It rained Friday. It rained a bit on Sunday. But Saturday, the island was bathed in sunshine, as if on cue for visitors to the island’s art studios and gardens in this local summer kickoff.

Some 14 studios were open to the public Saturday and Sunday for the annual Artists Studio Tour. Local musicians performed at select studios.

The tour shared the weekend with the Islanders Bank San Juan Island Celebrity Golf Classic on Saturday, and the San Juan Island Marathon and the San Juan Community Theatre’s Barbershop Bonanza on Sunday.

Now in its 19th year, the studio tour attracts more and more people every year.

“It feels like we’ve been discovered,” artist Yvonne Buijs-Mancuso said before the event. “People just love the Artists Studio Tour. It’s still a popular local event but we get more off-island people now as well.” It’s an educational experience, “giving the public a glimpse into the inner workings of the studio,” she said. “A lot of people are really curious about how we do our art.”

The tour is self-guided, with studios open between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Buijs-Mancuso said maps are available “anywhere you could think to pick one up” — book stores, King’s Market, MarketPlace and more. To get a good idea of what the tour is about, watch a video made of last year’s event by Karen and Gerard Woldveldt: www.youtube.com/watch?v=RoU5Ke2Wor0.