New Brunswick art show continues to share behind-the-scenes glimpse 25 years later

Sitting in his studio with a paint brush in hand is the norm for Sackville, N.B., painter Robert Lyon, but while it’s what he is used to, it’s a side of him that not everyone gets to see.

Lyon says that his day-to-day work is actually rather isolating as it’s usually just him and his latest artwork, but that all changes on the third weekend in October when he, along with dozens of other local artists, open their studios and give the community a glimpse behind the scenes.

“When it started 25 years ago it was just kind of a one-off, this will be a good idea, but then we saw the advantages of it and how it worked for all of us, almost like a symbiotic relationship, so there was nothing but positives from it,” said the local watercolour painter.

Twenty five years ago, he and two other artists, Ghita Levin and Donna Sharpe all had a show scheduled for the same weekend and instead of being in competition, they decided to work together, cross promote and bring to life the Art Across the Marsh Studio Tour.

“It’s not just about going around and seeing art. It’s seeing studios, where the people work, where the artists are, what they’re inspired by,” said Lyon.

“It’s a great opportunity to have a bunch of people come and just talk to them, have conversations, it gives me feedback on my work, so it’s a really positive thing all around,” he added.

This year, 25 studios and about 40-50 individual artists from Sackville, Amherst, Port Elgin and Baie Verte participated.

Lyon says the weekend itself draws people in from across both New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, but they actually see the affects throughout the entire year with people revisiting the area and their favourite artists following the tour.

A collection of artworks on display at Robert Lyon's studio. (CTV/Alana Pickrell) However, Silk Painter, Marilyn Cook says she saw a guest from as far as Colorado on Sunday morning.

“I think I get more pleasure out of just having them come in and the expression on their face when they come in the studio and the colours and the brightness, you know, it’s a little overwhelming sometimes for some people and it’s a special thing just to see their reaction,” said Cook.

“It’s not about the sales, studio tours, it’s about welcoming people to the studio.”

Cook, who owns Smooth as Silk, has been a craft person for her entire life and started working with silk in the mid 80s.

“My mom was a seamstress and there was always fabric in our house […] so I always had pieces of silk in my pockets, in my bedroom and made clothes for my dolls, I sewed beads, I learned to embroider very, very young and so it was always hand crafts that were apart of my life, but I had a love for silk,” she said.

It was her friend that taught her how to paint scarfs and got her hooked on the craft that she now shares with so many people around her.

“The minute that I put that first dye on the silk, I was hooked,” she said.

This is Cook’s 23rd year participating in the Art Across the Marsh Studio Tour and she loves welcoming people to see her work, the process and even try out silk painting for themselves.

Some of Marilyn Cook's artwork on display in her studio. (CTV/Alana Pickrell) She says it’s an opportunity for people to see what happens behind their studio doors.

“These are items that, you know, all the craft people that are on this tour, the things they make are made with love and passion. Its not a mass produced item,” she said.

The studio tour features a variety of artists from painters to photographers to textile artists and potters.

Kaeli Cook has been doing pottery for 20 years now and has been apart of the tour for 17 years.

“I just like having people in my space. It’s nice to show people what I’m doing,” she said.

Typically her studio, Kaeli Cook Pottery, is open by appointment only but she says the studio tour weekend brings her more guests then she would see throughout a year if this opportunity didn’t exist.

A mug is on display at Kaeli Cook's studio. (CTV/Alana Pickrell) “I’ve had about 50 come through,” she said on Sunday morning with hours still left before the 2024 studio tour wrapped up for the year.

She says overall the weekend helps people realize just how much work goes into local artwork and helps showcase that each piece is unique.

The annual event takes place on both Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. giving people the chance to visit multiple studios, artists and art forms.

Janice Boyduck has been supporting the studio tour for several years now and each year she picks a handful of new artists along the route to visit.

On Sunday she visited Thaddeus Holownia’s studio and was taken back to her days in print and even found a photo of her uncle’s blueberry farm on the wall during her visit.

“There’s not one time that you leave a studio without learning something. There’s always knowledge that you’ve picked up. That’s what I’ve always learned,” she said.

Adding, “I think it’s really important for artist to show their work, see their work and for people to understand where they can find them. One of the biggest things that I found working with different artists is that no body knows where to find you.”

Lyon says the studio tour will continue for as long as he can continue to paint giving local artists the chance to come together, share their passion and inspiration, and invite the community into a space that is usually filled with just the artist and their craft.

“I moved here I guess 31 years ago and just fell in love with the Maritimes and I’ve been inspired here everyday,” he said.

Click here for a photo gallery of Art Across the Marsh. 

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