Artists host studio tours across NOTL and mingle with 'fellow, like-minded' creatives

Artists host studio tours across NOTL and mingle with ‘fellow, like-minded’ creatives

Painter Nancy Wardle works with acrylic and oils to create detailed portraits of herself and others, using old black and white snippets of film, blowing them up and adding the colours present from her memories. MADDY GORDON

Tim Sullivan in his home studio. His acrylic paintings depict scenic landscapes in southern Ontario. DAVE VAN DE LAAR

Outside the RiverBrink Art Museum, Debra Botman stands with her watercolour paintings, which display her love of nature. DAVE VAN DE LAAR

Patricia Paquin's pottery works, which display unique faces and characters drawn in her artistic style, based on the shape of the ceramic object. MADDY GORDON

Irene MacKenzie in her home studio on the shore of Lake Ontario. She works primarily with watercolours and finds her inspiration in vibrant florals. DAVE VAN DE LAAR

Susan Holly's stained glasswork, which can take her anywhere from a few hours to several weeks to finish, depending on the size and detail. MADDY GORDON

Dennis Montford in his backyard garden, part of his home studio alongside the Four Mile Creek conservation area and ravine. He is a contemporary mixed media artist who has been painting and drawing since childhood. DAVE VAN DE LAAR

Artist Ronald Boaks describes himself as a mix between a modernist and a romantic, evident in the dual styles present in his work, such as this painting, "Duo." He owns Ronald Boaks Fine Art on Niagara Stone Road. MADDY GORDON

Alison Fardoe's home studio doubles as Ostudio Gallery, housed in a renovated barn surrounded by natural forests, vineyards and orchards. Fardoe finds her muses in the sky, water, trees and birds. DAVE VAN DE LAAR

Lynne Gaetz' paintings, hanging at Ronald Boaks' art studio, which incorporate multimedia elements to create more abstract visuals. MADDY GORDON

June 12, 2025

From stained glass and ceramic dishes to abstract paintings and self-portraits, last weekend offered art lovers and creatives a chance to explore the diversity of work made by Niagara-on-the-Lake’s artists — and see where they bring their artistic visions to life.

Thirty artists took part in June 7 and 8’s art studio tours, which were hosted across town at home and public studios, small galleries, the RiverBrink Art Museum and Between the Lines Winery.

Nancy Wardle, a painter who works with acrylic and oils, was one of three artists who set up camp at Ronald Boaks’ studio on Niagara Stone Road. She says her paintings give her a chance to bring old memories back to life.

Wardle takes old black-and-white snippets of film, blows them up and adds the colour she remembers from that moment, she explained.

Because her art style involves using personal memories, Wardle focuses on making commissioned pieces. In contrast, Lynne Gaetz’s work incorporates multimedia elements to create more abstract visuals.

Gaetz was also stationed at Boaks’ studio and said she was pleased to have around 170 guests come and see her art throughout the tour. She has been making art since she was a teenager, but only turned it into a career 10 years ago.

“It’s been the best working years of my life,” Gaetz said.

She added that the tour is a good way to connect with other artists, a sentiment that Boaks, who was at his studio on Sunday, echoed.

“It’s nice to meet fellow, like-minded artists,” he said.

Boaks’ style of art marries different, often contrasting, materials and approaches. For example, one piece called “Duo” is split into two halves — one with elements of realism and the other with modern abstract traits.

“I consider myself to be a mix between a modernist and a romantic,” Boaks said.

By participating in events like the studio tour, Boaks said he’s able to connect with similar artists whom he may not have otherwise found.

Another location included in the event was Ruth Aspinall’s home studio on Green Street, which featured artists such as Patricia Paquin, who works in pottery.

She said the tour helped her make a few extra sales and helped her business gain exposure.

“The economy is different than it was last year, but we’re still making sales,” Paquin said.

Her pottery journey began more than 35 years ago and was inspired by the appearance of the ceramics she works with. Each piece has a unique face drawn in her style but is based on the shape of the object it belongs to.

For instance, tall vases are painted with long faces, while teapots are painted with wider faces.

After several decades of her craft, Paquin says she still loves it. She explained that as the years have passed, the faces have become more realistic and, in her eyes, can be pictured on “just about any shape or surface.”

Also at Aspinall’s studio was Susan Holly, who specializes in glasswork. She said one of her creations can take anywhere from a few hours to several weeks to finish, depending on the size and detail.

“Design, cut, put on the light table, grind, foil, solder, wash and polish,” Holly said, describing her process.

Like Paquin, Holly said she was happy to be making sales and growing her business.

Her art journey was once centred around painting and drawing, but since retirement has shifted to stained glass.

For artists like Holly, the studio tours gave local creatives a chance to show off their work to both their peers and fans of the arts in all its forms.