10 // COASTWEEKEND.COM CLOSE TO THE ART JAMES REYLAND ANDERSON PHOTO Robert Paulmenn paints en plein air at the Astoria Column. Peak inside local artists’ studios during the Astoria Open Studios Tour on July 28-29 By MARIANNE MONSON FOR COAST WEEKEND S arah Bolerjack leans over the copper plate, wielding a dental tool as an etching instru- ment, as she carves a design into place line by line. On the metal canvas before her, a girl reaches up to grasp the limb of a sinuous tree, whose leaves dissolve into stars stretched across a night sky. The moon, large and luminous, rises in the background. Bolerjack is one of 50 local artists participat- ing in the eighth annual Open Studios Tour, held 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, July 28 and 29, in 28 locations throughout the Astoria area, from Lewis and Clark to Svensen. Finished artwork hanging on the wall of a gallery often seems intimidating and impossible to fashion step by step. Astoria’s Open Studios Tour allows art students, patrons and aficionados to go behind the scenes with real working artists for a more intimate look at the messy and imper- fect steps involved in bringing a masterpiece to life, line by line, piece by piece. The tour is free, self-guided and open to all ages. A map with the complete list of locations can be found online or in galleries and coffee shops in the Astoria area. Bolerjack will be working on Glasgow Avenue, not far from woodblock print artist Karina Andrews and oil painter Roger Hayes on Astoria’s south slope. Christine Trexel will be demonstrating her techniques in handmade paper and book art up on the hill. COLIN MURPHEY PHOTO Sarah Bolerjack prepares to take a look at a freshly pressed print in her studio.