2025 Apsley Studio Tour: Come and Meet Your Creative Neighbours!

By Rachel Conlin

Artist Studio Tours in Ontario have been around since the early 1980’s, with the first being established in 1979.  Many have come and gone since, but some, like the Apsley Studio Tour, continue to flourish.  This dynamic tour, set in the North Kawarthas and now in its 32nd year is well known for its ‘look behind the scenes’ of exemplary local artists and their guests.   The scenic drive alone, along back roads abounding with fall colours and shimmering waterways, is enough to entice anyone on the excursion.  But it is the artists that truly make this tour special.

With a mix of celebrated artists and emerging newcomers alike, the Apsley Studio Tour is renowned for its diversity in creative style and quality artisanship.  Disciplines include pottery, painting, woodwork, furniture, jewellery, glass art, fibre art, textiles, metal work, mosaics, pyrography, beekeeping, felting and dyeing. Words cannot say it all; within each discipline there is a multitude of styles making the Apsley Studio Tour so distinctive and so very interesting.

This year, the tour welcomes four new artists and two new locations, plus two returning artists. The artists are friendly and welcoming, and many tour members will be doing live demonstrations throughout the weekend, sharing the fascinating way in which their art is made and their passion for creating.  As a visitor, you will experience a glimpse into the lives, studios and works of these interesting people. Demonstrations include glass-blowing (Studio F), painting (B), jewelry making techniques (E), felting on a felting mill (O), needle and nuno felting (E), mosaic prep (G) and pottery wheel throwing on a dock (H)!

The Apsley Studio Tour boasts 33 artists displaying and selling their unique, one of a kind art at 12 different studio locations dabbled around lakes and through forests from the Apsley area to Coe Hill and surrounding areas.  The event takes place on Saturday Sept. 20 & Sunday Sept. 21, 2025, from 10am to 5pm both days.  It is a self-guided tour, in which the guest can choose which studios they wish to visit.  Along the way enjoy local restaurants, a picnic at the beach or park, or stay at local accommodations. For more information on the Apsley Studio Tour and its wonderful artists visit our home page at apsleystudiotour.com where you can also download the mobile Toureka! App for an easy to use planning and mapping tool to navigate the tour.

Reflections on our Home and Art: Artists of the Apsley Studio Tour Part 2

by Clare Scott-Taggart, 2025

The annual Apsley Studio Tour is a remarkable celebration of the creativity that is found among those living in the North Kawarthas. Thirty artists, working in a wide range of mediums, are present in seven studio locations to chat about and explain their work and inspiration. Using materials ranging from hand-spun wool to ceramics to live glass-blowing, the tour is sure to engage and inspire.

One of the younger members of the tour is Aubre Scott, who practices the art of pyrography. “I love to work with Pyrography (wood burning) because it is so unique and is a very captivating way to create artwork. It is more of an uncommon form of art and is very time consuming, which is perfect because I really like to be patient with what I produce,” says Aubre. “It also feels like a very natural and local way to create art by combining the use of wood from around the North Kawartha Region. The scenery and landscapes are so spectacular and at the same time, home to thousands of species which allow me to create artworks that connect with both the audience and myself.” When Aubre isn’t creating her intricate artwork, she is busy bagpiping at a competitive level throughout Ontario. You may even catch her performing at some highland games!

Discussing her artistic process, stained glass artist Joeann Pearson reflects that “the world needs the imperfection and nuances that happen when people are hands on. When one creates something, anything, it taps into that part of you that requires you to ponder, reflect, problem solve, to learn as you go, and focus intently in the moment.” Jo seeks to make art that will be passed down through generations. “The thought that once I’m gone some families in the North Kawarthas will have a stained glass mosaic on their wall, still being enjoyed in their special place where they come to connect with nature and de-stress, inspires me to create lasting pieces that will add my little mark to the many who came before me.”

Another artist on the tour, Brad Copping, finds inspiration in the “deep silence one can discover here, an absence of the intrusions of the ‘man-made’ world. In that silence you can find the language of the natural world, and remember that we are not separate from that world but just another element.” When Brad is creating a piece, “there is an incredible moment when your ideas and means of expression come together. This feeling, however fleeting, is emotionally powerful. It is part of a belief that our lives and the things we make can have some meaning in the larger world, and that we are able in some small way to effect change upon that world.

One of the materials Brad works with is hot glass, explaining that “when glass is gathered from the furnace on the end of a blowpipe it is so hot that it emanates a yellowish-orange light even though the glass is colourless and transparent.” Pure magic! Brad will be demonstrating the art of glass-blowing throughout the tour weekend.

This is but a small representation of the artists who can be found on the Apsley Studio Tour. Please join us on September 20th and 21st, 2025, from 10 am to 5 pm. For more information about these artists please click on their links.  For information on all our artists please visit the Artist Page on our website or download the mobile Toureka! app where you will find all you need to plan and navigate your tour.

Reflections on our Home and Art: Artists of the Apsley Studio Tour

by Clare Scott-Taggart, 2025

The annual Apsley Studio Tour is a remarkable celebration of the creativity that is found among those living in the North Kawarthas. Thirty artists, working in a wide range of mediums, are present in seven studio locations to chat about and explain their work and inspiration. Using materials ranging from hand-spun wool to ceramics to live glass-blowing, the tour is sure to engage and inspire.

Jenny Gordon, a painter, reflects on the inspiration she gets from summers in the North Kawarthas. “My family cottage is here and I have spent my entire life at this beautiful, now 100 year old, log cabin.  I feel a great attachment to the area. This is expressed in my paintings of the loons, the stillness of the lake, the majestic trees. I have painted every island on the lake, several cottages, floating rafts and sunsets. In the last few years I have taken canoe trips to the back lakes adjacent to Chandos. The tall grasses and lily pads are so peaceful. I have reconnected with my childhood love of fishing. The colours, the shapes and the purity of nature inspires me every day to paint. I am so thankful to be able to live in such a beautiful place.” Jenny’s paintings reflect her love of and deep connection to this beautiful part of Ontario.

One of the younger members of the tour is Aubre Scott, who practices the art of pyrography. “I love to work with Pyrography (wood burning) because it is so unique and is a very captivating way to create artwork. It is more of an uncommon form of art and is very time consuming, which is perfect because I really like to be patient with what I produce,” says Aubre. “It also feels like a very natural and local way to create art by combining the use of wood from around the North Kawartha Region. The scenery and landscapes are so spectacular and at the same time, home to thousands of species which allow me to create artworks that connect with both the audience and myself.” When Aubre isn’t creating her intricate artwork, she is busy bagpiping at a competitive level throughout Ontario. You may even catch her performing at some highland games!

New to the tour this year, Anne Young will be selling her high-fired functional pottery and non-functional Raku fired work. Anne explains that the “Raku work features horse hair, feathers and sugar sprinkles. The pottery pieces are heated in an outdoor kiln to 1,200 F. then removed. Horsehair strands are laid across the hot pot leaving a wandering linear smoke design on the surface. Sugar is sprinkled, leaving spotted smoke marks. Feathers give a dark, feather silhouette. All this has to happen within 1 minute before the pot has cooled.”

Glass artist Alex Anagnostou loves “looking through the water into the texture of fallen logs and the bottom surface of the lake. I enjoy looking through a magnifying glass to understand the structure of an object.” Alex is inspired by micro and macro imagery, for example “light patterns of glass threads form webs on the interior of my vessels which echo light patterns of stars, nebulae and other amazing images in space.” Alex hopes that her work will alert individuals to the fragile state of our planet and how interconnected we all are.

This is but a small representation of the artists who can be found on the Apsley Studio Tour. Please join us on September 20th and 21st, 2025, from 10 am to 5 pm. For more information about these artists please click on their links.  For information on all our artists please visit the Artist Page on our website or download the mobile Toureka! app where you will find all you need to plan and  navigate your tour.

The Nine Painters of the 2024 Apsley Studio Tour

By Carolyn Jongeward

The 2024 Apsley Autumn Studio Tour—coming up on the third weekend of September—will showcase the work of 30 participating artists in 11 locations throughout the Apsley area. The scope of artistic creation has attracted tour-goers for over 30 years. Visitors meet and chat with the artists and discover exciting work in a wide range of materials and processes: ceramics, fibre art, glass art, jewelry, mosaics, metalwork, painting, printmaking, pyrography, woodwork.

This article highlights the work of nine artists who will be showing their paintings during this year’s Apsley Studio Tour, each reflecting a unique artistic approach for expressing their inspiration and passion: Mary Ellen Gerster, Andrew Gregg, David Grieve, Carolyn Jongeward, Barbara Miszkiel, Molly Moldovan, Arne Roosman, Brenda Rudder, David Smith. Here’s a glimpse into the creative life of these painters.

Mary Ellen Gerster loves the lively colour, fluidity, and transparency of watercolour for expressing her unique style of painting on paper. Through layering transparent colours, she creates photorealism in waterscapes and still life paintings of fruit and flowers. The layering of glazes of transparent colours transmits light, allowing for high contrast and bright colour. Working with fine brushes or large wash brushes, she can create finely detailed work or loose and fluid reflections and shadows. Mary Ellen lives and works in Lindsay, Ontario.

For Andrew Gregg, landscape painting or drawing deepens his appreciation of everything he sees in his environment. He feels a part of the endless rock, water, and forest of the Canadian Shield. He loves working with ink: which, when diluted, is atmospheric or, undiluted, provides endless possibilities for drawing, particularly when using twigs and experimental implements. His childhood was in rural Australia, and since retirement he lives six months in Melbourne and six months at Rathbun Lake in Kawartha Highlands Provincial Park.

David Grieve has been painting since childhood and has developed a distinctive style for creating images inspired by the Ontario landscape. He achieves unique effects by using a trowel or other unique tools to apply thick swaths of oil paint on canvas. Sometimes he’ll remove large sections of oil paint before it dries, resulting in unpredictable textures and also a hint of what was there before. David lives in Brantford, Ontario, and spends summers at the cottage on Jack Lake, where his paintings are inspired by the landscape, especially during early morning canoeing.

Carolyn Jongeward’s abstract art reflects an intuitive approach to painting, and her love of colour, form and pattern in nature. Some paintings are gestural expressions of vibrant colour, others convey intricate geometric patterns. She’s drawn by the scope of colour mixing, transparency and mark-making possible with acrylics. Her longtime work as tapestry weaver is evident in her paintings: some have a textile-like surface, others involve a woven structure. A lifelong cottager at Chandos Lake, she now lives and works there year round.

Barbara (Basia) Miszkiel experiences painting as a conversation on canvas. She loves the flexibility of acrylics and is inspired to convey the beauty of rural Ontario, including the range of texture and colour in landscapes and old buildings. In her landscapes she uses a range of brushstrokes and palette knife techniques to evoke texture and a sense of time. She also paints live subjects and tries to capture their uniqueness. Formerly an architect with an national and international career, Barbara lives in Toronto and at the cottage in North Kawartha.

For Molly Moldovan, the foundation of every painting is the landscape: the lake, forest and uninterrupted skyscape. Her inspiration from natural phenomena includes fall colours, northern lights, a colourful sunset, lunar eclipse, thunderstorm or a certain quality of light. Her approach is imaginative abstraction—near-landscapes and weather-scapes—driven by the tumultuous politics of our time. She has lived and worked in North Kawartha since graduating from OCA(D) with honours in fine art drawing and painting.

As Arne Roosman says, his parents were accomplished artists, so he grew up with a paintbrush in hand. During travels, especially to Sweden, Italy and Estonia, Arne captured his impressions in sketchbooks, as inspiration for later paintings on canvas. His art is also about what he observes in his own backyard—the seasons and wildlife. After painting with oils for many years, he now primarily uses acrylics. He chooses the highest quality materials available for his pens, charcoal sticks, watercolour pens and paints, brushes, paper and canvas. Arne lives in Apsley, Ontario.

Since childhood, Brenda Rudder has been drawing and painting animals. Her early years vacationing at Jack Lake ignited her love for nature and wildlife. She’s now a pet and wildlife artist, specializing in creating artwork on natural wood. She uses acrylics on reclaimed wood. Each piece of wood—already a work of art by nature—provides inspiration and the perfect canvas to express her love of nature. Her pieces are rich in detail and vibrant colour, revealing her passion for the beautiful colours and textures of the natural world.

For David Smith, the rhythm, colour and quality of light in the landscape has always been a source of inspiration for his work. He creates paintings in watercolour, acrylic or oil, appreciating the variety of expression he can achieve with different materials: washes and gradations with watercolour; graphic and colour qualities with acrylic; texture and colour blending with oil. Following a career in advertising, graphic design and colour retouching, he applies this knowledge to painting and printmaking. David lives in Apsley, Ontario.

The 2024 Apsley Studio Tour takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 21 and 22, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.. For more information on the tour, the artists, a downloadable map and the link to our handy Toureka app, please visit the app page on our website.

The Apsley Studio Tour Group thanks everyone who came out to visit our studios on the 16th and 17th of September! It was a fabulous weekend to tour North Kawartha and meet the artists who help make our community a vibrant place to live.  The Group also thanks all of our sponsors who continue to support what we do.

A special thanks to the Township of North Kawartha and especially the Library which hosted our free draw for a beautiful work by the very talented Aubre Scott.  The draw was conducted on October 3 by Kim Tucker and Linda Fierheller.  The winner of the draw, Colleen Tedford, was presented with the pyrographic work by the artist on the Saturday of Thanksgiving Weekend. Congratulations to Colleen and thank you to everyone who entered.

We look forward to seeing you all again next year for the 31st annual Apsley Studio Tour, September 21-22, 2024.

We are celebrating 30 years!

The Apsley Studio Tour is renowned for the quality of the artists participating each year. This years tour includes 11 studio locations presenting 30 artists and artisans whose work encompasses a wide spectrum of disciplines.

ENTER OUR FREE DRAW to this piece of pyrographic art by new member Aubry Scott valued at $300.  The work is on display at the Apsley Branch of the North Kawartha Public Library until the close of this year’s tour.

Entry slips are available at the front desk of the Apsley branch of the library.

The North Kawartha Library is pleased to recognize and support the 30th year of the Apsley Autumn Studio Tour.

The Apsley Autumn Studio Tour would like to acknowledge the Township of North Kawartha for its support over the 30 years.