GORE BAY—When Erin-Blythe Reddie and Nancy McDermid were given the opportunity to take over space at Fish Point Studios at the Gore Bay Harbour Centre, they were eager to set up shop.
Three months has flown by and the duo is now preparing for their spring show and sale. The time spent together has led to the development of future projects, one of which is a two-woman show to be held in 2015.
Each artist approaches their craft in a different way—Ms. Reddie with an intuitive nature and Ms. McDermid more in the role of a director. “It’s my language,” shared Ms. McDermid. Ms. Reddie stated, “both are responsive.”
Ms. Reddie’s ‘ying’ flows well with Ms. McDermid’s ‘yang’ in the space they share. Spring colours come alive in the upper floor of the Harbour Centre. Endless natural light in the welcoming building is the perfect atmosphere for the duo.
Keeping it simple, the duo does not have a lot of pieces in any one area of the studio. “Art,” shared Ms. Reddie, “needs space around it for the eye to rest.”
Ms. McDermid’s colourful watercolours in bright hues of green, red and yellow are displayed in perfect harmony to Ms. Reddie’s note cards and lovely silk scarves and artwork displayed on the walls.
“These three dimensional naturescapes were created with natural materials found on the shoreline of Providence Bay around my home space,” shared Ms. Reddie. “As you look at them, they invite us to consider three dimensions of our lives interconnected with nature: the physical, the emotional and the spiritual, as you bring your personal life experience to what you see and you respond to what you read.”
Ms. McDermid is “excited about the show.”
Ms. Reddie shared that it is “a big risk to do this show. Art is a very personal thing.”
As the ladies each share the concept of some of their own pieces, both are generous in speaking of the other’s work.
One of the features both artists enjoy about the Harbour Centre and their upcoming sale is that it gives them an opportunity to spend some time on the West End of the Island and introduce themselves to the people who visit.
The inviting atmosphere of the building houses the artists in their working studio space, said Ms. Reddie. “People can actually talk to the artists,” echoed Ms. McDermid.
Ms. McDermid and Ms. Reddie will be artists in residence until the end of March. They are taking part in the Manitoulin Art Tour in July. It is the 20th anniversary of the tour with this year’s theme The Group of Seven.
