Studio tours seem to be an increasingly popular way to view art in Kitsap County, and for good reason — it gives artists a chance to show the public how and where they create their art, and it gives patrons a chance to meet the artists, appreciate what goes into each piece, and get a good price on those works they want to take home.

The Hansville Art and Crafts Guild hosts “Step Into Our Studios” April 28 and 29, with 17 artists in six studios.

This is the third time in four years that the Guild has hosted the tour, and member Sandi Wright said it is growing in popularity with both the artists and tour-goers.

“There’s lots to see at every site,” she said. “It’s a nice time of year, a nice time to get out for a weekend drive.”

Sure, gas is edging $3 a gallon, but it’s still worth it.

Artists on the tour will have a wide variety of artistic media, from turned wood art and sand carved glass to hand woven baskets and charcoal portraits.

Jerry King, on Vista Key Drive, will open his shop to show how he creates his sea creature-themed “high end yard art.”

King, in partnership with Jeff Hardwick, fashions one-of-a-kind two- and three-dimensional sculptures using metal cutouts of salmon and other sea critters.

Hardwick draws the design, which King then lays out to fit fin to nose on a sheet of metal. The pattern is sent to a metal shop in Woodinville which cuts out the designs with a laser, creating a smooth, finished edge.

Back in King’s shop, he takes grinder, blowtorch and other implements of creation to the fish to create the original designs.

King said he and Hardwick researched the yard art market when pricing their items, and felt they were reasonable, even on the bargain end of the scale.

For example, a large copper salmon goes for $140. You couldn’t buy a fresh one for that nowadays.

They have sold their yard art at last year’s Hansville holiday arts and crafts show, and many yards around King’s neighborhood feature leaping salmon and creeping crabs.

“No two are alike,” King said. “Even though the blanks are the same, every finish is different.”

While some artists use their art as a way to relax after working a regular job, King’s art is not that much different from what he does all day — he’s a welder and metal fabricator.

Judy Bryant is another artist on the tour, working in mixed media collages and beaded jewelry design. She frequently sells her work at local arts and crafts fairs, and acknowledges it’s not something you do for money. She works on her art when she doesn’t have things to do like weeding the garden.

Several artists on the tour will be working on their art, such as woodworker Dan Marler, creating turned wood items, and his wife Mary Marler, demonstrating machine quilting with her longarm quilting machine.

Tour participants who have a tour card stamped at every site are eligible to be entered in a free drawing. Prizes include three seatings for two at La La Land Chocolates’ new Chocolate Fountain Bar at the Kitsap Mall, and donated art by the tour artists.

The Step Into Our Studios tour takes place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. April 28 and 29 — that’s a Friday and Saturday — and is free. To get started stop at any studio on the tour and pick up a map. They are also available at the Hansville Market.

To get to Hansville, from any direction, turn north onto Hansville Road from SR 104, at the intersection of Miller Bay and Hansville roads and SR 104.

Step Into Our Studios stops

1. 6756 NE Twin Spits Rd: Dan Marler, turned wood art; Mary Marler, longarm quilting; Soks Bukoski, textile arts; Lynn Hix, sand carved glass and machine embroidery; Norm Hix, turned wood art.

2. 38085 Hood Canal Dr. NE: Ardy Carey, hand woven baskets; Judy Bryant, beaded jewelry and collage art; Jane Smith, speciality greeting cards.

3. 37971 Vista Key Dr.: Jerry King, marine custom metal art.

4. 37829 Fawn Rd. NE: Sandi Wright, stained and fused glass and jewelry; Erica Fish, lampwork glass pendants, La La Land Chocolates and Teas, chocolate truffles and tea tastings.

5. 37540 Hood Canal Dr. NE: Gale Johnson, quilting and textile creations; Marci Collins, charcoal portraits, Cate Knoll, tole art and knitware; Veronica Reyna, tole painted garden art.

6. 5425 Ponderosa Blvd. NE: Ruth Greb, silk and dried floral arrangements.