ART
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| Erma Smith of Paragon Craft Studio in Summerside |
If you appreciate all things crafty like I do, the annual PEI Studio Tour is something you should check out.
The Studio Tour allows art and craft studios from across Prince Edward Island to roll out the red carpet, welcoming the public with demonstrations, workshops and the opportunity to interact with craftspeople and artisans about their work.
In fact there are 65 studios from across the Island opening their doors for the event—with everything from folk art to basket weaving, as well as pottery, jewellery, wood items and of course paintings and art prints.
One artisan you might meet is Erma Smith at the Paragon Craft Studio in Summerside. The studio is located across the street from the College of Piping and when I visited recently, I couldn’t help but be awestruck by the dozens of gorgeous stained glass pieces hanging from the ceiling of her shop. Many of the pieces contained inspirations from nature including various kinds of birds, nautical themes and other colourful scenes. Looking up at the works on the ceiling brought about an appreciation for the artistry that had obviously gone into each piece. I immediately started to consider which ones would appeal the most to the people on my Christmas list.
Even to the inexperienced eye, it’s apparent that the quality of Smith’s work is high, and you wouldn’t know that Smith has only been involved with stained glass for about five years. Her work has found homes across North America, as well as places as far away as Australia. She loves being asked to do custom work, and especially enjoys producing pieces that will be added to cabinet doors and other furniture pieces. Smith recently completed a piece for a customer from Montreal which featured a majestic blue heron. She was thrilled to hear him refer to her work as “a masterpiece.” The talented artisan states that every time she does a custom piece it takes her studio “to another level” and allows her to cultivate her craft. Smith also tells me about another source of encouragement—a mentor and fellow stained glass artist in Whitby, Ontario, who introduces her to new techniques and methods.
Smith herself acts as a support for local stained glass artists. She is excited when someone is first introduced to stained glass at one of her workshops, and ends up making it a full time hobby.
During the Studio Tour, Paragon will be offering demonstrations and showing people the various steps required to make a stained glass piece from beginning to end. The studio will also have a wide variety of jewellery and stained glass pieces available for purchase. Smith hopes the Studio Tour will expose her shop to an even broader audience, allowing her to share the art medium that she loves so much.
The public will be able to save the provincial tax on all purchases of Island-made handcrafts and giftware at participating retail outlets during this six-day event.