In a sunshine-filled backyard on Sunday, Sept. 24, artists Wayne Turner, Katlyn Twidle and Nidhi Aujla enjoyed a slice of pizza while they waited for the next wave of art enthusiasts.
Turner, Twidle and Aujla had their photographs and paintings set up for display at 11184 Bridlington Drive as part of the fifth annual Delta Studio Stomp — a two-day pub-crawl like tour of North Delta studios and artists.
Turner, a photographer who said he’s been taking photos for “a hundred years,” is a founding member of the Stomp.
“I think it’s pretty great that we’ve lasted five years: that doesn’t often happen with arts events,” he said. “Every year has been a bit different.”
Last year, the Saturday was drenched in rain and so the event saw fewer people attending. Three years ago, there was a steady stream of visitors and record numbers, Turner said.
This year, Turner saw between 150 and 200 people visit his studio, which he shared as a display location with the two younger artists.
Each display represented the artist’s style and work: Aujla’s table featured experimental photography and abstract paintings — one, a smattering of pastel colours, represented a deconstructed Smurf or Smurfette. Twidle featured her distinct style of vivid colour and natural forms in her paintings and collages.
“I work on one piece at a time, so when I’m working on it, I feel like it’s totally different from anything I’ve done in the past,” she said. “But now seeing it all together in a display, I’m totally seeing a theme and a style.”
Turner had photographs dating back to the start of his photography career. The oldest was one of his ex-wife — a portrait created by combining the negatives for a close-up of her face and a knot hole in a fence.
His most recent work is painterly landscapes created with long exposures, which were hung up on a blank wall. Two of those had sold by late Sunday.
“It’s just something that’s really gotten me excited,” he said. “In fact, I was so into doing this work in the last couple of weeks that I almost didn’t get the show organized. I just wanted to get out and do more.”
The Studio Stomp featured more than 11 artists at seven different locations in North Delta. According to potter Bev Mason, who was stationed at the North Delta Potters’ Guild in the North Delta Recreation Centre, this year saw a steady number of people visiting.
“We’ve actually had more sales than I’ve ever seen this year, which is a bonus,” she said.
Partial proceeds from the sale of artwork at the Studio Stomp were donated to the Delta Hospital Foundation.
Turner, located several blocks away, said he saw people coming back to purchase after buying art from previous Studio Stomps.
“People have actually bought two or three pieces in previous years and are coming back and adding to their collection,” he said. “It’s just really neat.
“They’ve become like old friends that you see once a year.”
grace.kennedy@northdeltareporter.com
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