Preview exhibition: Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High St., Sebastopol, through Oct. 2

Open studios: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 24-25 and Oct. 1-2

For a catalog of artists and studio locations: sonomacountyartrails.org

Nancy Morgan’s ceramics, often adorned with charming, slightly cartoonish critters, spark joy. In a Marie Kondo-like household purge, who could resist sparing a covered baking dish with a running rabbit on the lid, a jar with a tiny owl perched on top or a birdbath permanently inhabited by a squirrel?

In a disposable culture where corporate trendsetters and designers dictate that we change up our homes constantly to stay contemporary, some things, at least, should be sacred. A home needs more than the latest filler and fluff from Home Goods. It also should have statement pieces that are ours alone. They could be family heirlooms, handmade gifts given in love or objects from travels laden with good memories. Our homes are made unique and more interesting if we also incorporate one-of-a-kinds we buy at a gallery, a crafts fair or right from an artist’s studio.

Sonoma County Art Trails, on Sept. 24 to 25 and Oct. 1 to 2 this year, is an opportunity each autumn to add something singular to your home environment. It’s also a rare chance to talk to artists about their process and maybe even see them at work in their studios. You can choose something that calls out to you and see the kiln in which it was fired, the wheel on which it was thrown, the loom on which it was woven or the woodworking tools used to create it.

Visit sonomacountyarttrails.org to read about the 116 participating artists, 20 of them new to the trail this year, selected by a jury of five art professionals. Then pick a few that intrigue you and chart a course. Or you might spot one of the many Art Trails signs posted around the county and follow it to a studio to see what you find.

Participating artists work in a range of formats, from paintings, collage and printmaking to glass art, ceramics and jewelry. A preview exhibition at the sponsoring Sebastopol Center for the Arts includes one piece from each artist, giving you a quick overview of all the artists to help you decide which studios to visit.

This is shopping as cultural entertainment, as you traverse the county’s back roads at a time when the vineyards are changing color. Scope out a favorite restaurant for lunch or pack a picnic to take to a park between studio visits.

Some artists who participate in Art Trails make functional art, designed to serve as decorative pieces in a home or garden. These may be tableware, pots and vases, blankets, bird feeders or even statuary for your landscape.

Morgan’s Three Dog Pottery studio in Healdsburg (223 First St.) turns out mugs, covered baking dishes, berry bowls, teacups and utensil holders. Think how much more interesting these would be to use day to day than a dish from Macy’s Martha Stewart Collection.

A potter for more than 50 years, Morgan works out of the late-Queen Anne Victorian she and her husband restored. She describes her pieces as bearing a touch of whimsy, often with animals.

Making art objects meant to be touched and used is second nature for her; she was raised to be practical.

“I did not start out as an artist. I was afraid of art,” she said. “As a child, I was never encouraged to do art. I was encouraged to make things, like to learn to sew or learn how to cook.” But growing up in rural Napa County, she also had vast outdoor spaces as her playground and became enchanted by nature in her explorations.

Frequently, the first thing a fledgling potter makes is something functional, so Morgan took easily to the medium. But after a few years working with ceramics, she realized there was so much more to it; it was really an art form. She took classes at what was then Humboldt State, experimenting with other media but always committed to her first love — ceramics.

And yet, “the functionality of it never left me,” she said. “’I’m not going to be a painter, although I paint on my pots.”

Her corgis, border collies and her newest addition to the pack, a dachshund she calls “an absolute clown,” show up frequently as adornments on her pieces, although other little animals also make appearances.

Even a common baking dish will get a touch of playfulness, but she doesn’t usually go for bright colors. She prefers the earth shades found in nature, like turquoise and iron tones, greens, grays and the palest of blues. Yet some of her pie and tart pans might feature bright fruit designs like lemons and cherries.

Morgan, whose pieces often have intriguing textures and patterns, also likes to create functional art for outdoors, from hanging bird feeders and bird baths to cache pots and various vessels to hold potted plants.

She’s participated in open studio tours for 20 years.

“I get to meet people and visit with them and share what I know,” she said. “A lot of people just want to come and find out about the process and see if they’re interested in learning it.”

Visitors to Elise Loveday-Brown’s Occidental studio (3349 Joy Road) also can explore her extensive hillside garden, throughout which she has tucked ceramic surprises to be discovered like Easter eggs. You might see a face peeking out or what looks like an open pod with something inside.

“The garden is always changing, but I love how they’re so constant,” she said of her garden art. “You don’t have to water them, and they don’t go dormant. And they’re magical.”

The garden stretches over an acre, and placed throughout are benches so a visitor can relax and enjoy the space. Paths meander through garden “rooms” and several patios, with stairs leading to different levels.

It’s an eclectic garden she planted with small starts. This ceramist is a serious gardener. Twenty years ago, she founded Sebastopol’s Sweetwater Nursery, now run by her son.

At her snug, “gingerbreaded out” studio, you can find vessels, teapots and angels for the garden. What she makes changes constantly, according to whatever strikes her fancy. Right now, she’s making wreaths and plates edged with botanical images.

Loveday-Brown doesn’t do commissions. A piece has to come spontaneously from within.

“It has to come from something going on in my life, and then all of a sudden I get this need to do it,” she said of her process of inspiration. “I’m in my studio literally every day.”

She doesn’t use a wheel, opting instead to work free-form.

“Nothing I make is ever round. I don’t believe in round. I want a little imperfection,” she said.

She shies away from traditional glazes, preferring to use slips, a clay slurry coating, for a more natural look. She does love hues that fall into the green spectrum, not surprising for an avid gardener. But for the most part, when it comes to color, her works defy description.

“I like colors you can’t name,” she said. “I find them to be much more alluring.”

If you’re looking for a pillow to brighten a couch or a throw to lay over the back of a chair for snuggling up, check out Abby Bard’s studio at 343 Florence Ave. in Sebastopol.

Bard is across the street from renowned sculpture artist Patrick Amiot, whose often-humorous sculptures made from recycled materials adorn the yards of many houses along Florence. Amiot’s studio is also open during Art Trails. And for those into Italian-style ceramics, Helen Horn Nicholas of Maioliche Ceramics also has her studio open at 241 Florence Ave.

Bard makes luscious fabrics in wool, cotton and rayon. She also weaves new things from old fabric strips.

“I’ll buy fabric from thrift stores and tear them up and use them as ribbon elements. That makes for a really interesting texture,” she said. She spots potential fabrics in unexpected places for surprising results, like coat lining, which is shiny and can add sheen.

“I like to use things that sparkle,” she said.

Bard gives weaving demonstrations during Art Trails on one of her three looms, including a 36-inch LeClerc four-harness jack loom. In addition to pillows and throws for the home, she also makes place mats and window panels, loosely woven so light can sift through.

“They are things people can use in their everyday lives. They are not precious things. They are useful things,” she said. “I like to see people using my things, whether they’re napkins and place mats on a table or pillows on the couch or it’s something they can wear to keep them warm and cozy.”

With an eye to practicality, Bard also hand-weaves baby blankets that are machine-washable and preshrunk and zippered pillow covers that also can be removed and washed.

Different threads can give a piece more texture, from nubby boucle to soft rayon chenille. She’s crazy for color and lets it make the statement instead of intricate patterns.

“I just use a very simple weave structure,” said Bard, who was drawn to the designs of Guatemala and traveled there in the 1970s. There she learned to weave on a traditional backstrap loom, a lightweight, mobile loom made of wood and a strap wrapped around the back and attached to a tree or post for stability and tension.

“I had seen fabric from Guatemala before I went and thought it was so beautiful I wanted to go where they made it,” she said.

You can reach Staff Writer Meg McConahey at 707-521-5204 or meg.mcconahey@pressdemocrat.com. OnTwitter @megmcconahey.

Preview exhibition: Sebastopol Center for the Arts, 282 S. High St., Sebastopol, through Oct. 2

Open studios: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 24-25 and Oct. 1-2

For a catalog of artists and studio locations: sonomacountyartrails.org

Like most everyone, I love a good feature story that takes me somewhere I’ve never been or tells me something I don’t know. Where can I take you? Who in Sonoma County would you like to know better? I cover the people, places and ideas that make up Sonoma County, with general features, people profiles and home and garden, interior design and architecture stories. Hit me up with your tips, ideas and burning questions.

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