The Art Lover’s Deep Dive

Start at Tom Ashbourne Studio & Gallery, where the day begins with scale, texture, and presence. Ashbourne’s stone and multimedia sculptures are best experienced in person. Take your time walking through the space. This is about observing how the work holds itself, not just what it looks like.

From there, head to J. Douglas Thompson Fine Paintings for a quieter, more reflective experience. Doug’s acrylic paintings focus on dramatic light and the movement of water in its many forms, from cloudscapes and waves to mist and reflections. Spend some time inside both the studio and gallery space, where conversations about process and observation become part of the visit itself.

Continue to Oeno Gallery at Huff Estates Winery, where contemporary art expands into the landscape itself. Begin outside in the sculpture garden, where large-scale works shift depending on light, distance, and perspective, then move indoors to explore rotating exhibitions by Canadian and international artists. This stop rewards a slower pace. Walk the grounds more than once, linger with the work, and notice how differently each piece reveals itself over time.

Rotating exhibitions throughout the season bring new perspectives into the space, including contemporary painting, sculpture, and internationally collected Canadian artists.

Next, head to ANDARA Gallery, where you can shift into a broader range of mediums. The space is more open and approachable, with opportunities to meet the artists and learn more about the work. It is a good point in the day to ask questions and get a bit closer to the process.

Continue into Bloomfield for a stop at Guildworks. This is where art meets craft and design. The focus here is on Canadian makers, with pieces that are meant to be lived with. Move through the space slowly. There is a lot to take in, and it rewards a second look.

End the day at Melt Studio & Gallery, set inside a historic barracks. The space blends contemporary work with a working encaustic studio, so you are seeing both finished pieces and the process behind them. It is a strong final stop that brings everything back to how the work is actually made.

Throughout the season, Melt presents rotating contemporary exhibitions featuring artists working across a wide range of mediums. Alongside the encaustic artwork of Susan Wallis, the gallery represents more than 20 artists from across Canada, including many local artists from Prince Edward County and the surrounding region. Melt also provides rental exhibition space for emerging and developing artists, supporting new voices in the contemporary arts community.

Next, make your way to Mad Dog Gallery, tucked inside a renovated timber-frame barn near East Lake. The atmosphere here feels slower and less formal, offering a thoughtful mix of traditional and contemporary work by local County artists. Wander through the gallery, then spend some time outside in the surrounding gardens before continuing on. It is the kind of stop that encourages you to linger longer than expected.