Artists and gardeners in the Chautauqua neighbourhood opened their homes and backyards to visitors this past weekend for the Chautauqua Art and Garden Tour, giving visitors an intimate view of their artistic worlds.

Hosted by the Chautauqua Residents Association, the tour included seven locations where visitors could observe the creative spaces of eight talented artists and residents of the neighbourhood.

Some stops gave residents the chance to bring their canvas art outside for guests to view, while others focused on showing off different artistic forms like wood carvings and guitar playing.

Artist and gardener Tara Korkmaz created a walkway throughout her garden with her art pieces scattered along the path. She described the event as the “perfect fit” to showcase her work because of her artistic passion and residence in the neighbourhood.

“I want my garden to look like a collage,” Korkmaz said, referring to the variety of decorations and plants in her yard.

She displayed some of her pieces around her garden so guests could take in the art while exploring the green space.

Her yard is where she keeps her workspace, where sketches and ideas for future projects on the drawing board can be seen.

One of the pieces she decided to showcase is a charcoal painting done on a canvas made of wood, which was displayed on her porch overlooking the greenery.

Korkmaz’s garden isn’t the only one in the neighbourhood that includes an outdoor workshop.

Another stop on the tour, Troy Miller’s Japanese-style garden, included various kinds of art he creates in his backyard, such as wood-carved stools and large-scale paintings on fences.

Having fellow art lovers wandering his garden helped sell some of his pieces and shine more attention on his work, according to Miller.

The emphasis on clever usage of small spaces in Japanese architecture inspired the artist’s space, which features bamboo and Japanese text painted on fences to bring the vision to life.

“The Japanese are the masters of small spaces,” Miller said.

In addition to visual art, the neighbourhood tour also showcased musical talent.

A small crowd of guests gathered to watch Mary Kilmer, an executive member of the Chautauqua Residents Association, pick up a guitar and play in one of the tour route gardens.

She sang an original song called “Brother John,” which she wrote for her brother as a birthday present.

While watching Kilmer’s performance, Weston Miller, the association’s president, said he was happy to see a “great turnout” at this year’s event despite the gloomy weather.

He explained how most stops on the tour were newcomers this year, giving more local artists a chance to show off their work at an event he said was brought back by “popular demand.”

Margret Walker, a volunteer and leader of the event’s bake sale, shared a similar sentiment.

Even though guests at the earlier hours of the event had to bundle up, she said the baked goods flew off the table — especially her famous shortbread cookies.

Alongside the bake sale was a plant sale, which included plants found in various gardens on the tour route, such as coral bark Japanese maple.

For creators like Korkmaz and Miller, the tour brought a chance to introduce their work to a new audience — one that might not have considered gardening a form of expression before seeing a welcome sign on these artists’ back gates.