One of the best parts of putting on Bloomfest each year is getting to know the artists. I am always fascinated by the stories behind the work — how someone first found their way to a particular medium, what drew them to it, and how often the path into art turns out to be anything but straightforward. Artist statements usually tell us what someone makes, but they don’t always capture the twists, turns, and moments of discovery that shaped the person behind the work.
This year, instead of writing about how to use garden art in the landscape, I thought it would be fun to introduce readers to a few of the artists themselves before they come to Bloomfest.
Danny Perkins is new to the show this year, and his path into art began in a very unusual way. Danny lives on a dairy farm in Quebec’s Eastern Townships and, although he always loved to doodle, he had no formal art training. His family raised Jersey cows and regularly took them to shows. As Danny tells it, if beautiful cows were going to be on display, they deserved beautiful surroundings. So he created a small hay wagon decorated with metal art panels to haul hay to the cows during the shows. The wagon attracted so much attention that it led to commissions for fifty-four custom wagons shipped across North America. That project marked the beginning of a successful ten-year career in metal art — one that has since included creating a special piece presented as a gift to President Emmanuel Macron. At Bloomfest, visitors will see some of Danny’s larger metal pieces, along with whimsical dragonflies, butterflies and ceramic flowers.
Another artist joining Bloomfest for the first time is Elegance in Wood, a husband-and-wife woodworking team whose work is rooted in both craftsmanship and heritage. They share Celtic roots, and in that culture, fairies are taken very seriously. It seems fitting that they create beautifully detailed fairy doors. They told me they quickly discovered that everyone wanted to open them, so each one is now made with tiny hinges and a doorknob. Whether someone is nine or ninety, people simply can’t resist opening one — and it almost always brings a smile. Many of their designs also feature hummingbirds, butterflies and dragonflies, motifs that feel perfectly at home in a garden setting.
Craig Carmichael’s route into art was equally unexpected. He trained as a graphic designer, but found himself in a job that involved constant travel and left him ready for a change. He and his wife are avid hikers and often spent time in the Adirondacks, where chainsaw carving is an established art form. After his wife admired some carvings they saw there, Craig came home and tried making one for her. She loved it — and so did a friend, who promptly bought it. What began as a creative hobby quickly gained momentum. Craig left his job in 2014 to carve full-time, and today he creates commissioned works that have included two large sculptures for the lobbies of Amazon buildings in Ottawa. At Bloomfest, he will be bringing some of his smaller and very popular pieces, including his bears and birds.
Roger Huestis found his artistic direction during the Covid years while researching a book on the mills, farms and barns of Eastern Ontario. Along the way he began noticing large, brightly coloured geometric designs mounted on the sides of buildings and learned they were known as barn quilts. Intrigued, Roger decided to try creating smaller versions himself. What began as a creative project quickly grew into a successful venture, and he has now produced more than 200 barn quilts for customers across Canada. His barn quilts echo the patterns of hand-sewn quilts made for generations, translating those traditional designs into painted wooden pieces that feel equally at home indoors or out.
Returning artist Cindy Laneville also found her way into art through an unexpected change in direction. For 23 years she has been creating intricate glass mosaic pieces for homes and gardens. Like several of this year’s artists, she had no formal art training, but became a full-time artist when she realized that working with glass mosaics brought her more joy than her job in finance. Her husband encouraged her to follow her passion. Since then, she has created hundreds of pieces from tiny slivers of glass, many of them custom commissions. Her goal is to make her mosaics look like paintings — and judging by the reactions of people who see her work, she succeeds beautifully.
Frank Schmohl’s story begins with a long family tradition of craftsmanship. He is the fifth generation in a family of German woodworkers, and for many years he worked in wood himself before learning to weld and beginning to experiment with metal. The turning point came after a holiday, when he brought two stones home and used them as the bodies for a pair of flamingo sculptures made from bent metal. They turned out so well that he kept going, creating more creatures from stone and steel. Eventually his wife announced that there was no room in the yard for any more creations. That was the start of his business, Bent Out of Shape. He especially loves making dragons, because, as he says, they allow the imagination complete freedom — after all, no one really knows what a dragon is supposed to look like.
What all 21 artists in this year’s show have in common is imagination, craftsmanship, and a willingness to follow an unexpected path. Bloomfest offers visitors the chance to enjoy the finished pieces set throughout the gardens, and I hope these glimpses into the artists’ stories add another layer of enjoyment to the experience.
Bloomfest runs daily from July 17 to July 26 at Whitehouse Perennials, located at 594 Rae Road near Almonte. Admission is free, but voluntary donations of cash or canned goods in support of the Almonte Food Bank would be greatly appreciated. For more information about the show, please visit whitehouseperennials.com.