The West End Studio Tour (WEST) is an annual event that offers residents a chance to visit artists in their own habitat – their homes and studios – talk to the artists, and also, buy some original art. In past years, WEST has taken place over two weekends in September but this year it’s happening over one weekend only: September 23 and 24.
Pick up a printed WEST map at businesses throughout the West End, art stores and libraries across Ottawa to help plan your route. For additional details, go to westendstudiotour.ca.
We asked some of the participating artists to describe the work of other artists on the tour. Here’s what they had to say:
Paul Wing, about Andrew King
Be prepared. Walking into an Andrew King art exhibit is like walking into another world. The pieces on the walls could have been created by an inventor, an architect, a graphic designer, an animator, a historian, and of course, an artist. His work has varying touches of all these occupations. Experience his whimsical drawings of wonderfully odd people in strange situations, detailed architectural fantasies, and unique, idyllic landscapes. Andrew injects a sense of mystery into his work. What is happening… or about to happen within those frames? His love of design combined with a “retro” sensibility makes for a fascinating show. It is no wonder so many art lovers have chosen to have a window into Andrew King’s world hanging on their walls.
Paula Zoubek, about Paul Wing
Paul has devoted over 30 years of his life to photography winning many awards along the way. The Canadian Society of Cinematographers bestowed Paul with its prestigious National Best Cinematography/News Essay five times.
Paul’s work has a sense of mystery and adventure. He makes you want to visit the places he has photographed to discover something new and unexpected.
Paul is a true artist. His vision is one he wants to share with everyone, so we can see and feel the magic of the place or thing like he does. Many times the photo looks like an abstract until you look more closely and realize it is something quite familiar but looked at in an extraordinary way. Paul’s work is truly wonderful, and I mean, “full of wonder. ”
Choleena DiTullio, about David W. Jones
When I first saw the oil and watercolour paintings of David W. Jones at a gallery downtown, they struck me as the works of a truly experienced artist. I just had to investigate further, so I found davidwjones.ca where I learned that his style is a refined distillation of formal study and over 35 years as a professional painter. He’s done so much! Did you know that he was a war artist? And, when not in the studio, he imparts his impressive knowledge bank through his practice as an art instructor.
His sensitive use of watercolour is obviously well-steeped in the tradition of overlapping one translucent film of colour with another. And, his oil paintings exude confident brush strokes as he masterfully works from dark to progressively lighter colours. The two mediums require the exact opposite approach, in terms of paint layering. To have mastered both in one lifetime is a feat that artists only dream of. His works absolutely need to be experienced in person. You can find him at on the WEST map at location #15, in the historic chapel of All Saints’ Westboro Church, at 347 Richmond Rd.
Deidre Hierlihy, about Paula Mitas Zoubek
Scratching the surface of Paula’s art practice reveals a way of seeing and experiencing the world that is individualistic and creative. In Florida, she photographs the sidewalks: capturing the ghostly etchings left by decaying leaves in the humid climate and the marks of sidewalk driving vehicles. From China, the photographs she brings home are of scaffetti (marks scratched onto walls). She finds the marks that are left behind evocative. They tell the story. Visit her this year to hear the stories behind the acrylic paintings of chairs, local landscapes and memories of a spring trip to Italy, that she has been working on. Ask her about the rubbings she did with students in Paris! Visiting Paula is always a joyful and thought provoking celebration of everyday things.
Choleena DiTullio, about Margaret Chwialkowska
Anyone who knows my work knows that I love bold colours and rich textures, so it’s no surprise that I’ve chosen Margaret Chwialkowska’s “Golden Reflection, Ottawa River” to talk about. Her medium is oil in “alla-prima” style. Alla-prima literally means ‘in the first’. It’s an expressive style of oil painting that layers wet paint over wet paint, with no drying time in between; it’s all done on the first pass. Using a palette knife instead of a paint brush, I think you’ll agree that she’s mastered a spontaneity and freshness that few other styles can match. Margaret was born and educated in Poland, and now calls Ottawa home. Her vibrant and lush canvases featuring Ottawa-Gatineau landscapes are the latest addition to the West End Studio Tour. Find her on the map at Studio #1!
For information about the other artists on the West End Studio Tour, go to westendstudiotour.ca.