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Eric Bunnell's People: Elgin artists open their studio doors for biggest tour yet

The free, self-guided tour returns Sept. 26 and 27 with painters, printmakers, ceramicists and metalworkers taking part

Creative types in St. Thomas, Port Stanley and elsewhere in Elgin are opening their studio doors next week for the third annual Elgin County Studio Tour.

It’s an opportunity for “a really intimate look into the artist’s life and their creative process,” says convener Laura Woermke, executive director of the St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre and a practising artist herself.

Eric Bunnell's People: Elgin artists open their studio doors for biggest tour yet Back to video

“And, hopefully, we can get people to support these artists by following them on social media, or purchasing a painting, or just learning more about them.”

There’s lots to be learned, she says.

“We want to let people know that Elgin and St Thomas have a huge creative community.”

This year’s tour is the largest yet, featuring 25 artists working in 19 studios. There are painters, printmakers, ceramicists and metalworkers.

For a number of artists, the tour is a family affair. Laura counts 10 artists who are parent-and-child pairings. (She, herself, is participating with daughter Emmi Coburn.)

The self-guided tour runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sept. 26 and 27, and it is free of charge. Details are available online at elgincountystudiotour.ca.

In View of the Artist

A look at creativity from even farther afield is currently on the walls of the St. Thomas-Elgin Public Art Centre.

Artists from throughout Southwestern Ontario were invited to submit for the art gallery’s yearly juried exhibition, In View of the Artist.

Juror Gerald Pedros selected 44 artworks for inclusion, all two-dimensional but as varied in media and style as it goes, from paintings to collage, from realistic to abstract.

Even so, all demonstrate the same thing, Laura says.

“For me, what I see in this exhibition is the dedication of the artists. They are putting their best foot forward. This is what I am about, and I think that’s the cohesiveness of this.”

What are we taking away from this exhibition?

“I think, again, it is the amount of creatives that are working in our community,” Laura says.

“And I realize this is........

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