Taking a tour of Innisfil's artists
By Chris Simon

Photo by Chris Simon Artist Manon Martin inspects one of the painted glasses she was selling during the annual Innisfil Studio Tour last weekend. Over 30 artists and crafters participated in the event at 23 locations throughout the area. Quilts, preserves, paintings and pottery were among the items that were available.

For Manon Martin, the Innisfil Studio Tour is an annual tradition, and a chance to be seen.

For the last seven years, the artist has packed up a variety of art, which this year includes painted glasses, candle holders and wood products, and travelled from her home in Utopia, specifically to be a part of the annual tour.

Last weekend, she made the trek again, setting up shop at an 8th Line studio. She sells her precious hobbies at about five shows a year, but keeps returning to the tour to visit with friends and show off her work.

"I do this for the fun of it," she said, as several people peered at her glassware, simply painted with flower, bug and and animal face designs. "I'm retired, and it's something to keep me busy. This is one of my better shows. I enjoy painting and I just wanted to go into another type of painting.

"It's important just to get my name out there and have people see the type of work I do."

Over 35 artists and craft vendors were selling their merchandise, giving tips to interested patrons and offering refreshments at 23 locations across the area. Several other types of arts and crafts were also on display, including pottery, paintings, photography, sculptures, cards, Bottle Santas, kitchen decor and children's furniture, said organizer Brenda Wauchope.

"There's a wealth of talent in Innisfil, an incredible amount of artisans who do a variety of work," she said. "This is an opportunity to showcase their work and sell it in a relaxed atmosphere in their own studio or home."

Wauchope says the tour is unique for several reasons. Most artists showcase work out of their homes, while three will set up studios at the Innisfil Public Library's Lakeshore branch. The tour was free and self guided, so customers were able to choose the sites they wanted to visit.

"From an artist's point of view, it's a lot nicer to be able to lay out your wares in a nice big room, and have lots of space," she said. "(Most artists) don't have to box up, take it in your car to a craft show and only have an eight-foot (display) table. Those kinds of venues are often crowded and congested. This is a much more relaxing thing."

Customers also got an opportunity to purchase some early Christmas presents, she said.

"It is the right time of year, people are just getting started thinking, now that Halloween's over, next is (Christmas)," she said. "It's a nice opportunity for people to shop within their own community."

However, the tour also attracts visitors from other municipalities, she said.

"It's an important event for Innisfil. We started off 15 years ago with maybe 10 locations, we're up to 23 with 35 artists," she said. "It's not just people from Innisfil who are shopping, we're getting a lot of people from out of town. People are coming to Innisfil and checking out the talent we have to offer."