Just a few hours before the streets were closed to traffic and became alive with artists and art lovers Saturday night, Craig Mainprize put the finishing touches on his painting.
It was good timing, as it allowed the Orillia artist to display the piece during the 15th annual Starry Night Studio and Gallery Tour.
Mainprize’s latest work is aptly titled Starry Night.
“It is inspired by this event in the sense that I started it a while ago and I knew it would be the last one I did before Starry Night,” he said.
It also reflects the way he feels about the event.
“It’s all of these colours coming alive and exploding, which is how I think of this street during Starry Night,” he said. “The street erupts in excitement and colour.”
Artists don’t typically have an audience while they’re working, so Mainprize was excited to open his space up to the public.
“This is a working studio. It’s really nice to have people come into the studio,” he said. “You’re bringing people into your little world of art, which you’re usually pretty private about.”
Kristine Drummond also enjoyed the interaction with people as they browsed the artwork Saturday.
“It’s so nice. The people love to connect and find out about the process,” she said.
The self-taught artist has been taking part in Starry Night for five years, and she hopes her work inspires those who might not think they have it in them to be artists.
“Everybody’s creative,” Drummond said. “When you explain how you allow your creativity to flow through you, they really connect.”
More than 100 artists were represented at the 35 participating venues Saturday.
