art speaks for itself./div
A visit to the stained-art workshop of Sylvia Laks is an experience in itself. The scenic drive to the accomplished artist's studio, nestled in the mountains of San Rafael de Heredia, is a prelude to the symphony of light, color and glass represented in Laks' work.
She is one of a handful of people in the world who has mastered the old technique of painting à la grisaille, and now employs a team of highly trained craftsmen and women from rural communities.
Costa Rica Art Tour takes visitors to the workshops of a variety of artists painters, sculptors, ceramicists, printmakers and traditional artisans such as blacksmiths and mask-makers. The route is varied, and the trip can be customized according to the tourists' personal preferences. The full-day tour in a small group costs $95, including transportation, translation, lunch at a típico restaurant and a visit to five different artists. The company also offers assistance in purchasing and shipping artwork.
