WEST CARLETON – One day was beautiful, one day was wet but both combined made for a great 41st edition of the Red Trillium Studio Tour.

This year’s fall edition featured eight studio locations sprinkled throughout West Carleton and featuring 12 amazing artists. Saturday (Oct. 26) was one of the sunniest days of fall while Sunday brought periods of rain. For Kinburn based potter Teresa Wingar, both days brought plenty of visitors.

“It was steady yesterday,” Wingar told West Carleton Online from her Diamondview Road Slip Trailed Stoneware Pottery studio Sunday (Oct. 27). “I was pleased. And a good turnout today despite the rain.”

And we were there before noon.

Wingar grew up in southern England and moved out to Kinburn 21 years ago. She has been an organizer and artist with the Red Trillium Tour “since the beginning.”

Wingar creates functional decorative stoneware using the technique of slip trailing to apply her intricate raised clay patterns. Each piece is hand thrown on the potter’s wheel.

She remembers the tour’s origins.

“It started with a conversation at the Carp Farmers’ Market,” Wingar said.

The tour runs twice a year – once in spring and once in fall. This year the fall version has a few less stops and for the last two years has been held a couple of weeks earlier.

“It’s nice to be able to decorate with pumpkins,” Wingar said.

She says she’s heard the smaller number of stops is having unintended bonuses as well.

“I’ve had more people come in and say they are going to hit all the stops,” Wingar said.

But the tour would love to add more new craftspeople and studios just the same.

“There is a bit of a shortage of places to put artists,” Wingar said. “We’re all getting a bit old. We could use some younger artists on the tour. It’s a lot of work to organize, it’s quite an effort. Trying to herd the artists, that’s a hard one.”

For more information on the Red Trillium Studio Tour, click here.

For more information on potter Teresa Wingar, click here.