County arts showcase

Studio Tour celebrates 25th anniversary

Emerging and veteran artists opened up their studios to the public this past weekend during the County’s 25th annual Studio Tour. Thirty-eight artists in 27 studios participated in this year’s tour, showing a variety of works ranging over disciplines such as fibre arts, stained glass, photography, sculpture and painting. Some studios had several hundred visitors pass through over the threeday event. “The tour on its own is great for artists just to touch base with people and get their name out there,” says Dale Wainwright, chair of the studio tour, which operates under the umbrella of the Prince Edward County Arts Council. “It’s a lot about marketing and getting people to know their work. But if you can actually make a sale on a studio tour weekend, that’s even better.”

First-time tour participant Indra Dosanjh at her studio in Bloomfield.

This year’s tour had a slightly smaller geographical extent, with fewer participating studios in outlying areas in the south of the County. Some artists were included as guests in the more centrally located studios where space permitted. There were five new artists on the tour this year, some of whom had only recently moved to the County. Indra Dosanjh is one such newcomer, but she has already made a impression on the wider arts scene, winning the People’s Choice award at Arts in the County. Dosanjh is primarily a self-taught artist who painted in “stolen moments” before moving to her studio in Bloomfield. Now she is able to devote her time to painting. “Art has been my first passion,” says Dosanjh. “It was always something in me that I wanted to dedicate my time to at some point in my life.” Moving to the County has allowed her to explore new creative horizons as she combines abstract and representational techniques. “There’s the light in the County, which is projected in my abstracts. There’s the light that I see early in the morning and the evening that has had a huge impact.”

Another newcomer is Jodi Shuster, who moved here in 2017 and works from her studio on Elmbrook Road. She had been visiting the County for many years and has created numerous paintings of people at Sandbanks beach. This year, though, she has found inspiration in the flowers in her new garden. She credits her career in animation for her love of bold colours. “I love colour, I love movement,” she says. “The idea of working quickly and with a lot of movement really appeals to me. I do not labour over these paintings, they are very gestural, and I incorporate as much colour as I can.”

The biggest draw of the studio tour is the ability to see a broad selection of an artist’s work and to speak to them about the process. They are more than willing to share their passion for the arts. Renee Hiltz in Wellington had a number of small blank canvases that visitors could paint and then take away if they chose. Stained glass artist Pete Doyle spoke in detail about how he creates his colourful pieces. The tour is also a way for the artists to reach a wider audience, particularly for those artists who are new to the tour. “I’ve had some amazing feedback,” says Dosanjh. “A lot of this work hasn’t been exposed to an audience, and getting this kind of appreciation is hugely gratifying.”