Artist Robin Burnett will soon turn the main floor of her Timothy Street century home into a gallery space as she gets set to participate for the ninth time in the juried 2018 Newmarket Art Walk & Studio Tour next month.
Burnett, a painter who employs an oil glaze technique to her Scotland and Georgian Bay-inspired landscapes, has been involved with Art Walk since the beginning.
“The tour has continued to grow and evolve, along with all the volunteers. It’s a real team effort,” she said.
This year marks the tour’s 10th anniversary. On the weekend of Oct. 13 and 14, guests can walk to 15 venues and view the artwork of 36 artists, all within walking distance of Newmarket’s downtown Main Street. Local businesses, Newmarket Community Centre, Old Town Hall and private homes and studios will have a doors-open policy. A vast collection of artwork will be on exhibit and for sale, including textiles, ceramics, stained glass art, contemporary abstracts, mixed media, wearable art and more.
A trip to Burnett’s website shows a collection of wintry-themed oil paintings, blankets of snow stretching out before the artist’s eyes. But more of Burnett’s recent paintings reflect her love for the Georgian Bay shoreline in the summertime and, in particular, the Honey Harbour area, about an hour-and-a-half north of Newmarket.
“There’s no limit to the beauty you can find in Georgian Bay,” she said.
Often, Burnett will take photographs of her landscape subjects and interpret them in her own way when it comes time to paint. Her artistic process of oil glazing is a long one, requiring her to apply layer upon layer of colour.
She has an affinity for miniatures, and many of her brush strokes grace canvases as small as two inches by three inches.
“A lot of my works are quite small. It's challenging. I try to get enough detail into a small space so that it still looks like something,” Burnett said, adding she’s had to start wearing glasses when working in such tiny detail.
Burnett will show a collection of her artwork, including framed pieces and others on stretched canvas. Her original work sells for between $100 to $950.
The 2018 Newmarket Art Walk & Studio Tour runs Saturday, Oct. 13 and Sunday, Oct. 14. Hours are: Oct. 13 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Oct. 14 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The event is presented by the Newmarket Group of Artists, who, with help from a growing list of sponsors each year, has grown this signature annual, juried art tour up from humble beginnings. The group also mounts art exhibitions throughout the year at the Art Gallery at Southlake, venues along Main Street, and the Artist Market at Riverwalk Commons, as well as runs marketing workshops for its members.
To download the 2018 Art Walk brochure, including the full list of participating artists, sponsors, and an interactive map, click here
