Perth Autumn Studio Tour 2017

Sep 27, 2017

October 7, 8 and 9, 10 am – 5 pm daily. Today the rate of change is so fast that at times we need to step back and appreciate the skills, tools and artistry of the past before we lose these to modernity. The Perth Autumn Studio Tour highlights some of these traditional skills, from fence building and canoe making to woodworking, pottery, weaving and felting. Tour artisans also demonstrate the way these old talents have been adapted to our modern world. By producing works that reflect our past but are still functional today, the artisans on the tour keep old skills alive and create unique pieces.

Today’s potters may use electric wheels and kilns, but the skill needed to produce a fine and functional pot takes years of practice. Dunn Sohn may use an electric lathe, but much of his machinery has been restored to working condition. Brent Kirkham has taken the traditional skills needed to make canoes to an art form, while Franc van Oort uses many old print-making techniques to create images that meld with modern decor.

This year on the tour we also have several new and returning fibre artists who again use old techniques and equipment to raise function to an art form, inlcuding Bridget O’Flaherty, whose delicately stitched pictures depict the Ottawa Valley landscape using quilting methods combined with embroidery. Zoe Lianga has also developed the traditional technique of felting into an art form and a new guest, Dagmar Sagat’s functional cushions and household items are decorated with her subtle stitchery. Heather Sherratt’s handwoven clothing, made on looms that are basically the same as the pioneers used, is produced from time-honoured and modern fibres including wool, silk, linen, bamboo, and soy silk. For more information visit mailto:wwwperthstudiotour.com or call 613 267-5237.