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Artisan Open House June 6 & June 7This is an annual event that is traditionally staged the first weekend in June. Well worth the trip! This year we will have seven studios open, live musicians at three artist venues, and several places to stop for a snack. - United Church Women's Strawberry Tea Saturday 2pm - 4 pm That's Empressive!
Gallery of Canadian Crafts Because of it's remote location, That's Empressive! built a small restaurant into the gallery and is open seven days a week from 7 in the morning 'til 9 at night....all year long! They serve soup and sandwiches any day of the week and have a Sunday Brunch from 10am - 2 pm May until end of October. Sagebrush Studios
Home of Painter Dean Francis and Potter Fran Francis Notice that there's a single line that reads "Grand Opening of the Mendham Gallery". It doesn't nearly describe what has gone into getting the old church ready for its artistic re-birth. One of the BIG jobs was the floor. Knarls 'n Knots
Finely Handcrafted Furniture by Aaron Steinley And here's a note about the bench you see on the left. It's a replica of one Aaron saw in a museum. When he pushes on the foot pedals a couple of eccentrics move the brace into position so that it firmly holds the log in place. Handy. Garden Hideaway
This is one of our 'temporary' artisan studios Once a year quilter Bev Farnden cleans out her garden shed/greenhouse and puts her quilts up for sale and invites her family to participate in our annual artisan open house. Daughter Laura O'Conner displays her photographs, her sister markets her handbuilt glassworked beads and brother-in-law shows his stained glass ornaments. You'll see the studio on your right if you enter town along Main Street...but don't worry...the Garden Hideaway is on the map whichis available at any of our venues. Saturday from 91m - 6 pm and Sunday from 10 am - 6 pm Panorama Photography
Forty years ago George McWilliams made panoramic photos with a second hand Russian camera that mechanically assembled an image as it click, click, clicked its way from one end of the 180 degree view to the other. Marriage and seven children necessitated a long hiatus but he says, "When several factors converged - the evolution of digital camera technology, the development of ink jet printers that could output a product that won't fade in 100 years, and the creation of software that creates seamless panoramas with superb resolution and the kids grew up - I sprang into existence." In preparation for impending retirement the McWilliams bought a house in Empress and have embraced the concept that "Empress has Artisans". They've set up a gallery in the living room of their Centre Street home and will be open on both Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6 pm. Helen's Handbags
Helen Markesson is a sort of Rennaisance woman. Independant to the bone she's created and re-created herself so many times, it's hard to actually say what she's really done to make a living over the years. Last summer she toured Western Canada with her sister and in the back of her mind she had an idea that it was time to get out of the renovation business in Toronto and maybe settle somewhere on the prairies. The pair were short on gas and limped into Empress. Lucky for us she was impressed with the sales job we did on her and before returning home dropped by to question if there was a house for rent. Gary Marshall (see Rusty Trucks below) had just purchased a little house and was looking for a tenant...seemed like a match made in heaven so without ever meeting they made a deal....a roof over her head in return for doing some renovations. Helen has settled in and set up her loom. She's had time to weave a couple of meters of raw silk fabric and sew some cotton bags. Her daughter Shannon is a painter, her son Torben is a musician...both are travelling from Vancouver to display/play as part of the Artisan Open House activities. By the way...when you meet her insist that next year she also market her "trees in a bag"... seedlings encased in a colourful burlap drawsting bag. Rusty Trucks
Rusty Trucks is sort of a misnomer because Gary Marshall's paintings are anything but rusty relics. Gary paints classic cars. If you own a 1950's Buick, a 1960's Mustang or something of the sort, Gary is the one to contact to commission a "portrait". Gary is in the process of moving to Empress...will actually be bringing his first truckload of belongings to town just before the Open House weekend. so we're totally impressed that he has found time to participate midst the chaos. He actually made a half-hearted attempt to get out of it. When I emailed him he kept saying things like (and I quote) " My thinking is somewhere between "don't include me" and "oh what the hell".
I am going to be so busy on the property that I can't picture being "set up" for sales. I will bring a few items of a "rustic" nature in case you have already put me in some kind of advertisement...... I think he also has some of his car "portraits" kicking around Empress so I'll encourage him to also put them on the wall. It will be interesting to see how it all turns out!
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