Many resident artists will open their studios to the public this weekend to demonstrate what makes Idyllwild one of the best small art towns.

"This is a great opportunity to meet some of those artists in their studios, view their art and techniques, and, in some cases, watch them craft their creations," said Jim Crandall, a spokesman for the Idyllwild Art Association.

Also included in the weekend festivities will be a panel discussion on the artistic process at 7 p.m. Saturday at Two Babes in the Woods studio and gallery on South Circle Drive. A dessert and wine reception and exhibition will follow.

Artists' studios on the tour are:

· Peggy Wyman, whose pine-needle basketry and elaborate pine-needle sculptures are exhibited nationwide.

· Helen Atik, who fashions her inspirations in mono-prints, acrylics, drawings and watercolors.

· Charlene Madden, who works in pastel, watercolor and oil, paints floral studies and landscapes, specializing in portraits of people and animals.

· Helen Haskel Molles, who works in oils, pastels, graphite and charcoal, does studies of the human body with figurative drawings and paintings of models.

· Stu Bailey, who sculpts stone to capture a friendly, humorous spirit in his animal sculptures.

· Sarah Oates, who creates stained glass windows, bevel clusters, mosaic platters, birdbaths, lamps and outdoor whirligigs.

· Bonnie Largent, who paints and makes prints and creates small-scale sculptures of found objects and surrealistic boxes of wood, glass, paper, metal and wire.

· Jan Jaspers-Fayer's outdoor sculptures in steel, stainless steel, glass and fiberglass.

· Eileen Roberts, whose work ranges from impressionistic abstract forms to pen and ink sketches of Idyllwild landmarks.

· Dore Capitani, who forms stainless steel, corten, copper and bronze into intriguing flights of metallic fantasy.

· Bill Crawford, who paints, draws and does wood sculptures in a wide variety of mediums and styles.

· Sharon Price, with one-of-a-kind women's apparel that is hand-woven.

· Darcy Gerdes' mixed-media pieces range from flying pigs and whimsical bears to romantic, realistic landscapes, wildlife and fantasy.

· Carol Mills, who makes abstract impressionistic paintings and monotypes on canvas and paper with oil, acrylic and watercolor.

· Photographer Trish Tuley, whose love of nature is revealed in her environmental photography.

Also included is the Idyllwild Arts Academy, an internationally known high-school level academy for students gifted in the arts. There will be a Senior Student Exhibition at Parks Exhibition Hall on campus from noon to 4 p.m. both days.

Also, Idyllwild Elementary School's students will present their finest artistic creations during a student exhibit in front of the school on Highway 243 from 11 a.m to 4 p.m. Saturday.

If You Go

What: Art Alliance of Idyllwild's Open Studio Tour.

When: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday.

Where: Idyllwild, on Highway 243 between Hemet and Banning.

Tickets: $10 at the Tree Monument totem on Village Center Drive across from The Fort. Sales start at 10 a.m.

Information: Call toll-free, (866) 439-5278, or visit www.artinidyllwild.com