For curious art lovers, a chance to peek inside art-filled homes, studios and gardens may be hard to resist.

And that’s what organizers of the San Diego Coastal Art Studios Tour are hoping for.

The fourth annual event on Saturday, Sept. 14, will feature hundreds of individual art pieces and more than 30 professional artists onsite at four homes and gardens in La Jolla and Pacific Beach. This year it will include 13 new artists and two new gardens.

Admission is free, but all donations received at collection boxes at each tour stop will benefit ALS San Diego, which helps discover treatments for ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) and serve those affected by the disease.

“It is a joy to show our artwork, but even more to create an event that celebrates the local vibe that is super friendly, casual and diverse,” said artist Dot Renshaw, who created the tour with artist friend Leah Higgins.

One of the homes is in La Jolla, the three others are in Pacific Beach. The locations will be listed on the tour’s website, sandiegocoastalartstudios.com.

The La Jolla home, belonging to artist Jane Fletcher, was built in 1970 and remodeled in the late 1990s.

The home includes Fletcher’s 300-square-foot art studio, where she paints and works in wood and glass. Her custom-made front entry doors greet guests, and her hand-carved doors and glass works are found in many area homes.

The 400-square-foot entry doubles as a gallery space.

Neil and Carla Murray’s 1941 home in Pacific Beach is a new addition to the tour.

Neil Murray described the original home as a “very small and inexpensive house” on a large lot. Since buying the property in 1994, the couple have added a second-story art studio and an accessory dwelling unit, or “granny flat.”

They also have done extensive landscaping, including adding a deck, a water fountain, pathways and trees and shrubs.

“We love living in PB,” Murray said. “The climate is pleasant, almost seductive with its cooling afternoon breeze and plenty of sunshine. Given some water, just about anything grows here, and we have filled our yard with plants, mostly xeriscape.”

The plants are more than just decoration, however. Murray paints vivid contemporary close-ups of his lush plants.

Also in PB, Renshaw and her husband, Zack Taylor, have opened their 1920s Moorish-style home to guests for the tour each year.

The home was renovated 30 years ago from one story to two and features an 18-foot-tall art studio. The home overlooks a garden filled with fruit trees, flowers and huge staghorn ferns.

Renshaw paints coastal art in oils, plein air and pastels and often chooses small trails, camping spots and canyons for her pieces.

The house that Higgins shares with her husband, Patrick, was designed in 1926 by famed architect Irving Gill and was the first custom home of renowned San Diego horticulturist Kate Sessions. Highlights of the two-acre property include a detached art studio and several mature trees and plants from Sessions’ original garden.

Higgins specializes in homes, landscapes and portraits in her art, though she works in a variety of other subjects.

Self-guided tours will be from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free street parking will be available.

Hundreds of pieces of artworks in every medium will be available for purchase, with prices ranging from $10 to $5,000.

Items include ceramics, jewelry, clothing, quilts, pottery, reclaimed wood carvings, glass sculptures, mosaics, cutting boards, baskets, steam punk polymer and more.

“We strive to have variety in both price and style,” Renshaw said.

More than 1,500 people attended the event last year.

For a complete list of participating artists, including bios and samples of their work, visit the tour website. ♦