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S LAKE SCUGOG YuNGy Scugog artists getting ready to showcase their latest creations during studio tour As the first weekend of May rapidly approaches, it is time for Scugog and area artists to open their doors to show off the work they’ve created over the winter months. The 16th annual Lake Scugog Spring Studio Tour will take place on, May 2 and 3 featuring the work of 31 artists located at a dozen sites in and around Port Perry. This allows them to welcome the public to view and learn about their craft. Scugog’s talented artisans produce their creations ina variety of media ranging from wood, fibre, metal, jewellery, glass and stone, pottery and photography. The Studio Tour is self-guided, allowing you to visit your favourite artists at your own pace. One of the artists on this year’s tour is ceramic art- ist Mary Philpott, who recently relocated from Strat- ford, Ontario. Mary creates a unique brand of ceramic tiles designed to complement one’s kitchen, bathroom or fireplace. Not knowing a great deal about the craft of creat- ing artistic ceramic tiles, I visited Mary’s studio and was amazed at the quality of the work. Unlike the ceramic tiles I have on my kitchen floor, these are individually crafted pieces of art. Mary caters to customized requirements from clients as far away as the southern USA and as close as Port Perry itself. Each tile is hand designed, which starts with a line drawing of the artwork. “I prefer to deal with flowers and fauna,” Mary explains. “Iam really drawn to eco-friendly shades of green.” Once she has created the design she painstakingly carves a mould from plaster. The next step is to take clay and hand roll it into one inch sheets, which are then carefully pressed into the mould. When she is happy with the result, the sheets are laid out to dry for four to six weeks. 28 FOCUS - APRIL 2015 ‘= Mary Philpott in her studio displaying some of her tiles and sculptures. Mary makes her own glazes and after careful sanding and an initial firing in her kiln, the tiles are hand painted. When they are dry they are fired again for 14 hours and then, after a 24 hour cooling period, the tiles are ready. Sizes vary from 6” to several feet and each one is deco- rated following the same, painstaking labourious process. Mary Philpott has been true to her craft for 20 years and has now broadened into sculpting. An Art History major and Archeology graduate of the University of Guelph, Mary wanted to be more hands-on and completed a three year course at the Harbourfront Craft Centre, before decid- ing to become a ceramic artist. The Studio Tour will hold a Preview Exhibition from April 4 - 30 at the Scugog Council for the Arts Gallery, 181 Perry Street, Port Perry. An Opening Reception takes place on Saturday, April 4, from 1-3 p.m. The Studio Tour takes place Saturday and Sunday, May 2, 3. There is no admission fee. Join the creative journey and share the joy and beauty of finely crafted art pieces. For more information call 905 982-2121, or email: info@ scugogarts.ca. Your free Scugog Studio Tour brochure and map is on the website at: www.scugogstudiotour.ca. Jonathan van Bilsen Focus on Scugog