The Rideau Lakes Studio Tour group is readying for its 28th annual tour, which takes place on the weekend of June 27 and 28 from 10am to 5pm both days. This year 20 artisans — painters, potters, a glass worker, woodburner, weaver, sculptor and photographer — will open their studios to visit and engage with the public. Locations are in Chaffey’s and Davis Lock, Portland, Newboro, and Elgin, allowing for a full Rideau Lakes experience.
Kristi Bird will be at Stone Manor Studio in Newboro this year along with five other artists.
“The choices I make around subject matter are primarily wildlife and landscape, specifically things that I see and photograph during my travels around and through Rideau Lakes and surrounding areas,” writes Kristi. “I am always searching for scenes that capture the light and glow that I have a passion for in my work. My photos are used as references, but I tend to mix things up quite a bit, creating thoughtful compositions.”
Kristi’s studio is also her home, and she is fortunate to live in a natural rural setting with a river behind. In the studio, she says, “I can turn in my chair and see all sorts of birds and animals, like the osprey and the beaver family that comes to visit in the evening.”
Though her workspace is not large, it is in an idyllic setting where she is truly inspired by nature. “My painting space is small and cozy, and I have paintings hanging close by that my partner and I have collected from local artists we admire. I have a very maximal approach to decorating, I suppose. Tucked in my studio is a small easel, an office chair, and a desk with paints and brushes strewn across it in what to others might appear to be complete chaos. In some ways it is, and I love it. I like to listen to music when I paint and have the privilege of having a musician in the house, so there is often music and singing going on around me. I also have a lovely grey tabby who keeps me company.”
A busy artist, Kristi exhibited with the Bath Artisans at the end of April and will be at The Rideau Lakes Studio Tour on Canada Day weekend, Fantasy in the Forest, Paint the Summer (Rideau Lakes Artist’s Association), and still may have more shows to come. Find more about Kristi’s art at kristibird.com, and read more about the Rideau Lakes Studio Tour at rideaulakesstudiotour.ca.