CREATIVE JOURNEY; OJAI STUDIO ARTISTS TO WELCOME VISITORS DURING ANNUAL TOUR : THE FACTS.

Byline: Patricia Hesselbach Special to the Daily News

Thirty-two widely acclaimed artists are in this weekend's Ojai Studio Artists Tour, giving connoisseurs a wide variety of workshops to visit and see artists creating in paint, stone, clay, furniture, woodwork, photography, masks and multimedia art.

Starting at the Ojai Art Center, visitors can travel by car, bicycle or on foot, taking part in what event organizers refer to as the ``perfume of creative synergy'' - following the studio scent.

For a number of the resident artists, the tour will show visitors why they chose to set up shop in this small serene valley.

Painter Alice Matzkin and her husband, sculptor Richard Matzkin, decided to move to the area on a New Year's Eve visit to Ojai six years ago. The following day, they visited a real estate office.

``Sanity brought us to Ojai,'' said Richard Matzkin. The couple exchanged the roar of a neighboring North Hollywood freeway for a kinder, more gracious environment.

Alice Matzkin agreed enthusiastically: ``It has a spiritual feeling, it's just a beautiful place.''

``We've got good bikes this year,'' sculptor and mask-maker Ronda LaRue said jokingly. The Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce will provide mountain bikes to more rugged adventurers for a daily $12 rental.

LaRue moved to Ojai from Santa Monica seven years ago.

``We've chosen to move here. We are committed to a balanced quality of life,'' she said. ``Artwork is a primary requisite for Ojai Studio Artists, in fact. It has to be.''

Though Ojai artists reside and create apart from the accouterments and pace of city life, the works of these artists reach out to well beyond the understated countryside. The portraits of Alice Matzkin and the ceramic tile architectural treatments of Richard Keit and Mary Kennedy provide clear evidence of this.

``If I'd thought about it, I wouldn't have done it,'' said Alice Matzkin, remembering a suggestion made by her students that she submit samples of her work to the National Portrait Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution. ``A couple of months later, they called me.'' She was stunned to learn of the interest in her work.

Two Alice Matzkin paintings - ``People of Ojai'' and a portrait of feminist author Betty Friedan are now a part of the permanent collection in the National Portrait Gallery. In May of this year, the artist personally presented a portrait of Chelsea Clinton to the first lady. The painting had been commissioned by the Congressional Club.

The decorative tile murals, fountains, pools, tile rugs and architectural complements of Keit and Kennedy may be found in private homes including those of singer Phil Collins and actress Jane Fonda, and in public buildings throughout the country. Known for their exclusive glaze formulas, the ceramic duo add beauty and charm to the environments graced by their work.

Of note along the tour are the ``Naked Old Men,'' an aging-couples sculpture series of Richard Matzkin; the fascinating life masks of Ronda LaRue; sculpted miniatures by Joseph Pelka; the oriental brush paintings of Nancy Rupp; Beatrice Wood's ceramics; Horace Bristol's photographs; and the whimsical works of painter Gayel Childress also contribute to the wealth of variety to be found.

The balance of the artistic contingent is composed of Christine Brennan, Bert Collins, Bernadette DiPietro, John Famham, Alberta Fins, Theodore Gall, Gretchen Greenberg, Barbara Greene, Otto Heino, Leila Kleiman, Don Lazo, Sharyn Robinson, Betty Saunders, Jeffrey and Katrina Seaton, Linda Taylor, Leslie Thompson, Bruce Tompkinson, Carole Topalian, Nancy Whitman and Heather Young.

A confab between artists and tourgoers will take place at the Saturday evening reception and benefit art auction. Proceeds from the auction of selected works will provide student scholarships, text books and much needed school supplies.

WHAT: Ojai Studio Artists Tour '97

WHEN: Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

COST: Two-day ticket $15 in advance, $20 at the event.

INFORMATION: The Ojai Valley Chamber of Commerce, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, at [phone].

CAPTION(S):

2 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) Sculptor Richard Matzkin and his wife, Alice, a portrait painter, are opening their studio this weekend as part of the annual Ojai Studio Artists Tour.

(2--Color) Painter Alice Matzkin and her husband, sculptor Richard Matzkin, left North Hollywood six years ago after a New Year's Eve visit.

Michael Owen Baker/Daily News