Denman Island will be the perfect destination on Aug. 10 and 11 for lovers of the arts.
The 2013 Art Studio Tour will showcase the work of dozens of local artists in 22 unique venues.
Free tour maps for the self-guided adventure will be available at the Denman Arts Centre, conveniently located at the top of the ferry hill at 1016 Northwest Road.
Photography, painting, sculpture, mixed-media assemblage, hand-made books, pottery, wood-carving, jewelry, woven tapestries and more await visitors Saturday and Sunday between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
Each studio is as unique as the artists who make their homes on Denman, and winding ones way down picturesque country roads is part of the fun of discovery. The showroom of John Tallerino and Marc Randall has been featured on Denman's popular Home and Garden Tour as a work of art in its own right.
Tallerino's colourful, contemplative shrines line the gallery walls, and are sometimes inset into alcoves reminiscent of an ancient temple. Randall's hand-bound books also echo recognition of the sacred as finely crafted objects designed for intimate personal use.
Painter Leslie Dunsmore's vibrant works will be on display both inside and outside of her cozy hillside island cottage on the other side of the island. Painting “between the lines of reality,” Dunsmore always depicts a recognizable place on her canvasses, while never revealing a direct representation of an actual landscape.
Her joyful images of trees, earth, mountains and even alpine meadows create more of a sense of place, building a mythic narrative and 'lay of the land' that reflects the artist's own interior landscape.
Living next to marshland for the past two decades has informed much of Cynthia Minden's fascinating mixed-media work in highly three dimensional form. Chewed beaver sticks, seed pods, beach rocks, tree bark and even rusty metal dug out of pastures have found a way into this artist's woven creations and assemblages.
Gathering plant materials from the area and combining pigments, papers, and found things allows this artist to portray the ordinary in truly extraordinary ways.
Christine O'Neill's tiny felted animals and adorable dolls are a playful addition to the wide assortment of fibre arts sure to delight tour-goers over the weekend. A beautiful selection of original quilts, courtesy of the local Quilters Guild will be on display at the Arts Centre, where visitors can also find information about all of the studio artists participating on this year's outstanding tour.
Right around the corner the Denman Craft Shop is celebrating its 20th anniversary featuring the creativity of 50 island artisans.
For an exciting sneak preview, visit www.denmanartstour2013.blogspot.ca. Ferries will be running at least once an hour over the tour weekend.
Call 250-335-1209 for further information.
— Denman Island Art Studio Tour