Welcome Back this weekend!

Posted on November 14, 2024 by Lianne Todd (artist)

Dear readers, I know I haven’t posted much this year, and suddenly this weekend is the “Welcome Back to Otterville” annual studio tour. Please forgive me for the late notice – I have been roughing it, trying to build a house several hours away from our current home.

This will be my last time hosting tourists in my Otterville home gallery. I’ll continue my work there, with new inspiration from the natural beauty that surrounds us in Eastern Ontario. And perhaps I will be welcomed back to Otterville as a tourist, or at least a friend and neighbour!

I would like to take this opportunity to thank every person who has supported my artistic career here for the last 19 years in Oxford County, whether it was subscribing here, hiring me to teach, inviting me to exhibit, purchasing my art, recommending my art to friends, “liking” or “sharing” any kind of post – you all have my deep appreciation. In addition, I’d like to mention how much I will miss many of these artistic people in Otterville, who have become dear friends. They know who they are.

If you have made it this far reading, I would also like to give you a discount, during the studio tour weekend at my gallery, of 20% off the purchase of any piece of my art. Just mention that you read my blog post!

Here is a press release about the tour:

Welcome Back to Otterville: Annual Studio Tour November 16 & 17
The historic village of Otterville invites art lovers and community members to the annual “Welcome Back to Otterville” Studio Tour on November 16 and 17, from 10 AM to 5 PM. This much-anticipated event showcases the vibrant artistic talent of the village and opens the doors to both local artists’ studios and significant historical sites.
Visitors can immerse themselves in creativity as they explore various art forms, including exquisite watercolors by Joan McQuiggin, a founding member of the tour, and stunning pottery by Susan DeRoo, both exhibiting at the Grand Trunk Railway Station. Trudy Verberne designs and creates cards handmade cards and also speciality beadwork items.
Attendees will also have the chance to visit other renowned artists such as Sue Goossens, Lianne Todd, Linda DeJonghe, Mae Leonard, and Shirley Hokke, each welcoming guests into their home studios.
In addition to the artistic displays, several historical sites will be open to the public. Highlights include the operational 1845 grist mill, maintained by the South Norwich Historical Society, the Grand Trunk Railway Station and the African Methodist Episcopal Cemetery, a landmark of the Underground Railroad. The octagonal Woodlawn Adult Community Centre will also be accessible to visitors during the tour.
For those looking to savor local flavors, Plaid Shirt Farms Ltd, just east of Otterville, will feature their environmentally responsible farming products. Guests can purchase a variety of items, including jams, chutneys, juices, honey, and frozen haskap berries, perfect for the upcoming holiday season.
Additional information and a detailed map of the studio locations can be found at www.welcomebacktootterville.ca. Yellow flags will mark each participating studio, making it easy to navigate the tour. For further inquiries, please contact 519-879-6352.
Join us in celebrating the creativity and history of Otterville on November 16 and 17. All are welcome to experience a unique day in the countryside!
Thank you to the Township of Norwich for their continued support.

Studio Tour coming up!

Posted on November 5, 2017 by Lianne Todd (artist)

I posted at length about our ‘Welcome Back to Otterville’ studio tour yesterday on my watercolours blog, and I wanted to make sure everyone who subscribes to this one knows about it too. There is a press release contained within that blog post, if any local journalists would care to deliver our story to their reading public.

This is our 21st annual tour (the 12th one I have lived here for), and every year it is slightly different. The tour was founded by my good friend Sue Goossens, pictured here with me. As you can see, she is also a very talented watercolour artist. Our website is www.welcomebacktootterville.ca, if you’d like to see who else is on the tour. If you are unfamiliar with my art, you may also see a good sampling of it here, and here.

I hope to see you here in Otterville, Ontario on November 18 & 19, from 10 to 5 pm. It would make a great, stress-free day-trip for anyone in the area of London, Stratford, Kitchener-Waterloo, Guelph, Hamilton, Simcoe, St. Thomas, and all points in between or south to the lake. Look for the yellow flags, and I’ll be waiting in my gallery with some hot cranberry wassail!

Sue and Lianne

Open Studio/Gallery

Posted on October 28, 2014 by Lianne Todd (artist)

On the third weekend in November, every year, we hold a studio tour in my town. Otterville is a historic town located in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. This will be our 18th annual studio tour – we call it Welcome Back to Otterville – and every year the stops on the tour change slightly as the artists in town do. This year, there are eight stops on the tour, so it will be really easy to drive out, see all the stops, and return home if you live in, say, London, Kitchener/Waterloo, Stratford, or the western part of greater Toronto. It takes me less than an hour to drive to London, and about two hours to downtown Toronto, exactly an hour to Stratford. We aren’t on any major highway, but if you want directions please contact me and I’ll be happy to provide them.

If anyone reading this has been to my studio before, you will find this year quite different as I will be featuring my fractal work prominently. In fact, in the next few weeks I’ll be taking down all the art in my gallery at the rear of my house, and completely rearranging the walls to maximize the display. I always serve a lovely hot spiced cranberry punch during the tour, and I’m looking forward to the taste of it myself!

My gallery and studio are actually open all year to anyone who calls ahead or happens by on an afternoon when I’m home. I’ve just put a new sign out front (the old one suffered from weather damage) so you can easily find my location which is right on the Main Street downtown, just a few houses away from the historic mill and waterfall. Look for the yellow flags when you get here and use the map on the postcards (available at each stop) to help.

Here is some information for the tour, and a few photos.

If you find our Facebook page and “Like” us, or any of our posts, we would really appreciate the extra advertising and traffic that provides us – as you can imagine we are on a limited budget and every bit helps!