WINLOCK — Richard Roth, a Winlock artist, is making a longtime dream come true.
For years, Roth has dreamed of developing a "cooperative open studio" for a variety of local and regional artists to simultaneously share their work with the public.
"The event is scheduled for September, and I have about 20 artists signed up, and would like about 30," said Roth.
The group's chosen name is ARTrails of Southwest Washington.
An "art trail" is basically an event in which people can travel to studios to view and buy artwork, watch art being made, eat, relax, etc. The public is given maps detailing the specialties and locations of contributing artists.
"It's like a bunch of artists holding open houses during the same weekend," he explained.
Roth is working with the Performing and Fine Arts Council, a Centralia-based council to develop the arts in the Lewis County area, to create the ARTrail, which will coincide with PFAC fund-raisers in September.
The first ARTrails of Southwest Washington will be held the weekends of Sept. 13 and 14, and 20 and 21.
"This trail is a way to let the public know about the vast artistic talent in Southwest Washington," he said, adding he has already lined up potters, painters, fiber artists, sculptors, printmakers, collage artists, jewelers, woodturners and photographers.
The artists involved come from across Southwest Washington, including Longview, Castle Rock, Winlock, Toledo, Centralia and Chehalis.
Any serious artists who would like to join the group may telephone Roth at 785-3682, and should do so soon, he advises, as the trail map will be designed in a few weeks.
"I've got goose bumps because I am so excited this is finally happening here," he said. "My involvement in Sonoma County's very successful ARTrails in Northern California for the past three years has made me realize that it is time to do it here."
The ARTrails of Southwest Washington, which is expected to be a yearly event at the minimum, "will do a great deal to elevate the image of Lewis County and Centralia as a center for the fine arts," said David Eatwell, Centralia's downtown economic development coordinator and a member of the PFAC.
"I don't think many people realize the wealth of artistic talent in this area," said Roth. "ARTrails will get the word out that even rural Southwest Washington is full of artists who are making a living by making great art."
Roth is one such artist.
While studying education and minoring in art at the University of Washington in the late 1960s, an elective class in pottery sparked Roth's lifelong passion and career.
"It was my last quarter at the UW, and I decided to take pottery because it sounded fun," he said. "My first assignment was to make a 6-inch cylinder. I thought it would be a piece of cake, but it wasn't. It took me 12 hours, until 1 a.m., to get it right."
Though learning the skill was harder than he had anticipated, Roth was hooked.
"Ever since that class, I have loved the idea of clay. It is so flexible," he said. "If you mess up, you can recycle it and begin making something new. You can wad it back up and do it again."
Roth also loves working with wood and metal, though, he said, "they do not have the same flexibility as clay."
In the 1970s, Roth moved to Sonoma, Calif., where he opened a pottery studio and store, and also taught at a local public school.
"During my 10 years in Sonoma, I developed many of the techniques and styles I use now with my pottery," he said.
Roth returned to his native Winlock in 1979 to help out his father, as his mother had recently died.
"I wondered how I was ever going to make a living doing pottery in Winlock," he said. "It sounded crazy."
Yet, Roth started a mailing list of customers, and his Winlock pottery business, Grand Prairie Designs, slowly grew.
That mailing list has grown to 900 people.
Roth makes high-fired functional and decorative pottery, "but also strictly artistic pit-fired vessels that are a delight to see and hold."
He also teaches pottery classes at his studio. Summer classes are scheduled to begin June 16.
"There are a lot of people like me who have unique artistic businesses that even some local people don't know about, and (I hope) ARTrails will create more awareness and help Lewis County develop as a place for the arts," said Roth. "ARTrails has a mailing list of about 1,000 people to invite."
Roth believes "developing the arts is a way to bring tourists to see what Lewis County already has, as opposed to changing Lewis County in order to attract tourists."
Roth was among a large group of Lewis County residents opposed to the now defunct proposal of a multi-million dollar theme park, Skyland, east of Winlock on Grand Prairie.
"A theme park can go anywhere, but few places have the natural beauty of Lewis County — forests, volcanoes and pastoral rural character," he said. "So, why create a massive theme park and alter the priceless landscape that makes Lewis County unique and which can appeal to visitors?"
The theme park dilemma has been quieted with the December demise of the Southwest Washington Public Development Authority, the county entity that was working to recruit theme park development.
Roth's concern now is the county's current growth management practices that may designate large tracts of farmland as rural development districts, limiting development of one home per 5, 10 or 20 acres.
"If we do that, we lose the pastoral character that contributes so much to Lewis County's beauty," he said. "Instead, we will have a bunch of houses on little plots."
Roth is also watchful of the Lacey-based Sovran Development Group, now in the midst of planning to develop residential and industrial areas around Winlock, as well as a new city center.
"I plan to work with local people to discuss and decide amongst ourselves what kind and how much development we want," he said. "I am very committed to limiting new projects to those that enhance rather than destroy our precious rural character. I believe in economic development, but we have to choose development that will protect the great resources we already have."
"There are different paths we can choose. It's a complicated issue," said Roth. "But I do believe developing and promoting our artistic talents is a step in the right direction."
Amy Emerson covers energy, business and economic issues for The Chronicle. She may be reached by e-mail at aemerson@chronline.com, or by telephoning 807-8231.
