25+ Places for Art in Prince Edward County 🖌️
Art runs in our veins – and down our back roads. Find an array of work in a variety of styles and price points or a wealth of workshops at a range of creative spaces, from intimate studios to restored barns and modern galleries. Here’s where you can find the muse or take home a piece of The County.
Tools of the trade | Photo Credit: Johnny CY Lam
Written by Karen Palmer
Amelie Silks & Fine Arts is set on the shore of West Lake, a stunning backdrop to the silk blouses, scarves, shawls, uni-sex shorts, accessories, sarongs, chemises and camisoles made by Amelie Koning de Bourbon. Her two dimensional work varies from paintings in mixed media, graphic arts and silk paintings. Find her on the Arts Trail.
Andrew Csafordi Studio Gallery is set in a century-old barn. Enjoy molten encaustic beeswax paintings, which mix fine art and sculpture, creating luminous textures to bring the viewer into an organic landscape unlike any other. His paintings masterfully move from two dimensions to three, often echoing the fluidity of the landscapes in The County. Find him on the Arts Trail.
Glass blower Mark Armstrong in his studio | Photo Credit: Johnny CY Lam
Armstrong Glassworks is the hottest place in The County – sometimes quite literally, with three huge furnaces used for melting, shaping and colouring glass. Explore the fascinating world of glass in the demonstration room and then visit the showroom, where the light intensifies colours and patterns in each glass creation, casting shadows as beautiful as the pieces themselves. Find him on the Arts Trail.
Arts on Main Gallery is an artists’ cooperative with paintings, sculptures, glassworks, fibre art, quilts, hand-painted silks, photographs, clay, porcelain, ceramics and drawings for sale. Explore a unique collection of original artwork created by 25 County artists.
Kids art classes at the Baxter Arts Centre | Photo Courtesy: Baxter Arts
Baxter Arts Centre provides varied arts programs for visitors to and residents of Prince Edward County, giving people of all ages opportunities to be creative and to connect with the area’s vibrant arts community. In addition to painting and sculpture, the Baxter Arts Centre offers classes on dance, writing, jewellery making, pottery, singing, yoga and more, with Saturday morning programs specifically for children.
Bloomin’ Barn Studio is home to the vibrant and joyous work of Margaret McFetridge, a painter specializing in large-scale florals that are definite mood-boosters. Nestled in the garden of her Victorian 1880s Carriage House, Margaret’s work features large brushes and confident strokes, bringing poppies, peonies and hollyhocks to life on canvas. Find her on the Arts Trail.
Peter and Alice outside their Studio along County Road 13 | Photo Courtesy: Blizzmax
BlizzMax Art Gallery Studio is home to Alice Mennacher and artist Peter Mennacher – etcher, painter and wood carver. Between games of tennis and fishing, gardening and making art, they are summertime hosts to some of the most exciting contemporary art shows between Montréal and Toronto. 2018 marks the gallery’s 25th season!
Carbon is a brand new art space, in the back of The County Canteen. Curated by Hri Neil, aka DJ Ombsudsman, the space is a gallery, studio and common creative space in the heart of Picton.
Glass artist Caroline Shuttle in her Bloomfield studio at Elements Glass | Photo Credit: Eve Harvey
Elements Glass Studio is filled with contemporary glass pieces – both sculptural and functional – that marry vibrant, rich colours with cool, smooth glass. Artist Caroline Shuttle describes a process that “takes me to fascinating places and areas of discovery within myself and within the depths of the glass.” This glass was made to touch – take a look! Find her on the Arts Trail.
HatchGallery features exhibitions of established, mid-career and emerging contemporary artists, with the work highlighted by the surrounds of a restored carriage house. Exhibitions primarily include painting, photography and sculpture, having featured work by Ronald, Mead, Urquhart, Bentham and other important Canadian artists. Find him on the Arts Trail.
Art in progress at the iconoclast studio | Photo Courtesy: iconoclast studio
iconoclast studio is the home of the vibrant abstract art of Jennifer Topaz Bruce, who works primarily with acrylic on canvas and prefers the cut of a palette knife to the stroke of a brush. Her use of lines and colour, coupled with her attraction to angles and edges, result in paintings that have bite and are unapologetic. Find her on the Arts Trail.
J.D. Thompson Fine Paintings is a study of light, the way it travels across the grasslands, the way it interacts with stormy waves, the way it softens in the evening, producing subtle rust shades. His large, painstakingly-detailed acrylic paintings attempt to depict various atmospherics caused by light interacting with water in all forms, whether grand cumulous clouds, fog, waterfalls or crashing waves. His paintings are also personal metaphoric expressions of light-filled with hope, in juxtaposition to the challenges of life. Take in the light on the Arts Trail.
The perfect feathery fusion of art and nature | Photo Courtesy: Love Nest Studios
Love Nest Studio Gallery is a riot of colour and texture, with handcrafted nest ornaments and shadowboxes, photography books, prints, greeting cards and more available at her enchanting gallery – a whimsical restored chicken coop! Inspired by nature, artist/photographer Tara Wilkinson’s fibre nest sculptures are featured in private collections around the world. Find Tara on the Arts Trail.
Lustre & Tarnish reflects the sparkle and shine of days gone by. Designer Beverly Dunnington creates magical and memorable on-of-a-kind jewellery, intertwining vintage, antique and new bits and pieces. Old and new mix and mingle with watch faces, found objects, vintage crystals, beads and antique chain. Choose a piece from her wonderful collection or bring in your treasure box for a bespoke design. Find Beverly on the Arts Trail.
Yes, there are really dogs at Mad Dog Gallery | Photo Credit: Eve Harvey
Mad Dog Gallery features outstanding traditional and contemporary fine arts exclusively by local artists, including Rosemary Brown, Brian Clark, Julie Duff, Ian Forbes, Elizabeth Jackson-Hall, Anne House, David James, Andrew Innes, Andrew King, Bill Reddick, Doris Richardson, Celia Sage, Marianne Sanders, Gerald Reilly, Susan Straiton and Susan Wallis. Group and solo shows alternate throughout the year. Follow the Arts Trail for more.
Maison Depoivre makes its home in a historical barrack of the former Camp Picton, a WWII-era military training space. By preserving many of the original elements of the barrack, the result is a unique and minimalist space where shapes, colours and textures fully come to life. The gallery works with local and Toronto-based artists, hosts regular events and curates a selection of imported products from soaps to teas to home décor.
Melanie Mena at home in her Dragonfly pottery studio | Photo Credit: Eve Harvey
Mena Dragonfly Studio is home to deceptively simple, gorgeously hand-thrown and yet completely functional pieces for use in the home. Melanie’s beautiful ceramics are complemented by unique décor items. Visit to view the collection, or stay in the on-site B&B for a chance to learn how to throw pottery in a guided workshop. Find Melanie on the Arts Trail.
Mixd Nutz Studio features the photography of Carol Noël, whose enhanced vibrant images can be viscerally felt. New this year: more black and white and montage photography. Common threads: curiosity, noticing what is often passed-by, oddities and love of human story, domicile and place. Find her on the Arts Trail for more.
Interpretive dance in the sculpture garden | Photo Courtesy: Oeno Gallery
Oeno Gallery is renowned for exceptional fine art, both dynamic contemporary and historical art, including paintings by the Group of Seven, Tom Thomson and other important Canadian and European artists. Situated on the Huff Estates Winery, the 2,400 square foot gallery hosts monthly exhibitions and a unique three-acre Sculpture Garden with more than 60 works by Canadian artists. Find it on the Arts Trail.
Pamela Carter Studio is filled with light and classical jazz– perfectly reflected in Pamela’s warm, vibrant paintings in a range of sizes and genres: still life, local lush landscapes, dancing, joyful County living. Pamela’s captures the people and places of The County, giving them life on canvas. Find Pamela – and her lovely cat, Rothko – on the Arts Trail.
SideStreet Gallery is housed in an historical 1862 building located on Main Street Wellington, featuring an extensive collection of works by regional artists. SideStreet’s focus is “authentically County” with art exhibits running during the year. It’s a good place to browse for a memento of The County, including the series of iconic “County Posters” by Marc Keelan-Bishop.
Krista Dalby and Mile Murtanovski, creative masterminds behind Small Pond Arts | Photo Credit: Jenny Thompson
Small Pond Arts is an arts farm, art gallery and artist residency centre that regularly hosts art-focused events designed to bring people together to express their creativity. Krista Dalby, a playwright, director and producer of theatre and community festivals, shares the space with Mile Murtanovski, a stiltwalker, painter, illustrator and graphic designer whose work ranges from detailed, luminescent portraits and local landscapes to a series on World War I.
Studio Barn is a community maker-space where artists and others can find the tools, technology and education they need to further their creative passions. In addition to workshops in woodworking, sewing, knitting, encaustic painting, web design and drawing, the space offers a tool lending library, project storage and room rentals. There is also a small art gallery and co-working space onsite.
Art can be appreciated by all species | Photo Courtesy: Sybil Frank Gallery
Sybil Frank Gallery offers fine art ranging from contemporary modern to landscapes, a bit of whimsy and bold sculptural pieces. Named after the proprietor’s grandmothers, the gallery honours two amazing women, one bold and daring, the other graceful, elegant and ethereal. Sybil Frank promises to be an art experience where one can find unique talent with vision, artistry and the unexpected. Find it on the Arts Trail.
The Local Store gathers the best of County art under one roof, showcasing pottery, jewelry, quilting, basketry, wood working, prints, original works of art and books in a converted barn and milking parlour. Find County-made preserves, jams, jellies and chutneys in the former lamb building and take in the gallery of large oil paintings and antiques in the hayloft.
An eclectic array of ceramic pottery by Maggie Murdoch and David Drown | Photo Courtesy: Wellington Pottery
Wellington Pottery is home to the work of Maggie Murdoch, David Drown and Hannah Melnyk. Maggie’s porcelain seems “caught in the act of becoming” with its free-form organic shapes and movement. David extrudes and hand-builds clay work to create highly-functional, inviting designs with strong graphic lines and an eastern flair. Find them on the Arts Trail.
There are dozens of Prince Edward County artists, makers, and arts based events – meet some at Art in the County June 22-July 8, 2018
