The annual tour features the studios of Dana Worley, kiln-formed glass artist of Fused Glass Designs in North Logan; Melinda Petro, gourd artist of Greenleaf Gourds & Greenhouse in Providence; Lori Nawyn, painter and proprietor of Huckleberry Moose in Hyrum; K and Kerri Rasmussen, potters of Rasmussen Pottery in Hyrum; and Carole Warburton, stoneware artist of Juniper Moon Studios in Avon.

The group organized the tour from the ground up themselves. Knowing each other from around the valley and various art shows, Petro said members of the group grew closer over time.

“I’ve done shows for 25 years,” Petro said. “You kind of form a family when you do shows, and you see them in other states, and they’re like your artist family.”

The group’s friendships dovetailed nicely with artistic partnerships, and with their success came a thought of expanded exhibition.

“Most of us had exhibited out at Carole’s before, and she was growing by leaps and bounds out there,” Nawyn said. “So last year we all talked and decided we needed to spread out a bit.”

Petro said she called Warburton up and suggested they do a “Parade of Homes”-esque tour of the studios.

“She was like, ‘You know, I’ve kind of had the same idea in my head, and I think other artists have as well.’ So we called a few artist friends, and the five of us got together last year and started it,” she said.

“I think we all had kind of been thinking about the same thing,” Worley said. “We just said, ‘Hey, we should do this.’”

The appeal of the tour, Worley said, is giving those interested the chance to see the working space of artists up close, as well as a moment to talk to the artists themselves.

“I think the draw really is to say you get to go into the artist’s studio and see how they make the magic, right?” she said. “This is how they do what they do.”

“That’s the fun of it,” Petro said. “People are really intrigued by meeting the artists and seeing their studio and seeing and learning how the work is created. This gives them a chance to see, live and hands-on.”

Visitors didn’t just get to meet the headliners — each location served as a platform for other local artists as well. Worley said the studios try to have “at least” two artists at every location available to talk about their art and process.

“Really, the big draw is to actually go in and talk to the artist and understand how they create what they create, where they get their inspiration — things like that,” she said.

At Greenleaf Gourds & Greenhouse, Petro said there were around 23 artists in total, due to both the relatively large size of her venue as well as the concurrent “Sip-N-Shop” event she’s held annually at the greenhouse for the last 17 years.

The weeklong event (ending Dec. 17) features a wide array of artists and their wares as well as bounteous amounts of wassail, a traditional hot cider with cloves, cinnamon and oranges — hence the sip, hence the shop. Petro said the general idea of showcasing other artists during the tours was something she’s long enjoyed doing at Sip-N-Shop.

“I like giving new artists a chance to show their stuff when they’re a little bit too timid or shy to start out — it gives them a chance,” she said.

The Cache Studio Art Tour is also notable in its lack of institutional support — it’s “just a couple of individuals trying to pull some things together and provide an opportunity for people in the valley to drop by our studio and see how we make our art and maybe do some holiday shopping,” Worley said.

The tour is a true independent production, a small business promotion run by the businesses themselves.

“By and large, when people buy my art, they’re buying from a small business and they’re buying things that they will never find on Amazon or anywhere else,” Nawyn said.

That one-of-a-kind appeal and personal touch goes a long way toward making the art more meaningful to customers, Worley said.

“Truly, that’s why a lot of us buy art: because you connect with the artist.”