The 17th annual Tour De Forest took place this past weekend, Aug. 5-6, with 25 artists at 12 studios.
Locations ranged all over Haliburton County, easily accessible via the map located on the Tour De Forest website.
This year, there were many new artists along with some veterans who have been participating in the tour for more than 15 years.
The Artbyhart Studio along Hwy. 21 showcased Barbara Hart, Heather Salzman and Lorne Hamilton. “Some of my paintings resemble ponds and lakes and I also have an art collection of ice huts and winter themes,” said Hart, who has been with the tour 11 years.
Glass Eagle Studios along Blairhampton Road, featured artwork by Tom Green, Fernando Diaz de Leon Rendon, James Goodliff and Donna Both. Goodliff said, “I focus on oil paintings mostly and my artwork is inspired by the area surrounding us (Haliburton County).” Goodliff has been with the tour 17 years.
At BGArtworks studio along Bethel Road, Benjamin Gerrooir said, “my art is inspired by colour and travelling. Whenever I travel anywhere, I take a ton of photos for reference. Recently, I’ve been very interested in the Arizona type of artwork.”
This was his first year with the tour and he talked about how he has been doing art for a very long time but has never shown it until now. A lot of his artwork is inspired by different landscapes out west, along with landscapes in and around the Highlands.
For more information on the 2023 Tour De Forest and all 25 artists: haliburtontourdeforest.com/
