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Self-guided Denman Island Studio Tour gives art enthusiasts a chance to connect with local artists

In mid-August, the Denman Island Studio Tour is a familiar and beloved local arts event. This year, 15 venues across the island will be featuring everything from painting and sculpture to jewelry, photography, and fibre arts.

In mid-August, the Denman Island Studio Tour is a familiar and beloved local arts event. This year, 15 venues across the island will be featuring everything from painting and sculpture to jewelry, photography, and fibre arts.

Not only does this year mark the return of the Studio Tour after a three-year absence, a number of new studios will be opening their doors for the first time, creating a new cultural landscape for visitors to explore. Newcomer Lisa Devenish at Moonshell Studio will be presenting her airy, hand-felted nuno scarves and shawls, complemented by the rich colors and textures of her gemstone and Czech glass bead jewelry.

Colour and texture are at the forefront of the art studio of Jenn Gosse and Laura Pope, too. Also new to the tour, these largely self-taught artists work in a variety of media, including acrylic, ink, oil, and resins, producing work that is inspired by the natural world around them.

There is a kind of cross-pollination that occurs when these new venues create a colourful counterpoint to more established studios: Gordon Hutchens, Cynthia Minden, and Bentley LeBaron are familiar favourites whose work has delighted visitors in years past.

“After such a long period of isolation, it’s exciting to open our doors again,” says Minden, “these past years have been a period of intense focus and creation for many artists, there will be lots to see in studios across the island.”

The tour itself is an event framed by Denman’s winding roads, the charming “downtown” village, and ocean vistas, along with a serving of Island character, making an ideal weekend getaway.

The free, self-guided tour runs August 13-14, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., and all ages are welcome. Maps can be picked up on the day of the tour at the Denman Island Art Centre, 1016 Northwest Rd, just at the top of the ferry hill, or downloaded online. For more information, please visit www.denmanstudiotour.blogspot.com.