Dundas Studio Tour Opens 30 Studios on October 3 and 4

Walking into a working studio and talking to the person who made the thing in your hands is the point of the Dundas Studio Tour, and the 29th one runs Saturday, October 3 and Sunday, October 4, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. It is free, with more than 30 artists across six locations.

The work covers jewellery, pottery, painting and photography. Two of this year's names are new to the tour. Hamilton craftsman Leif Zapf-Gilje builds LED lamps out of broken furniture, old hardwood flooring and discarded lumber, a habit that started four years ago with a birthday gift for his sister. "The process of blending wood with light was instantly compelling to me," he said. His designs come out of ordinary looking, he added, the curve of a rock or the way the handles of a pair of scissors interlock.

Dundas designer Angie Fletcher is the other newcomer. She spent her working life in interior, theatre set and costume design, and started experimenting with vintage clothing during COVID, cutting up flannels, hoodies, T-shirts and denim into new pieces. "What inspires me is reducing how many clothes end up in landfill," she said. Her clothes tend to find women between 30 and 70, and teachers keep buying them. "I suspect it's to do with their being comfy, easy to live with and care for and they all have pockets," she said.

One thing has changed since last year: the tour is no longer entirely walkable, so plan on driving between some of the stops. Passports are back, and visitors get them signed at each site to enter a draw.

Pick two or three stops rather than trying to do all six, and go ask the artists how the work gets made!