The Artful Garden

For 19 years, Suzann and Jon Partridge have turned their beautiful country property near Bracebridge, Ontario into an outdoor gallery featuring the garden-inspired art of dozens of talented Ontario artists.

Artful Garden Sign

Welcome to the Artful Garden, with the 2016 show running from July 23rd through August 14th.

Artful Garden-Partridge-Bracebridge

It is a generous gesture from these accomplished and well-known potters, who met in art class at high school in Toronto more than 45 years ago.

Suzann & Jon Partridge

Jon’s pottery is in collections throughout the world.

Partridge-Pottery Sign

Though the show started almost two decades ago, it was 1974 when the young couple moved to what was then a neglected 100-acre Muskoka farm. Their house is modest and typical of the old brick farmhouses that dot Ontario. It’s also visitors’ introduction to the Artful Garden, which I have been photographing through the years. (Note: Some photos below are from my previous visits.)

Artful Garden-Monarda & Metal Flowers

Suzanne has worked tirelessly developing her gorgeous gardens, which now total more than a dozen areas. They feature sun-loving perennials like blazing star, left (Liatris spicata) and daylilies.

Suzann Partridge-Daylilies & Platycodon

…and purple coneflower…

Echinacea-Partridge Garden

….and hostas for her shady corners….

Suzann Partridge-Shady Garden

… and vines like the honeysuckle that climbs an arch in June….

Honeysuckle on arch-Partridge

…and beautiful annuals in windowboxes.

Window box

There are vegetables and  herbs….

Suzann Partridge-Vegetable Garden

….a pond….

Suzann Partridge-pond

and several pottery fountains.

Artful Garden-Partridge Fountains-

Jon & Suzann share their property with a chocolate Lab…

Chocolate lab

 

…a gaggle of specialty fowl that roam freely throughout the gardens…..

Partridge-Fancy Birds

…and loads of butterflies and bees, like this honey bee nectaraing on the common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca)….

Milkweed-Honey Bee

…. in the huge field adjacent to the garden. On busy Artful Garden days, some of the other neighbouring fields are conscripted for parking.

Milkweed Field

There’s also a summer arts camp for kids, and on the day I was there this week, they were making delightful fresh floral ‘paintings’.

Artful Garden-Kids Art Camp

Suzann is especially skilled at knowing exactly which little corner will make the perfect vignette for the art displayed for three weeks each summer, like Laura Moore’s artistic rendition of a virus, set in verbena and osteospermum.

Artful Garden-Laura Moore-Virus Number3

And Mark Clark’s “happy pills’, in a carpet of calendula.

Artful Garden-Mark Clark-Happy Pills

Here are bulrushes in echinacea, courtesy of metal artist Lino Barbosa.

Artful Garden-Lino Barbosa-Bulrush

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Artful Garden-Lino Barbosa-Hummingbird Cut Out

Jean Pierre Schoss always has a big display of his metal work.

Artful Garden-JP Schoss Peace signs

This is his Flying Bird.

Artful Garden-JP Schoss-Flying Bird

The 2016 poster art is of multimedia artist Jamie Brick’s beautiful ‘Vines’ sculpture.

Artful Garden-Jamie Brick-Vines

This cottage-themed mailbox of Derek Green’s is fun.

Artful Garden-Derek Green-Big Bird Mailbox

Robert Graves’s glass art was shimmering in many of the garden beds.

Artful Garden-Robert Graves-Whimsical Glass

Tod Waring’s metal garden stakes are beautiful. These are calla lilies…

Artful Garden-Tod Waring-Calla Lily Stakes

…and he’s also done some fancy birds in flight.

Artful Garden-Tod Waring-Fancy Bird

There are lots of artful flowers, naturally, ready for visitors to purchase and take home. These ones are by David Hickey.

Artful Garden-David Hickey-Flowers

These colourful flowers were in front of the pottery showroom…

Artful Garden-Flowers

…where Jon Partridge’s work is featured.

Jon Partridge Showroom

His beautiful pieces are in collections throughout the world.

Jon Partridge Pottery2

And his work can be purchased throughout the year…

Jon Partridge Pottery1

with visits on open days or by appointment.

Jon Partridge-clay landscape

Here’s one of the clay-working studios.

Partridge-Studio & Garden

The sales office, of course, has its very own lovely garden.

Partridge-Artful Garden-Shop

Here are a few more of the artful garden pieces I’ve enjoyed through the years.

Artful Garden-Metal Sculpture

I love these kinetic works…

Artful Garden-Kinetic sculpture

You can’t have too many birds in the garden…

Artful Garden-Birds & Artemisia

…or roosters, for that matter….

Artful Garden-Red Roosters

And finally, here’s a little video I made to celebrate Suzann & Jon’s immense contribution to the art scene in Muskoka. Enjoy!