Merrickville, Ontario: A must-visit artsy village near Ottawa

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Long known as the “Jewel of the Rideau” for its stunning location on the Rideau River, Merrickville boasts more than heritage architecture, interesting boutiques and trendy food shops. It’s also a haven for artists.

Although you may have visited many of them during the annual MAG Studio Tour, organized by the Merrickville Artists’ Guild, several artists also operate permanent shops and galleries.

So let’s see where you’ll find a warm, artsy welcome. All these destinations are right in the village!

Laura’s Shop

“I like things looking handmade and not perfectly printed,” says Laura Jean Starkey, with a quiet smile. Her sometimes woodblock- and hand-printed linen smocks, dresses, blouses and pants quietly ask to be touched.

Made with love, her garments are becoming well known for their comfort. They have a delightful flow to them—a character.

As does Laura’s Shop, located in the back garden of her home. When it was a garage, Laura was eyeing it, thinking that she’d love to transform it into a boutique. “So, I said to myself, ‘Enough with the excuses! Do what you have and need to do.'”

So do drop in and try on some of her expressive pantsuits, scarves, pants and dresses. What’s her most popular item? “Bar none, it’s my jackets; they’re hard to keep in stock.”

No wonder. Her jackets are reminiscent of Japanese kimonos, where the breadth of the fabric becomes a canvas for her printed or hand-painted designs.

Smiling, Laura presents as a deeply satisfied artist. There’s a calm to this woman, which her twinkling eyes offset. Here’s a confident person who brings the magic of creativity into her shop—and her village.

The founder of Merrickville’s Makers’ Market, Laura strongly believes in supporting other local artists. She’s invited two other women to join her in her shop.

Susan Foley is a jeweller who fashions pendants from heirloom silver. At a summertime garden party where Merrickville’s Makers had little booths dotted about the flowerbeds, I discovered Susan and her company, U Goddess U jewellery. We immediately fell into chatting, because I admired both the name of her business and her stunning creations.

I purchased a bronze howling wolf placed on a “full-moon” silver disc, cut from an antique tray. I love it. So do many others who admire it when I’m wearing it.

At Laura’s Shop you can find hearts, whale tails and many other fanciful things Susan’s made.

There’s a third artist at Laura’s Shop, Deborah Guthrie, who uses the Japanese shibori method of dyeing fabric with brilliant, gleaming colours.

Says Deborah, “I dye fabric to sew my garments, buy ready-to-dye accessories to add to them, and often I use clothing I’ve discovered at second-hand shops, allowing me to breathe new purpose and life into gently used clothing.”

Here find Deborah’s scarves, T-shirts, blouses, shifts, ties and fingerless gloves. Most are almost jelly-bean colours, being bright and cheerful hues of cherry red, lime green, orange, royal blue and many shades in between. Because the shibori method involves bunching up, twisting and otherwise folding the cloth, the garments are varied hues of the main colour Deborah has chosen.

Born from her “summer to dye for”—yes, Deborah also is a magical creator—these clothes are fun, funky and unusual.

Both Susan Foley and Deborah Guthrie are also members of Merrickville’s Makers’ Market. Watch for pop-up events throughout the year, in the village.

Address: 106 Colborne Street West, Merrickville (you can also check out Laura’s Etsy page)

MonSky Creations Gallery

Born in Santiago, Chile, Monica Viola moved to Vancouver in the early 1980s, where she met her husband, Gary Viola. The two resettled in the countryside near Merrickville, where Monica makes her whimsical, if not fantastical, pottery and fused-glass creations.

She says, “My work is not a complete circle, but a joyous evolution of ideas.”

You’ll discover her joyful works when you visit Monica’s MonSky Creations Gallery in Merrickville. The space is packed with her serving bowls, trays, cascading mobiles, teapots, mugs and more.

My personal favourite is her “Ogopogo,” resembling a dragon whose body is composed of little serving trays—just perfect to snake down a table, where it could hold all sorts of nibbles at a potluck function.

Everywhere you look, you’ll spy ravens, cats, horses and people, who to me resemble Modigliani’s or Picasso’s faces and figures.

At MonSky, you’ll meet Monica’s husband and business partner, Gary—and their puppy, Nanouk, a fluffy, white Pyrenees/Maremma mix.

Go: Enter a world of creativity that’s sure to spark your own sense of wonder.

Address: 108 St. Lawrence Street, Merrickville

Wood and Glass Co.

Born in Belgium, Bram D’Hoest is an engaging, talented woodworker who design-builds everything from furniture through to bowls and baby rattles. Really, you’ll find all sorts of home décor objects at Wood and Glass Co., which are all beautifully made.

He is proud to be a guardian spirit of the woodlands. “All the wood I use is from Ontario sustainably harvested trees, so absolutely everything I create is a purely Canadian-made product.”

His puckish grin greets you as you enter his shop, where the fragrance of wood soothes the soul. Bram will readily engage in explaining his work, so don’t ever be shy about asking whether that darker wood might be walnut or cherry.

Like Laura Jean Starkey, Bram supports fellow artists. Here at Wood and Glass Co., you’ll also find Michael Gray’s art glass and Fiona Macintyre’s jewellery. In fact, Bram says, ‘Mike and I started the store together in March 2017. Fiona joined us with her work this summer, and we all take turns working in the store. So it’s a bit more of a collective!”

Who knows which of these artists you’ll discover when you pop in—but whoever is there, they’ll be delighted to receive you.

Address: 218 St. Lawrence Street, Merrickville (you can see more on Bram’s Facebook page)

The Grotto Artworks

In 2005, several artists started The Grotto, which represents a range of excellent local artists. Now located in the circa-1860 stone building that’s also home to the Baldachin Inn and Restaurant, it sells original prints, pottery, jewellery, woven silk scarves and many other delightful objets d’art.

Update: Sadly, The Grotto is closing its doors on February 2, 2020. However, it’s currently running a going-out-of-business sale on weekends; check the Facebook page for details.

Address: 110 Main Street East, Merrickville (check out the gallery’s Facebook page, too)

FM Silversmithing and Jewellery Studio

Fiona Macintyre’s rings, earrings, necklaces bracelets and other designs glimmer alluringly in her airy, well-lit studio. From pieces that incorporate precious metals, enamels and gemstones to simple silver jewellery, all items are hand-made by this silversmith-jeweller.

She’s happy to create custom pieces for you to, as she says, “enhance your personality.”

Also, her studio shop displays other local artists’ works. So come, browse and enjoy speaking with the artist herself.

Address: 330 Main Street East, Merrickville

If you go

Here is more information about the village of Merrickville.

And here are more details about the Merrickville Artists’ Guild (MAG).

Author’s bio

Katharine Fletcher is a freelance writer, visual artist and author of historical guides such as Capital Rambles: Exploring the National Capital Region. She invites you to like her artist page.

Read more of Katharine’s articles for Ottawa Road Trips:

• Christmas in Carp, Ontario: Art in restaurants, a church and a vineyard
• Spring road trips from Ottawa for art lovers
• Autumn road trips from Ottawa for art lovers