This weekend would have been the annual Passion Made Artisan Tour in Bradford West Gwillimbury, but thanks to COVID-19, like every other event, it was cancelled.
Instead of dwelling on circumstances out of their control, the founders of the tour, Stella Wadsworth and Maureen Joyce, along with fellow artists Christine Orr, Karen Lee and Corrine Donnelly, continued to paint throughout the days of lockdown, meeting once a week virtually to paint, and enjoy one another's company.
In years past, the art tour would be set up throughout multiple locations across town, including the Bradford Public Library, the Bradford Leisure Centre, and Art in the Barn on Morris Road, welcoming guests to admire the work of the artists set up at each studio.
This year the event was set to take place at The Elden Retirement Residence on 10th Sideroad, featuring a gala on the Friday night to kick off the weekend, celebrating art in Bradford West Gwillimbury.
“We changed it there so it would be all in one place and would be more along the lines of an art show than a studio tour,” explained Orr. “We had a lot of ideas and we were all really excited about it.”
Due to the uncertainty surrounding the pandemic, the ladies unfortunately had to make the tough decision cancel the event all together for 2020.
Typically, the call to artists interested in participating in the tour happens in early spring, with a deadline of May 1 to give the artists enough time to create their pieces for the September event.
Prior to the lockdown, the ladies were meeting every Thursday at the Leisure Centre in a rented room to work on their art together.
It was Donnelly who then suggested the ladies continue to meet weekly and paint over Zoom while everyone was in quarantine. The women were on board with the idea. It was a way for them to escape the chaos happening in the world, and focus on something they enjoyed.
Lee had actually been in Portugal when the World Health Organization declared the pandemic, and was not able to come back to Bradford until July, due to travel and flight restrictions. Thankfully, she has a home there where she was able to stay until it was safe enough to fly home.
“It was very stressful not knowing (what was happening),” she shared.
She looked forward to her weekly meetings with her art group, which occurred every Thursday morning at 10 a.m. Bradford time, and 3 p.m. Portugal time.
Every week the group came up with a theme or challenge to keep the meetings exciting.
One week they had ‘hat day’ and came to the meeting wearing hats and scarves to cover up their COVID doos, another week everyone brought in an old photo of themselves and shared an embarrassing memory.
Most days they would just sit and paint, working on their own pieces, enjoying each other’s virtual company. They would often share their works, encouraging each other with every project. They would also do 'check-ins' with one another, to see how everyone was coping that week.
“It was something that was really wonderful,” commented Donnelly.
“It was something positive, because we’re living in a world that was so negative and so very very scary, and this was consistent, we knew every Thursday we were going to get together, and had something to look forward to,” said Joyce.
The women enjoyed the routine; it was a nice distraction from the sad state of the world.
“I think it brought a little bit of normalcy back,” said Wadsworth.
Once the weather started to warm up, and gathering restrictions eased, the ladies started meeting outside to paint in Orr’s backyard, ‘en plein air’ (the act of painting outside).
“The first time we did it, we had a toast and we had champagne and orange juice, because we could see one another,” shared Orr.
“It was a celebration of getting back together with friends,” added Joyce.
The women noted how their weekly meetings throughout the pandemic have brought them closer together and really strengthened their bond.
"Our friendships have really grown," said Orr.
"I was really uninspired (to paint) before we started the virtual meetings," said Orr, but once they got back into their routine, it gave her something to look forward to, and be hopeful about.
"It really got us through this COVID time," said Joyce.
This past Thursday, BradfordToday stopped by Orr’s backyard to chat with the ladies, in what could be their last outdoor meeting for a while, as the weather starts to cool.
“We’ll have to play it by ear what we do now,” said Orr.
They encourage all artists to keep up with their craft during these difficult times, as a way to get through.
And although there is no art tour this year, the ladies want to remind everyone, both contributing artists and the public, that the show will still go on...just not until next year.
“We’re ready when things open up again,” said Orr. “We’re passionate about Passion Made, that’s why we’re still doing this.”
The ladies would have loved to host a virtual show this year in lieu of an in-person event, but there wasn’t enough time to learn, plan and implement it in time.
“Painting is the easy part,” explained Donnelly. “To put it together (a virtual show) it’s too much for us.”
They realize there are many artists in town that may not be aware of the art tour, and encourage them to check out Passion Made and get involved next year. Last year there were 19 artists featured in the tour, from painters to jewellery makers to wood workers. The show invites artists of all mediums to apply and showcase their work in the community.
"Another reason we wanted to get the name out so these people can join," explained Orr, noting that there is no membership fee to participate.
To learn more about Passion Made Artisan Tour, and see some of the artists' work, visit their website here.
