Debi Keir Nicholson, bead artist and jewellery designer on 2010 Dundas Studio Tour, October 2 & 3
The annual Dundas Studio Tour is especially exciting this year for bead artist and jewellery designer, Debi Keir-Nicholson. Ms. Keir-Nicholson, a founding member of the Dundas Studio Tour, has been studying precious metal clay for the past year and will be introducing a new range of pieces during the Studio Tour.
Says Ms. Keir-Nicholson, “We were extremely fortunate to have world-renown precious metal clay artist, Kate McKinnon, conduct workshops earlier this year at my studio, Beads of Colour, and since then I’ve been focussed on working with precious metal clay (PMC) and incorporating beadwork with the fine silver. It is a really exciting process; it’s like alchemy—turning clay into metal.”
Ms. Keir-Nicholson continues, “Using precious metal clay allows me to incorporate a lasting heirloom quality into my pieces so that a ring, or necklace can be passed down through the generations.”
Ms. Keir-Ncholson’s studio and shop, studio and shop, Beads of Colour, is located the historic Mercantile building directly across from the former Dundas Town Hall. Also showing with Ms. Keir-Nicholson at her studio location, Studio 1 on the Dundas Studio Tour map, are lampwork glass artist, Lezlie Winemaker, and mixed media and mosaic artist, Heather Vollans.
The 2010 Dundas Studio Tour runs on Saturday, October 2 and Sunday, October 3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The Tour features seven different artist studios and twenty-four artists with a variety of food tasting, recipes, table-setting inspiration, pottery, weaving, textiles, jewellery, blown glass, and much more. The Dundas Museum’s Doctor’s Office will again by a Dundas Studio Tour location, and doll artist Monika Shedden returns as a studio location.
Admission to the Dundas Studio Tour is free and each studio offers a draw for a special prize. For more information about the Dundas Studio Tour, call 905-379-7353.