“Purchasing art at a studio tour … makes for the richest possible experience”

The Apsley Studio Tour is an event that several friends and I make a point of getting on the calendar each year as soon as the dates are announced. We all delight in taking in the fall colours as we travel from one studio to the next; in interacting with so many of the artists in their own work spaces; and in gleaning something of the techniques of each, as well as the landscapes from which they take their inspiration.

I had long been an admirer of David Grieve’s painting, and I was thrilled when he added his studio to the Apsley Tour a couple of years ago [in September of 2018?]. At his studio, I was drawn to two very different paintings: one with the most vibrant colours of a morning sunrise spilling across the trees and reflected in the water surrounding an island on the Canadian Shield; the other in much more muted golds, suggesting the subtle contours of treetops in an autumn morning mist. I am fortunate to live not far from David’s home studio, and when he brought both paintings to my home, I decided that I couldn’t decide. The quieter and subtler of the paintings now presides over my living room fireplace, and the vibrant sunrise adorns my dining room wall. I couldn’t be more pleased, and guests always comment effusively on both paintings.

Buying art is not a decision I take lightly; doing so at a studio tour and in consultation with the artist makes for the richest possible experience, and each piece subsequently has a meaningful story to go with it. – Sue

Art now lives on Chandos Lake

This storm inspired painting was purchased at the 2020 Apsley Studio Tour. It now hangs on a cottage wall next to windows overlooking the beautiful shores of Chandos Lake.