The Citizen, 2019-10-24, Page 23THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24, 2019. PAGE 23.
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like a dream come true.
Unfortunately, a tour of the space
didn’t work the day the couple was
visiting as Triemstra-Johnston was
in the midst of moving to her
permanent location on Queen Street.
After getting in touch with a friend
who was in the real estate business,
the wheels were put in motion for
Veenvliet and McKenna to take
possession of the space.
“It has everything we need,”
McKenna said. “There’s a workshop
for Hans, a gallery and a painting
space.”
While the community’s amenities
and businesses made an impact,
McKenna said she was also
impressed by members of the
community.
“Everyone was so friendly,” she
said.
As for the name of the studio,
McKenna explained to The Citizen
that she and Veenvliet are Christians
and that shines through in their art
and their other work. That included
naming the studio.
“Wild goose has a few different
meanings, but early Celtics called
the wild goose a representation of
the Holy Spirit,” she said, saying that
other Christian sects have attributed
the same divinity to the dove. “Our
work is Christian
-based and our belief flows through
it.”
The couple ran what they called a
“worship studio” in Southampton
and plan on doing the same here in
Blyth.
“It’s not a church, but it is a
worship space,” McKenna said.
The couple said they felt the hand
of God directing them to the Blyth
space.
Currently, they are working on
showing their own work, but do plan
to bring in other artists once the
gallery is open.
McKenna said she also hopes to
teach art through the studio, saying
she wants to run painting workshops
for children and see what other
programs might resonate with the
community.
While the two have traditionally
worked independently, they recently
combined their efforts to create a
mixed-media piece named “Jonah”
that was awarded at a juried show in
Kincardine. McKenna and Veenvliet
said that they hope to continue
working together.
They both also plan on welcoming
commissions and hope the
community will help guide their
creative projects in the future,
encouraging people to visit and talk
about what they would like to see.
“We love to talk about our work
with people,” Veenvliet said, adding
that they have pieces across southern
Ontario, including Hamilton,
Jordan’s Station near St. Catharines
and Port Elgin.
After taking possession of the
property, Veenvliet immediately
started gutting the dedicated
commercial space of the building to
create the ideal gallery space.
The couple hope to have some kind
of presence for the Blyth Business
Improvement Area’s (BIA) Santa
Claus parade on Dec. 7, followed by
a full opening later next year.
Veenvliet said he hopes that, down
the road, the studio can be part of
making Blyth a household name as
an artistic destination, building on
the success of the Blyth Festival and
existing artistic businesses like
Triemstra-Johnston’s business and
Maple and Moose.
Artist couple finds perfect space during Blyth visit
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Pet doors can offer a simple way to give pets more agency,
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