Painting in the Rideau Lakes District

 It’s been a while since I have visited the Rideau Lakes district. It was before COVID that our Artists Painting with Artists group stayed at the Code Inn in Westport and painted for four delightful days. I have memories too going back 30 years, of hot summer days spent at the Westport Community Art Show booth and returning home with the proceeds from my first painting sales.


This spring, when an opportunity to stay at a cottage on the Big Rideau Lake came up, our family said ‘YES,’ let’s do it. It just so happened that the Rideau Lakes Artist Studio Tour was just finishing when we arrived and we took the opportunity to drive around and meet a some of the artists in their studios. I was impressed by the number of serious artists that live in the vicinity. We discovered too that the Boutique Art & Craft Experiences in Newport offers interesting art workshops in a beautiful studio setting. See www.stonemanorstudios.ca


We enjoyed the experience of cottage life with our families that travelled from near and far. The winding roads, towns and villages and multi lakes and boat locks are spectacular. And I was mesmerized by the reflections coming across the lake in the early morning and evening, accompanied by the calls of loons.


Charles Spratt
August 2025