North Valley's annual Hidden in the Hills studio tour announces dates

Arizona’s largest and longest-running artist studio tour, Hidden in the Hills, makes its return in November.

The nonprofit Sonoran Arts League-hosted event will take place during the last two weekends of November: Friday, Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 22, 23 and 24, and Nov. 29, 30 and Dec. 1. This year’s free, self-guided tour features 179 artists at 44 studios throughout the scenic Desert Foothills communities of Cave Creek, Carefree and North Scottsdale.

The League also announced that Ray Richardson’s wood sculpture, “Island,” will grace the cover of this year’s artist directory. The colorful piece depicts a cactus wren starting to leap into the air from a prickly pear cactus.

“Ray’s piece is so unique. His workmanship is outstanding, and we were drawn to the intensity of colors, both on the bird and the cactus,” Gail Haire, a longtime Hidden in the Hills participant and acclaimed oil painter who serves as event co-chair, shared in a press release. “This is his first year participating in Hidden in the Hills.”

Growing up in northwest Connecticut, Richardson was enthralled with birds at a young age. He loved spending time outdoors, and his grandmother fueled his interest through nature books and magazines. She also introduced him to comic books, where he was captivated by the idea of using lines, shapes, and colors to tell stories.

Later, after serving in the Navy, Richardson attended community college and found his passion for fine art. While he excelled in oil painting, he began working in carpentry, which opened the door to woodworking.

He began carving birds in the early 2000s while working outside on a client project.

“The property had a beautiful garden filled with hummingbirds and they would buzz me as I was carving,” Richardson stated. “I was so enthralled that I started wondering if I could capture the moment in wood. I believe that was the catalyst moment for me.”

His initial inspiration came from encountering cactus wrens shortly after moving to Arizona in 2015. He sketched his ideas, but it wasn't until years later, during the pandemic, that he began sculpting “Island,” which measures 15" wide x 9" deep x 19.75" high. Much of the piece is made of maple, including the base.

The Phoenix resident will exhibit and sell his work at Roxanne Eklund’s Studio #31 in Cave Creek. Eklund is a fiber and textile artist who is also new to the Hidden in the Hills tour.

This year’s tour artist directory also will feature five diverse artworks on the directory’s back cover. The artists featured on the back cover include mixed media artists Terry and Marilyn Alexander, oil painter Nancy Pendleton, painter Scott Rispin, jeweler Celest Michelotti and oil painter Marless Fellows.

Visit www.HiddenInTheHills.org .