Newcomers to the Inroads Studio Tour

Sep 06, 2012

Photo: Newcomers to the Inroads Studio Tour- Brett, Nancy and their son Roland Hilder at Hilderbrook Studio near Parham.

Since their recent move from Toronto to a century farm near Parham, Brett and Nancy Hilder, who are both accomplished artists, have always wanted to become a part of the artist community in Central Frontenac. Now, just a year after moving to the farm where they are raising sheep, chickens and other farm animals, the couple debuted their talent and creations last weekend on the 20th Inroads Studio Tour.

Their home studio, Hilderbrook Studio, was one of the 14 stops on this year's tour. Brett, who paints plein air watercolours and also works in oils, learned his craft from his parents, who were both painters. Brett has been painting for over two decades and has been involved in eight group shows. His comfort and ability in both mediums is immediately apparent. His plein air watercolours, many of which are small postcard-sized paintings, take for their subjects the scenes around the farm, such as its spectacular century-old barn. He paints with a deft and sure hand and his light and airy works capture the beauty and simplicity of the couple's new surroundings.

By contrast, his oils are larger and have a more old-school classical feel. They are compromised mainly of nude figures and portraits. One that stands out is his recent "Blue Nude", which portrays a female figure painted in gorgeous shades of blue and purple, who appears to be reclining in front of a lit fireplace. “I think this piece could keep anyone warm during the cold winter months,” Brett said.

Nancy, who was in the process of cracking open a recently fired kiln, has been working in fused glass for over a decade. She had on show a line of her functional fused glass items, which include platters, bowls, sushi sets, spoon holders and plates. Colour is Nancy's forte and she creates her designs by cutting and arranging pieces of glass into colorful patterns and pictures, which she then fires flat in the kiln. Following a first initial firing, the functional pieces are then fired again in a mold, which gives them their three-dimensional shape.

New for Nancy and one of my favorite pieces of hers is a flat work that she incorporated into a table top and calls "The Water Table". The flat portion, which is framed in wood, is a layered scene that depicts the various layers of the earth beginning with its crust, then its oceans, the sky and lastly the outer atmosphere, all tied together by diagonal stripes of rain and bubbly blobs of clear glass that bring the whole piece together.

Both artists were pleased with the positive feedback they have been receiving from the numerous visitors who stopped in. They are looking forward to pursuing their individual mediums while managing the farm and working at their other jobs. Their studio, located at 1273 Long Lake Road near Parham, is open by chance or by appointment. They can be reached at 613-375-6659.