Diana Bullock

Studio Tour artist Diana Bullock shares with us the process of wet mounting a Sumi-e [Japanese ink painting] work. Visit Diana's studio number 15 on the tour. Her mother Grace MacPherson and her daughter Allison Bullock also will be exhibiting work. Three generations of artists all in one place. Visit www.alternativesinart.ca to see more of Diana and Allison's work.

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Painting Sumi-e work requires patience. I can't count the number of times I have gotten to the last stroke in a painting only to ruin it. This is a very unforgiving media, if you make an error you must start over. 

The next step after the painting has dried is to make the painting more stable by adding another layer of paper behind the work. This also improves the colour of the ink. You can dry mount it, which I have never attempted or you can wet mount it.   

There are places that will do it for you but  I prefer to do it myself. After many years I have got a system that works for me. Bear in mind that both of these papers are a little bit heavier than tissue paper. The "rice paper" that I use is strong if you know how to handle it when it is wet but it can easily tear especially when wet!

First you lay the painting upside down on a clean board.

After lightly spraying the painting with water you paste the back of the painting with an acid free rice  paste.

 

 
Placing a slightly larger piece of rice paper on the painting you gently rub the rice paper to the painting using a piece of parchment paper to protect the work from tearing. 

 
 Carefully lifting the work up it is now turned right side up and place on a clean support [some people use their doors, I don't]. The edges are taped down with packing tape [the worst part of this proceedure for me because I am always losing the end of the tape!]

 
You then have to babysit the work until it drys; sometimes the tape will break away and that can cause a ripple. 

My birds are now drying. Once they are very dry I will add my seal and sign them, all ready to be framed.

John Roberts

John Roberts is a very accomplished artist. He works in many different media and in many different styles. He loves to create and he is often seen waling around town with his briefcase of sketchbooks. 

John really loves to draw people and to combine his love of drawing with donating to a worthy cause he has developed a plan. The last Friday and or Saturday afternoon of any month will find John in the Care and Share quilt room with a table set up. For a nominal charge, that he donates to the Mennonite Central Committee, John will create a beautiful portrait for you. You can either sit for John or he will work from a picture. 

Even if you are not interested in having a portrait it is fun to see John's work. 

The Care and Share is part of the Latcham Gallery building 6240 Main Street Stouffville. And make sure to visit John on the 2013 Studio Tour!

 

The Sketchbook Project

Studio Tour artist Allison Bullock recently completed the Art House Co-op's Sketchbook Project. With a by-line like 'Creative Interactive Crowd-Sourced Art Projects Since 2006'  the Sketchbook Project sounds interesting, doesn't it? Here's Allison to explain: 
 

I'm not certain when I first became aware of The Sketchbook Project; probably about a year ago, but it wasn't until October 2012 that I decided to sign up.

My sketchbook arrives!

The idea behind this initiative is that there isn’t enough gallery space to allow all artists who would like to show their work the opportunity to do so. Sketchbooks are smaller, more easily stored than large paintings, and much easier to transport. Genius!

As a participant in The Sketchbook Project, I paid $25 to have a sketchbook sent to me and my job was to fill the 32 pages with my art, then send it back to New York to become part of a travelling library of art.

The beginning of a Star Wars collage!

After two weeks of not-very-patient waiting, my sketchbook arrived and I set about filling it. My first task was to decide what medium to use; I usually paint in acrylic or encaustic (wax) neither of which would lend to the nature of a sketchbook. In the 'rules and regulations' sent by the Art House Co-Op, a durable medium that would not cause the pages to stick was recommended.



I decided instead to flex my underused collage muscles. Collage can be beautiful, but like anything in art, it is an acquired skill to know when to stop! Finding balance is difficult and I have often admired those who are able to do so, well. I also decided to use the more traditional graphite pencil as well as pencil crayon, and some really fun art markers that I hadn't had the occasion to use yet.

 As I set about creating art, I was pleasantly surprised how quickly everything came together and as an added bonus, I was pretty happy with the result (artists are notoriously hard on themselves about their own work.)

Have you heard about the bird?

 
The 2013 Sketchbook Project books will actually make a stop in Toronto in the Distillery District. I think I'm most excited to see my sketchbook in this travelling! And the best part is that when the exhibition finishes, my sketchbook will become part of the Brooklyn Art Library in New York.

Doors Open

Doors Open happens all over Ontario on various weekends. It is fun way to see inside buildings and learn some of the history and heritage of an area.

The Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville is participating in this event June 1st, 2013. Twelve sites will be opened to the public from 10 am to 4 pm. Doors Open Whitchurch-Stouffville will also have an added feature, Stouffville Studio Tour Artists will be demonstrating their art.

Drive out of  town to the Willowgrove Camp where Carin Bacher will be carving a totem pole.

Find Deb Grove-Kirk chasing copper in the repoussé  technique at the office of Paul Calandra, MP. 

In the Town Offices you will  find Jane McLellan painting beautiful wine glasses.  Jane is one of our new artists on the Tour for 2013.

Jane McLellan hand painted glasses

John Roberts will creating pencil portraits at the Renew Integrative Health building with the small fee that he charges going to one of his favourite charities, an orphanage in Uganda. 

Lis Simpson will be at the Stouffville train station demonstrating how she makes art glass beads on a torch. 

Lis Simpson making her bead

Red Caboose Bead that Lis will have at the Train Station

Come see how these artists create their work and visit some interesting sites in Whitchurch-Stouffville.

To see some of the work that these artists create visit our 2012 website.

Round Robin Paint Off May 9th 2013

On Thursday May 9th, 2013 the Whitchurch-Stouffville Studio Tour participated in a "Round Robin Paint Off" of York Region Studio Tours hosted by the York Region Arts Council.

The "Arts after Hours" event was a way for artists to meet and network with their peers. Creating art can be isolating so these events are excellent ways to "talk shop" with fellow artists. 

The entertainment of this evening was the round robin painting tournament.

For the "paint off" each team of 3 artists had 30 minutes to complete a collaborative painting. Four tours were represented, King Studio Tour, Newmarket Studio Tour, Richmond Hill Studio Tour and Whitchurch-Stouffville Studio Tour. 

Our team consisted of artists Ray McNeice, Colin Whitebread and Diana Bullock. 

They chose to depict a kettle lake at the bottom of the painting surrounded by houses and with hills and farmland in the background. Collaged into the houses was an area map of the farms from the late 19th century. 

As well as painting, our team took a video of their work. Looks like they had fun!

 

Here is a picture of all of the paintings created by the artists that evening.

Richmond Hill, Whitchurch-Stouffville, King, and Newmarket Studio Tours