Although Kay Parsons’ colorful perennial garden is the primary source of inspiration for her watercolor paintings, one of her favorite features in her garden isn’t a plant at all.

“You see Miss Spot?” Parsons asks, pointing to ripples in the water of a large backyard pond in Oak Harbor. “She’s very busy.”

Parsons, one of the organizers of the Whidbey Working Artists Summer Art Tour that starts this weekend across the island, has been busy, too.

Aside from her paintings, and getting her home studio in order for the self-guided tour that goes from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Aug. 23-24, and again Aug. 29-31, Parsons has been busy helping to promote the free tour that features 32 artists this summer in studios from Oak Harbor to Freeland.

A graphic artist, Parsons created the glossy tour brochures and posters that are scattered throughout the island. She raves about Whidbey’s rich artist community and the opportunity to get an up-close look at the sculptors, potters, painters and others that represent the tour.

“You get to see the creative process in action,” she said.

Parsons’ own creative process is ignited by a simple trip outside into her garden on the three-quarters acre property she shares with her spouse Diane Cheek in Oak Harbor.

Even in late August, the garden is lush with deciduous trees and thriving perennials in bloom. It includes an arbor covered with grape vines, plate-sized dahlias, lilies and her favorite, a tall Eskimo Sunset Sycamore Maple.

“I like dirt,” Parsons said. “I come from a farming background. I enjoy dirt about as much as I enjoy the paint.”

It is here where Parsons draws inspiration for her art. Her watercolor paintings are large, such as 4 feet by 6 feet, and feature scenes from her garden.

It is in her garden where she visits a dear friend that makes her smile on a daily basis, Miss Spot.

At 14 years, Miss Spot is a large koi that swims with two other smaller fish in a spacious pond. She likens Miss Spot to a dog in how she is able to feed her by hand and how the fish nudges her when she enters the pond to clean it.

“She’s so funny,” Parsons said. “She has beautiful eyes.”

Miss Spot hasn’t made her way on to a watercolor painting yet, but Parsons said it’s a possibility in the future.

There is no shortage of other inspirations around her garden.

Parsons will be joined at her home by glass-bead artist Bev McQuary during the Summer Art Tour, which features 18 stops this year.

Five of the artists ­— Patty Pico, Carol Ann Bauer, Mary Ellen O’Connor, Linnane Armstrong and Christine Crowell — will appear at the Coupeville Recreation Center. Four more — Sue Taves, Dan Freeman, Tammi Sloan and Frank Rose — will be at Freeland Art Studios.

“It gets better and better every year,” said McQuary, who makes her own glass beads and wirework jewelry.

The bead-making requires a propane and oxygen torch and 2,600-degree temperatures.

“I haven’t blown anything up yet,” she joked. “The neighbors are watching.”

The tour also features six potters, two fiber artists, two metal sculptors, two mixed-media artists and a glass blower, among others.

Also included is a luthier, Janet C. Lewis, who designs and constructs stringed instruments from her Coupeville barn.

“A lot of people are antsy about getting into the arts,” Parsons said. “It’s a good thing for people to see that they can survive on the arts. They can make a living and have a home and the arts can support you. Whidbey, for some reasons or another, is just full of artists. We all love it up here.”

For more information on the Whidbey Working Artists Summer Art Tour, including a map to reach artist locations, go to www.whidbeyworkingartists.com