In the small village of Alton, just south of Dufferin County, sits the historic Alton Mill. The mill is home to dozens of galleries and artist studios. Nestled beside Shaw Creek, the mill is home to Orangeville’s Barbara McDiarmid. Barb’s mix of mediums includes oil, acrylic … and wire. Barb shares a space with Glenna Agnew and Susanna Lamy, and together they have formed Rushing Waters Studio. The studio was named for the water that rushes right outside their open window on the south side of the mill.
Barb moved to Orangeville two years ago to downsize from her property in Cataract Village. Always the small town girl, Barb’s move to Dufferin County brought her into a much bigger town than she was used to. A country girl at heart, Barb realized that she loved the atmosphere and convenience of living in Orangeville but missed the quiet of village life. When she visited the Alton Mill as part of a studio tour last fall, Barb fell in love with it.
“The amazing building, the view, the water … I thought — I need to be here,” recalls Barb, who went to work finding artists with whom to share a studio.
Moving into the mill in January, Barb found more than just a nice view in Rushing Water’s Studio.
“The mill is a community of artists from Dufferin and Caledon. I am social. I can’t be a hermit,” Barb says, explaining she thrives off the energy of others. The mill has become a support network where artists can be inspired, encouraged and challenged in their work. “We share ideas and techniques, we collaborate on events and workshops … it’s so encouraging!”
Barb’s need to create has been with her since she was a child; in fact, she’s sure she inherited her artistic edge from her mother, who was always creative. Always enjoying art class, it was in Grade 5 a teacher pointed out her obvious gifts. Barb was encouraged to pursue art, but after completing school took a summer job for Imperial Oil.
The summer job turned into a full-time job that lasted 15 years. During that period, Barb made time for art classes in oils, printmaking, watercolours and acrylic, but her corporate life overshadowed the creative.
After finishing her stint at Imperial Oil, Barb began to take her creative education more seriously. She took countless classes in any art form she could find. Upon moving to Orangeville,
Barb took a job at Acheson’s, a retail store on First Street. The storeowner allowed her to do a lot of creative work. Painting walls, decorating trees and creating displays only fuelled her passion and Barb decided to retire from conventional work and give art the undivided attention it deserved. She called it a gift to herself for a year.
The dedication has paid off. Barb’s work has evolved and her inspiration is endless. Working with oils, watercolours, acrylics and wire, Barb creates a mix of pieces that appeal to a wide range of visitors at the Mill. With some pieces in the style of The Group of Seven, and others with an original three-dimensional wire outline, no two pieces look alike. Barb’s favourite medium remains oil.
“I love the texture and effects that you can accomplish with oil. But then again, I love the wire pieces … I guess I just like variety!”
Regardless of variety, Barb’s signature pieces are definitely the wired flowers. Using matte board, Barb punctures holes and affixes wire that has been twisted and formed into a unique flower. Once the flower has been perfected, Barb paints it in with watercolour, acrylic or ink. This is a process that is all her own.
Barb’s methods vary as much as her pieces. One can take four hours or a couple days, but she tends to work on one piece until it is done and then moves on quickly to the next. Working completely out of the studio in Alton, Barb says she is never short of inspiration. She started keeping a book of inspiration filled with photographs and magazine clippings. With one look in the book, Barb is ready to start another painting.
With some pieces measuring just 8" x 10” and others reaching 16" x 20", Barb does all her own framing. To keep costs down for consumers, she purchases her frames unfinished and stains each one to suit the piece it holds.
Continually experimenting with new techniques, Barb hopes to move into self-standing wire sculpture and large, framed pieces. She is also looking forward to trying her hand at painting in the style of Georgia O’Keefe.
In the meantime, visitors to Rushing Waters Studio are greeted by a wide array of colours and unique pieces. The studio is open Wednesday through Sunday or by appointment.