APSLEY STUDIO TOUR ARTISTS WELCOME SPRING

All of us relish the arrival of spring. How can we not, our spirits lift with the change in light, we delight in seeing green shoots breaking through as snow recedes. Birds arrive, animals big and small emerge and it’s a sense of the dawning of a new day and a time of revival.

Recently some of my fellow artists who participate in the APSLEY STUDIO TOUR gave some insight into what’s keeping them busy, and bringing them renewed creativity this spring.

Painter David Grieve creates evocative paintings of the Kawartha landscape and lakes. His winter has been all about completing commissioned paintings and preparing for an upcoming solo exhibition in Toronto. But now that its spring he longs to get back out on to and in to the landscape that inspires his work. He tells us, “I am patiently waiting for the ice to melt so we can get back out paddling on beautiful Jacks Lake.”

And for fellow painter Jennifer Gordon it’s also that familiar sense of emergence and rediscovery that comes from returning to familiar places. Her vibrant paintings share a sense of the simple joys one encounters outdoors in nature. “I Just arrived to open up my Art Cabin after a long Covid winter. Frogs sing, sweet fresh spring air envelopes me. I am at my happy place.”

Britt Olauson creates functional designs using traditional woodworking techniques and sums up being in the studio in spring time with; “The sun rays are warm and the wood stove is still. It feels like a break and then the outdoors become abundant.”

Melanie E. Horner, a contemporary ceramic artist whose work is painterly in style shares that the inspiration for a new design of cups shes working on came from a view that captivated her. “I was inspired by the beautiful Popham Bay which looks over to Presqu’ile provincial park. It was particularly stunning a month or so ago when the moon was full and cast shadows onto the lake.”

And for potter Cathy Pennaertz, who creates functional stoneware, “Opening a kiln after whats called a “Ghost Firing” is always a new and exciting experience, and then there’s colour to follow, colours of green’s like the leaf’s and grasses, and purple’s like the crocuses, pansies and periwinkle. Its a bit like removing fall’s debris from the gardens only to expose the new growth.”

Textile artist and quilt maker Valerie Foster says she finds inspiration within her existing collection of fabrics. “I have been working on new pieces continually this new year. As Covid continues to keep us at risk, my studio has been the bright light in my days for many months now. In the advent of spring, the sunny, warmer days get the creative juices going. Long walks and watching the garden bud into life are welcomed respite from a winter focused on staying safe. I look to my brighter fabrics now and making these bits and pieces come together into something cheery and joyful. I’m focusing on mid-sized quilts; lap, and child-oriented pieces in readiness for the Studio Tour.“

Sue Rankin is an accomplished glass artist who is also an avid gardener. Naturally that love of nature and plants influences her work in both form and colour. These days commissions for her garden column sculptures are keeping her busy in her studio creating the effect of luminous buds opening up in glass. “In the garden things are already opening up and the forsythia is blooming so appropriately I’m working on creating my crescent column designs in yellows and reds.“ Of course Sue will still find time to cultivate her garden.

And finally Clare Scot-Taggart, an experienced metal artist working under the name Rusty Girl is in her tucked away city metal studio with a series of garden commissions underway. One piece is a sizeable and complex custom arbor with seating, its a design and construction challenge, but one she’s enjoying. “Happily these days I can open the big studio door and sit outside and think about design concepts and my clients gardens.” She’s excited to have the pieces finished and installed so they can bring pleasure to their new owners in the coming season.

Creativity and nature are entwined for all these artists and with spring arriving it brings an additional source of inspiration and joy, as it does to us all.

Vivienne Jones

Vivienne is a participating artist in the Apsley Studio Tour.