Studio Tour preview show continuing in Minden
| By Felix Wong - Staff Writer | September 13, 2018 |
Handpicked works of all the artists involved in the upcoming Haliburton County Studio Tour are now available for viewing at the Finn Artists’ Centre. The preview show will run until Sept. 15 during gallery hours, Wednesday to Sunday, from 1-4 p.m.
“It affords a chance for all our visitors to see the quality of work they could see when they visit the artists,” said artist Carole Finn.
This is the 31st year of the tour. It features the artwork of the best artists in the county, all chosen through a strict jurying process, added Finn. She has been involved in the arts throughout her life, when she first started painting as a teenager.
Finn began painting professionally when her husband passed away 10 years ago and transformed one of his offices into a studio and gallery, now known as the Finn Artists’ Centre. Her painting knowledge came from courses at the Ontario College of Art and Design, York University and continual courses at the Haliburton School of Art and Design.
“I love to meet the people who collect my work; it means that I have met a soul to bond with,” she said.
Preceding the preview show was a social gathering on Aug. 30 at the artists’ centre, which gave all the artists involved in the tour a chance to mingle and talk to one another about artwork, processes and more.
“This is a potluck for the studio artists because we never get together very much except at meetings, and meetings are pretty intense,” said Finn. “This is the first year we’ve done this and it’s basically a marketing event to get people to see all the art.”
At the event was painter Gord Jones, who is entering his second year as part of the studio tour.
“I was in the fall tour at Cathy Taylor’s studio as a guest … I found that I always liked art – it was something I liked to do, so I just kept at it,” he said. “So many people come and make a special trip in the fall to come to this tour … I think we had about 700 people last year over two weekends.”
Jones has been painting in watercolour for over 40 years. Other artists involved in this year’s tour include sculptors Sylvia and Wayne Rose, quilter Shelley van Nood, fabric artist Jane Selbie and many more. The studio tour will take place on Sept. 29-30 and Oct. 6-7 at various locations across Haliburton and its surrounding areas. For a full of list of artists and locations, haliburtonstudiotour.on.ca/.
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FELIX WONG is a staff writer for The Highlander. |
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