Literally and figuratively, art is in the house.
The 15th annual Oak Bay Artists Studio tour returns with their spring iteration, showcasing 25 artists and their art, all from the comfort of the artists’ homes.
“Recreation Oak Bay isn’t just about exercising, it includes the arts,”Mary Kucera of ROB says. “It includes realizing we have many talented people and we like to showcase these people and one way is to have the studio tour.”
The juried two-day event spread out over 20 different Oak Bay homes features a plethora of local art ranging from pottery and painting, to photography and jewelry at the very place where much of the artwork is realized.
For potter Ron Douglas, a participant in the tour for almost a decade, the gas kiln next to his garden, his garage turned studio and his serene pond full of koi is a part of the inspiration for his art – and those themes are prevalent in his pottery.
“It is nice to have people in your space and my yard. I am the kind of person who can work in isolation for a long time. … (This) makes me part of the community,” Douglas says. “I am making work from my heart. I hope people are inspired when they come and see my work.”
The event is special to Claire Christinel, a painter in her fourth year on the tour, who says this is not only an opportunity for the public to visit the artists, but where the artists can interact with the community.
“Although it only happens twice a year, a lot of people coming to the tour make a connection with the artists and come over and over again,” she says. “You get to know them by name.”
It is that one-on-one quality she loves and which separates this event from other art shows.
“Just interacting and talking about art, about how you did that and what inspired you to do that. … All those questions give you an opportunity to talk about what is really important to you,” Christinel says. “It is sharing a part of you, it is really opening yourself up when they come into your home.”
Studios are open from 12 to 4:30 p.m. April 26 and 27. For more information, go to oakbay.ca.