Four women: their art and their homes

Group of artists join forces to create their first annual home-studio walking tour

Nov. 22, 2023 | 3:36 p.m.

5 min read

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When asked to describe her painting style, Violet Rosengarten said “I am really interested in colour as you can see. The landscapes all have a colour underneath the paintings that show through here and there. So I always cover the canvas first (with a base colour), and then I go out and paint”

Hannah Sangster

Sign on side of road reads "open studio and art sale." — caption
The first stop of the tour is Maria Doering’s home. She, along with the other artists participating, all live in the Dartmouth neighbourhood Brightwood.

Over a dozen people filed into artist Maria Doering’s home last Sunday. The group is there as part of an artist tour where four women opened up their homes to show their art, instead of doing a traditional studio exhibition.

Doering’s studio is in the back of her family’s home. As you walk through the front door, you are met with bright yellow walls plastered with her pieces.

Doering, who also teaches part-time in Fine Arts and Printmaking at NSCAD, organized the one-day event.

Woman points to a box full of large Q-tip-like art tools. — caption
Doering boasts giant Q-tip like tools she uses for printing. “I love shopping at Princess Auto for art supplies they have all kinds of things artists need!” she said.

Yellow walls display four of the artist's pieces. — caption
“I was planning on doing an open studio anyways, and I’ve done them in the past,” she said. “I love doing open studio because I can install whatever I want! It’s my space, I can show all these different bodies of work, and it’s great.” said Doering.

Exhibit attendees look through artist's display behind a wall of art. — caption
Doering’s most recent body of work, Cells, Souls and Personalities, explores what it might look like if we could view our personalities, minds and souls under a microscope.

Cathy McKelvey, the second artist stop on the tour, expanded on how the event came together.

McKelvey’s studio stands separate from her home in her backyard. “People don’t generally come in here, because I’m in my backyard. I work alone normally, so I don’t mind having the company today!” she said.

Sign on gate reads "open studio". — caption
McKelvey’s studio stands separate from her home in her backyard. “People don’t generally come in here, because I’m in my backyard. I work alone normally, so I don’t mind having the company today!” she said.
Hannah Sangster

Artist smiles in front of her work on display. — caption
McKelvey is an abstract painter who believes art is about having the courage to leave the safety of the familiar. She said, “Losing control, allowing ‘mistakes’ to remain, or not is important. Mistakes are the cracks that let in the light, the life.”

Artist shows guests her new work. — caption
McKelvey shared, “One problem for artists and crafts-people is that overhead is just outrageous! And also lugging all this stuff around I mean, it’s a lot to be lugged!”

Half of KcKelvey’s studio is filled with the third artist’s exhibit. Julie Rosvall is “a textile artist and printmaker. So I use knitting to print on paper,” she said. “I knit and then I starch the piece using white glue and water, and then I roll ink on it and print it on the page! Or what I’ll do is use an etching method using copper.”

Artist poses in front of her work on display. — caption
Rosvall’s studio is based out of Gaspereau, which is almost a 2 hour drive from Brightwood where the event is being help. So she could participate, McKelvey offered to make half of her studio available for Rosvall to display her work.

Rosvall said, “It creates a bit more of a draw for people, if they know they can go to multiple studios and see the inside.”

“I was a knitter for years,” said Rosvall. “I had a yarn shop — and then when I left that I didn’t know what I was going to do. And I saw the work of Betty Goodwin, who’s a printmaker in Montreal. She would print everything and I thought okay I can combine these two things!”