The second annual Old Ottawa South Studio Tour takes place on Sept. 27, with local artists opening their doors to the public.
“We are featuring ten artists on a walking tour through Old Ottawa South,” said Michael Schnier of the Old Ottawa South Community Centre. “We’re looking to build community with this event. There are so many interesting people living in this neighbourhood.”
Michele Sprott, a jewelry maker who lives on Harvard Street, is one of the 10 artists featured. She creates many different types of jewelry that centre around freshwater pearls, sterling silver, and gemstones.
“Freshwater pearls come in a range of colour, shapes and sizes, which … gives me more of a palette,” Sprott said. She has been a jewelry maker for five years.
Sprott worked in retail jewelry sales for most of her life, which taught her both the retail and practical sides of jewelry alteration.
Now, she works from her living room and said that her previous career has inspired her to create unique pieces.
“I like getting to know the people wearing my creations, and I always make sure they are aware that we can do alterations,” she said. “It is very personal.”
Elaine Decoursey, an acrylic and watercolour artist, participated in the Studio Tour last year, and said she hopes to see it grow further the second time around.
“It is a chance to meet people. Painting can be a very solitary activity and this makes it a little more interactive,” she said.
Decoursey says she loves painting places, especially places in Ottawa. Although employed full time, she has been seriously painting for 12 years and has created a series of works on the National Gallery and the Catholic Basilica in the Byward Market.
“There you have the art world and the spiritual world—it is kind of my Protestant take on it,” she said, adding that her husband and children are Catholic. “For me, the world of art is important for everyone. You go into a higher place of being when you’re doing something you love. It is something I hope that ultimately everyone has in life.”
Decoursey said at first it was hard to part with pieces, but she has gotten used to the practice.
“It was at first, but it is very flattering to know that someone wants to hang your work in their house,” she said. “In a way it gives you a boost. It gives you the momentum to keep painting.”
The Studio Tour takes place from 11:00 a.m. until 5 p.m., with maps available on the Old Ottawa South Community Association’s website. Admission is free.
