South Rock Art Tour

Surrey is home to a thriving artistic community. Whether you enjoy a morning spent exploring a local art gallery, or an afternoon discovering public art installations, there is something to appeal to any art lover in Surrey. 

And, during the weekend of September 23 and 24, 2023, 32 artists and artisans who live and/or work in the South Surrey and White Rock areas will be welcoming visitors into their workspaces in a self-guided open studio/art tour.

Don’t miss this chance to meet these exceptional artists and artisans and gain a deeper understanding of their methods and what inspires them to create.  They will be on location to talk with visitors, and answer questions and, in some cases, you’ll be able to watch them at work. Demonstrations will be taking place at various locations and will include paper art, sculpture, Chinese brush painting, watercolours, ceramics and beaded jewellery. 

The tour will feature 19 separate locations that will be open between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. on both days.  Some of the artists will be sharing their spaces with fellow artists who have smaller studios and workspaces that are not easily accessible to the public. 

There will be plenty of variety to appeal to everyone’s taste: paintings in oil, acrylic, watercolour, mixed media, jewellery, ceramics, mosaics, glasswork, sculpture, and turned wood. Many of these works, including inspired wearable art and home decor, will be for sale. So, if you love it, you may be able to buy it! 

Other highlights of the weekend include:

• Adele Samphire will be displaying ceramic pieces by the late Sid Samphire (2022 Tour artisan).
• Carla Maskall will reveal a large painting of the White Rock Pier and have her books for sale.
• Constance Glover has embarked on an exciting series of garden sculptures – stacking pieces ranging in height from 2-foot garden lanterns to a 5-foot piece in 3 sections.
• Kathy Forbes has 3D miniatures in 1:12 scale. She makes furniture, plants, food, and decor to make scenes in cubes.
• Jon Lavoie will be available to explain his photography techniques on how to capture the bright sun or moon as well as how to use the camera’s manual mode to get the best results (rather than auto).
• Lisa Samphire has a new batch of blown glass garden stakes in new colour combos
• Mary Goldthorp creates custom tribute artwork using all paper memories collected over the years.

To learn more about the artists and artisans, and for a Tour Map showing all the locations please visit: www.southrockarttour.com

In addition to the tour, and in partnership with the Semiahmoo Arts Society, there will be an exhibit sampling work from all the participating artists and artisans at the Turnbull Gallery (South Surrey Recreation and Arts Centre, 14601 20 Ave) from September 13th to 24th. An opening reception open to all will take place at the Turnbull Gallery on September 21st from 7 to 9 p.m.

The South Rock Art Tour is presented by Arts of Course in partnership with the Semiahmoo Arts Society and generously sponsored by CIBC Wood Gundy, The City of White Rock and Nautilus 1500 Oxford.