Oxford Studio Tour less than 2 weeks away!

April 25, 2023Leave a comment

Below is an article kindly written for us by Jeff Tribe, and featuring several tour artists:

The Oxford Studio Tour always has been, is and always will be a diverse, inclusive artistic space.

There is commonality amongst participants given each must successfully pass an application process confirming commitment to their art. Beyond that, the 33 participants on this year’s 16th Annual event offer their unique vision through 16 distinct media.
“I am in awe of it all,” said Wendy Gielis, a first-time member who joined after touring last year’s event with her sister Monique. “And what they create out of it.”

This year’s tour is scheduled for Saturday, May 6th and Sunday, May 7th, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days.
A full palette of detailed information including descriptions of individual artists and examples of their work, tour maps and locations and event sponsors is listed on the website www.oxfordstudiotour.ca. Glossy, full-colour brochures featuring the same are available from Tillsonburg’s Station Arts Centre, Ingersoll’s Creative Arts Centre, the Woodstock Art Gallery, Tourism Oxford, Early Bird Coffee and participating artists. Interested persons are also invited to phone 519-842-6151 or email office@stationarts.ca. During the tour, red signs will be planted to further identify the tour’s 15 locations.

Sue Goossens, a professional Otterville-area-based watercolour artist and tour founder recommends using the brochure or website to plan out an itinerary efficiently using as much time as guests would like to commit. Some strive to take in every site and artist across two full days, others pick locations which particularly interest them for a half or single day. Any amount of time will however, open the door to a wide range of artistic expression.
“We are very fortunate to have such a variety of talented artists in Oxford County,” said Goossens. The diversity developed organically she continued, believing it is an Oxford tour strength. Those enjoying the opportunity can expect to view oil, acrylic and watercolour paintings, graphite, pen-and-ink, encaustic, collage and mixed media renditions, pottery, jewellery, photography, digital art, weaving and fibre arts along with gourds and woodworking.
“We have everything,” Goossens said. “And we haven’t had to work at the variety, we’re fortunate, it has just happened.”

Tillsonburg-based Tabitha Verbuyst’s own diversity is expressed in dramatic dark and alternatively, light dreamlike interpretations of movement, colour and life. She looks forward to the tour weekend as a focussed concentration on the depth and breadth of Oxford County’s artistic community, for both public and participants.
“It’s great to work with so many talented artists,” Verbuyst said, citing benefits including shared peer and community exposure. “And from that, they gain personal growth and new opportunities in the world of art.
“Don’t just take our word for it, come and see for yourself,” she smiled in conclusion.

Some of our 2023 Oxford Studio Tour artists

Virtual Oxford Studio Tour

April 26, 2021April 29, 2022Leave a comment

As you know, our Oxford Studio Tour, which would have been this weekend, has been cancelled once again due to COVID-19.

We know visiting our art onscreen is not the same as the fun of touring around Oxford County and seeing each artist in person, along with all of their fabulous art, but what to do? We decided to make the best of it and hold a virtual tour in the form of a Facebook Event. Consider yourself invited! Join in by clicking “Going”, then check out the “Discussions” button to see all of the artwork being showcased. Artist contact info should be available at each post. We’d all be thrilled if you decided to purchase a piece, but we are happy if you just want to look, like, share, etc. It is open to the public and it is free. It’s on right now, and it will be open until 9 a.m. May 7.

After that, just follow the directions for non-Facebook users:

For those not on Facebook, it might be fun to visit our Studios and Artists by Location Page here on our website, and just visit each artist’s website.

Next Weekend!

April 28, 2019April 27, 2019Leave a comment

We are in the last week before the 12th Annual Oxford Studio Tour. Forty artists all around Oxford County, Ontario, Canada, are busily framing and putting the finishing touches on their carefully created works. Some will be packing them up soon to take to host studios and art centres, others will be madly cleaning their houses and especially their display areas to make sure everything is in shape to host at their own studios and galleries. While many of us show at various exhibits all year long, the tour weekend gives us a real chance to meet the art lovers in our region and hopefully make a few sales.

There are 16 Locations on the tour this year. You get to decide which ones you want to visit, whether it is based on what kind of art you want to see, where you want to go, how long you can sit in the car, or which ones you’ve already been to in previous years. Admission is free, as always, and the website has a complete guide with links to maps. You may have already picked up a brochure at one of the many locations they are available. Many businesses have been very kind to us and we appreciate it so much! They are also available at each studio.

If you can’t do the tour this year, or if you can, but you are not in the market for a piece of art, you may wish to consider other ways you can support your favourite local artists: visit their websites, subscribe to their blogs, ‘like’ their posts, forward their art event emails to your friends, share their posts or their websites on social media or just simply tell your friends and relatives about them. Every little bit you do means new eyes will see the art. We will love you for it!