South Niagara artists putting out welcome mat
Studio tours taking place this weekend
From sunbathed studio rooms overlooking Lake Erie to workshops lit by overhead lights, the private spaces of artists will be flung into the public eye.
Upwards of a dozen such spaces between Wainfleet and Fort Erie will be open to the public as South Niagara Artists hosts its annual fall studio tour this weekend. Group members will open their spaces of creativity for a glimpse not only into their work but also the process that moves such work from imagination to reality.
“It’s my happy place, you are surrounded by the creative energy that you yourself give,” says Cathy Peters, whose lakefront studio gives way to a scenic vista of Niagara’s south shore.
The basement space, the first stop on the tour, is just as much an escape as an inspiration, said the acrylic and watercolour artist breaking out into mixed media.
Art books line the walls. Paintings, ranging in their completion from a blank canvas to finished works, sit propped up among paints and brushes. The studio, Peters says, provides a unique glimpse for the public into the artists process, physically and psychologically, and their unique personalities.
“It’s where we live, where we work, where we share, we play,” says Peters, adding artists opening their studios should be viewed as a bit of a treat given their often-private nature.
“Even my family knocks before they come in.”
Beyond another chance to showcase their work, every purchase this weekend comes with a little more meaning, she says, when the buyer has a greater connection to the space in which it was produced.
“It’s this two-way conversation … there’s another level of connection with the art,” says Peters.
Tour stops include painting spaces, wood shops and pottery studios. All mediums and styles will be on display for the seventh annual run of the tour.
“We’ve got it all,” says Peters, explaining the participating artists are world class in their talents, be it shaping stone with a chisel or spreading paint with a brush.
The tour runs Saturday and Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, including a complete list of stops, visit www.southniagaraartists.ca.