On Sunday we ventured out to Pouch Cove to check out the Open Studios event, as well as relax at a new tea room overlooking the ocean!
Spirit Sculptures by Po Chun Lau
Pouch Cove is north of St. John’s and it generally takes between 30-45 minutes to get there from St. John’s, depending on where you’re coming from. We hadn’t spent much time in Pouch Cove before, other than 5 minutes here and there, usually following a visit to Flatrock or at the end of an iceberg hunting adventure. So, an event encouraging the general public to visit various artists’ studios in the area gave us a good excuse to go spend more time out there.
There were 11 participating artists/artisans who opened up their studios, and sometimes their homes, for people to visit and check out their artwork. We parked our car in the middle of town and then walked from there, so we stuck to visiting the six artists nearby.
There were 11 participating artists/artisans who opened up their studios, and sometimes their homes, for people to visit and check out their artwork. We parked our car in the middle of town and then walked from there, so we stuck to visiting the six artists nearby.
After checking out two artists set up in the Silver Threads club, we made our way to the Mermaids Folly for a snack and some hot drinks. The Mermaids Folly is a new tea room in Pouch Cove, housed in a former merchant’s house, that only opened its doors last month. The building is actually the current house of the café owners, so when you walk through the door you are walking straight into their family kitchen. That being said, we wouldn’t have known that had the owners not mentioned it to some other customers nearby. Overall, the set up is cozy, and the desserts were tasty - not to mention the view was incredible.
From the tea room, we walked further north along the main road and visited four more studios. The artists varied in style and medium, but they were all friendly and their pieces were unique. It seemed like many of them had taken the traditional Newfoundland scenery and added a twist. We especially liked Po Chun Lau’s work, both the paintings and the sculptures.
We enjoyed just walking around the community, and finding the Open Studios became a bit of a scavenger hunt. It was a bit nerve-wracking just walking up to a house with an “Open Studio” sign on their lawn and opening their front door, especially if you couldn’t tell where the front entrance was supposed to be - but it was an experience.
We enjoyed just walking around the community, and finding the Open Studios became a bit of a scavenger hunt. It was a bit nerve-wracking just walking up to a house with an “Open Studio” sign on their lawn and opening their front door, especially if you couldn’t tell where the front entrance was supposed to be - but it was an experience.
One of the Studios along the way
We were initially surprised by the high concentration of artists living in Pouch Cove, but if your backyard is the ocean, it’s hard not to be inspired. Plus, the community is very charming; we frequently stopped along our walk to break out our cameras. That being said, here some more pictures from our afternoon in Pouch Cove:
