For more than 10 years, artists in the Hammond Bay Road area have opened their doors for public viewings.
Janice Evans, who has been part of the organization arranging the tours since a year after its inception, said that while the past decade has seen artists come and go, the flow of foot traffic has steadily increased.
“We’ve grown in our reputation, for sure. For the first couple of years, we just had a little dribble of people. But now we get about 100-150 people come through a day,” she said, adding that guests have come from all over the Island and mainland to view their work. “We really are the original tour, because back in 2013, there weren’t any. We really started the ball rolling.”
This year, the Hammond Bay Studio Tour will run from Saturday to Sunday, May 25-26, with doors open from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Each stop will offer a glimpse into the creative space of the artists – as well as eight guest artists – and all seven stops will be within approximately two kilometres of each other.
“We keep it small so you can see it all,” Evans said, although adding that it often takes weeks and weeks of preparation for the two-day event.
There will be an array of different artworks and styles on display, including oil, acrylic and watercolour paintings, photography, fibre art, quilting, pottery and jewelry, all with the possibility of a few demonstrations during the tour.
Many of the participating artists, such as watercolour painter Evans, abstract acrylic painter Halina Gryzb, fabric artist Coreen Zerr and photographer Karen Evans, said their biggest influence is nature and animals.
“Going out into nature, it really is sitting there and getting the essence of the place,” Karen Evans said. “Until I’ve got that essence, it can happen right away, or maybe it will take some time … but when it does, that’s when I disappear into it.”
Karen, an award-winning photographer, said she needed a creative outlet to escape her corporate life in Vancouver, and found solace in the woods and beaches surrounding the city, before moving to Vancouver Island approximately six years ago.
“The landscape here is so beautiful, we all are in love with the landscape,” added Janice Evans, who originally moved to the Island from Montréal several decades ago.
More information on the artists and studio tour, including a map, can be found online at www.hammondbaystudiotour.com.
Several artists will also have artwork available to view at Serious Coffee, 6357 Hammond Bay Rd., until the end of the month, and those interested in what might be available are encouraged to take a ‘sneak peek’ before the event.
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