Five things to know about the London Artists’ Studio Tour

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The three-day London Artists’ Studio Tour begins Friday – a free, self-guided showcase that allows participants to visit local artists in their work spaces and learn more about the creative processes of each. LFP’s Beatriz Baleeiro has five facts about the tour.

WHAT IS IT?

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The 31st edition of the tour is organized by a group of artists – Carol Finkbeiner Thomas, Corinne Garlick and Peter Karas – and “offers the public an extraordinary opportunity to meet local artists in their working environs,” according to the tour’s website. The lineup features 31 artists, including eight new ones, in 28 studios across London. Though the works showcased are mainly paintings, the art that visitors will see also includes ceramics, glass, sculpture and works in mixed media. 

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“My interest in this and the reason I started it (the tour) is that London has a huge art scene, it’s like a well-kept secret,” said Kevin Bice, one of the tour’s co-founders. An artist himself, whose oil paintings are featured on the tour, Bice said there’s something for everyone who appreciates art and visitors can even shop as they explore the local arts scene. 

“We have a lot going on,” he said. 

ARTISTS INVOLVED, PART 1

The public is encouraged to chat with the artists they’re visiting and talk with them about the materials they use and how they create their art. Among those returning on the tour this year is Olukayode Ojo, a Nigerian-born artist who goes by the creative name Kay. He’s opening his studio on Baffin Road to talk about his paintings, which include traditional African art based on the continent’s colours and designs. Some of his work was featured in an exhibition at the Ontario legislature building two years ago and is also available for sale at Museum London. 

New to the roster, artist Deborah Dewbury’s studio explores the Great Lakes region through the metaphor of baskets as a “vessel for ideas, materials, and experiences” using unique colours, scents and materials found in nature.

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ARTISTS INVOLVED, PART 2

Participants can expect to uncover something new at each stop. 

Artist Marijo Swick, for example, uses a wide scope of materials, such as rice paper, found objects, electronic components, traditional and digital drawings, and text, and even researches genetic sequences, where appropriate, to incorporate them into her work.

Swick showcased work at the Chicago Woman Made Gallery and was also chosen to be part of the curation panel at last year’s Kellogg International Exhibition.

Jane Roy, perhaps best known as co-chair of the London Food Bank, is also part of the tour, an “emerging artist,” as she’s described, who’s welcoming visitors to a converted garage where she works with ideas and paint in a variety of media. “I love the outdoors — the colours, the light, the big skies. I generally start with sketches done plein air (outside), moving to bigger canvasses inside the studio. Though I often still struggle with each painting, I still love the journey!” Roy says in her section of the tour brochure. 

HOW TO JOIN

The self-guided tour is free, with no registration needed, and an online map lays out all the stops. All studios taking part in the three-day excursion will have a sign bearing a large red heart outside to signify their involvement and welcome in tour-goers. 

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For those exploring on foot, five studios in Wortley Village are located within close walking distance of one another.

HOW TO FIND THE STUDIOS

Tour-goers planning their route can find its brochure, with the studio locations, on the event’s website, at londonstudiotour.ca, and at commercial galleries, public library branches, Museum London and Tourism London. The brochures are also available at a variety of independent book shops, cafes, craft brewing locations and at the Western Fair District Market. 

IF YOU GO:

When: Friday, April 19 from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, April 20 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and  Sunday, April 21 from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. 

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