First-time exhibitor, artist Rose Marie Roy, teamed up with fellow painter Chris Kingsley to extend the outdoor art tour to Rideau Garden Drive. Photo by Lorne Aboguv
Tanis Browning-Shelp
Hundreds of art enthusiasts ambled through Old Ottawa East (OOE) in perfect weather on September 23rd to check out the exhibitions in our community’s fourth annual outdoor art tour. Visitors could view or purchase the works of forty-eight artists this year including three photographers, one sculptor, one jewelry maker, and twelve young artists. The 2023 event included five multi-artist venues—The Corners on Main (TCOM) courtyard garden; Bower Street and Mason Terrace for adult artists; and McNaughton Street and the Children’s Garden for child and tween artists.
Presented by The Mainstreeter, A Walk of Art has matured, in part, thanks to the volunteer efforts of the newspaper’s Board members Whitney Bond and Lori Gandy, and the financial support of seven commercial sponsors. This year’s sponsors included AOV Surveying, Ears on Main, Merriam Print Inc., Oat Couture and Montgomery’s Scotch Lounge, Ottawa Physiotherapy & Sports Clinics, Royal Lepage Performance Realty, and Watson’s Pharmacy & Compounding Centre.
Chris Galbraith, Olivia Crossman and their daughter Audrey taking in the art tour on Echo Drive under blue skies and amongst fall flowers. Photo by Tanis Browning-Shelp
“These local businesses appreciate how art can build community,” says The Mainstreeter’s Editor and co-coordinator of the tour, Lorne Abugov. “This event is a meaningful occasion for artists to meet one another and to share their work with the public”
Acrylic painter Sarah Pooler participated in A Walk of Art for the first time in 2023. She exhibited her work along with five other artists in the courtyard garden of TCOM—one of the group venues that was added to the tour this year. “My kids helped me set up my art display of vibrant acrylic paintings,” Pooler says. “I wasn’t sure what to expect during the day, but the crowds didn’t stop coming! Who knew there were so many fabulous artists right here in OOE?”
Jewelry maker Fei Wu brought her unique talent to A Walk of Art. Photo Supplied
The event has grown geographically, too, now extending north to south from Graham Avenue to Riverdale Avenue, and west to east from Echo Drive to the Rideau River. Attendees could follow the detailed event map prepared by OOE artist and event founder Steve Fick, who also happens to be a leading Canadian cartographer.
Chris Galbraith, who attended the event with Olivia Crossman and their daughter Audrey, liked what he called the “community feel” of the event. “I come from Fergus, Ontario, a small town west of Toronto, where artists hold shows like this quite often,” Galbraith says. “It is very nice seeing it here!”
Louise Rachlis exhibits on Graham Avenue – a very successful day with lots of strollers and cyclists viewing the artist’s vibrant work. Photo by Josh Rachlis
Riverdale Avenue resident Tara Lapointe commented on the variety of arton display. “I saw such beautiful work…from painting to sculpture to graffiti-inspired art!” Lapointe says. “The talent in this neighbourhood is absolutely extraordinary! And I thought that the exhibitions in the Children’s Garden and on McNaughton Street were a wonderful way to encourage children to make art and build their confidence.”
Susan Smith was also impressed with the young people who “put themselves out there,” Smith says. “I really loved seeing the family involvement, and the Children’s Garden exhibition was such an oasis!”
“It was a beautiful afternoon,” says Suzanne Charest. “We were out riding our bikes and talking to people. I think the event works well to build a community of artists in the neighbourhood. And the variety of art impressed me.”
Artist Ruth Browning exhibited her exquisite paintings for the third consecutive year at the picturesque front yard on Echo Drive. Photo Supplied
Rose Marie Roy and Chris Kingsley, two painters who displayed their art together on Rideau Garden Drive, appreciated the opportunity to show their work. Kingsley paints in oils, and florals are her specialty, and Roy paints in acrylic, oil, and watercolour. Her work is modern Impressionism.
“We would like to thank all those dedicated people who make this amazingly successful event happen,” Roy says. “We were so happy to see the show of neighbourly support and appreciation. It was very special
to me personally.”
If you would like to get involved in the planning and staging of A Walk of Art in 2024, kindly email Arts Editor Tanis Browning-Shelp at tanis@browning-shelp.com
Author Tanis Browning-Shelp (http://www.browning-shelp.com) pens her Maryn O’Brien Young Adult Fiction series, published by Dog-Eared Books, from her home in Old Ottawa East.
