If you love handmade, artisanal and shopping Canadian, don’t miss the 2023 Signatures Originals Spring Craft Sale.
The popular craft show returns April 13-16, bringing some 150 Canadian artists, artisans, makers and designers from across Canada to the EY Centre where they will share their home decor, fashion, jewelry, visual art, children’s clothing, toys, eco-friendly body care, artisanal food items and more.
Signatures is a uniquely Canadian handmade marketplace that is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. Founded in Ottawa in 1983, it is an annual tradition where visitors can meet passionate creatives in person, hear their stories and feel their works first-hand at shows in the spring, fall and just before Christmas.
“The love of handmade is at the heart of what we do, and we are proud of our achievements in making Canadian handmade as popular, exciting, and vibrant as it is today,” says co-founder and glass blower John Ladouceur.
Indigenous celebration
New this year will be an Indigenous Showcase, highlighting the work of several Indigenous artisans and offering demonstrations and take-home kits. The showcase is produced in collaboration with Madahoki Farm, which recently hosted an Indigenous makers training program and includes works by some of their recent graduates, alongside more established creators.
“Supporting Indigenous entrepreneurs and helping to create sustainable economic opportunities for Indigenous Peoples is key to building a better future for all,” says Ladouceur.
Adds Trina Mather Simard of Madahoki Farm: “We are pleased to partner with Canada’s largest and most experienced producer of handmade shows … This showcase gives our Indigenous artists great visibility and will introduce them to new opportunities.”
Also available is a Sip + Shop event with Dunrobin Distilleries, which will be selling and offering samples all four days, with draws on Friday evening for gift certificates to shop at the show.
Here’s a sampling of the decor-related creations you can find at this year’s show.
(Jump to the end for show details.)
Love Bite Ceramics
Ceramic artist Amanda Hickey focuses on incorporating a modern esthetic into functional ceramic ware, where she utilizes traditional ceramic making techniques to create linear forms, mainly with contrasting black and white.
Alphacritters
Alphacritters offers whimsical, alphabet-based “name pictures” originally created by artisan Karen Hawley, who died in 2007. The business has been continued by her mother, Laurie Powers, and has expanded to include hand-painted picture frames.
Peter Jardine Woodworking
Cabinetmaker Peter Jardine loves all forms of custom woodworking, along with restoring, refinishing and repairing old woodwork. Look for his charcuterie and cutting boards, clocks and more, including these horseshoe-handled serving trays, a client favourite.
It’s Pouring Art by Gayle
Artist Gayle Oudeh loves creating colourful, abstract works of art, from canvases to jewelry and more. Her pieces are literally poured art. “When I poured that first cup of paint on a canvas, I knew I had found my happy place,” she says on her website. “Letting the paint do what the paint will do is the ultimate creative experience.”
Basket Case
Ruth Houtby’s fun and whimsical baskets are both decorative and useful. They are fabric-covered, rope-coiled baskets that are made from new and recycled fabrics, authentic leather and upcycled harness leather handles that will add a splash to your decor.
Thistledown Creations
Barb Thistle brings colourful children’s clothing and quilts to the show in a dizzying array of styles, patterns and, of course, colour. The fabrics are of cotton, minkee (a soft, plush polyester) and polyurethane laminated film (PUL) that are easy to care for, she says.
Practical Art
Practical Art is just what its name says — art that is practical. Mike McNeil and Steve Pietens focused on creating metal artwork when they first teamed up, creating pieces you can still find today. And now the company employs a team of metal artists producing everything from garden decor to home signs, privacy screens, hooks, hangers and more.
Robert Bishop’s Artwork Wonders
Artist Robert Bishop is inspired by the beauty of nature, with water scenes, sunsets and sunrises, wildlife, pets and people among his favourite subjects. Although he is colour blind, he doesn’t let that get in his way, with his wife, Patty, helping when it comes to selecting colour palettes.
Charles Valcourt
Charles Valcourt describes himself as a contemporary craftsman with a degree in environmental design, an advocate for wood veneers (found in his curved veneer lamp shades) and a love of all shapes and sizes of magnetic key rings and shelves.
TigerLily Glass
Courtney Geroux combines patterns, images and more in her pieces, making what she calls creative and functional art in fused glass. Fused glass combines two or more pieces of glass that are heated in a kiln to fuse them together. Her creations range from colourful hedgehog suncatchers to mushroom ornaments, decorative plates and more.
2023 Signatures Originals show details
When: April 13-16
Where: EY Centre, 4899 Uplands Dr.
Hours: Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Tickets: $8 for adults, children aged 17 and under get in free; tickets are 50 per cent off after 5 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Available online or in person.
Information: signatures.ca
