Image

Artist bloom where they’re planted at Alvinston Festival

August 24, 2018

Pam Wright
The Independent

Bloom where you’re transplanted.
That’s what artist Daisy Fresh is doing since she moved to Alvinston last fall.
The former big city dweller and her husband are loving their new community.
“We’ve been searching 10 years for a place,” says Fresh, a corporate marketer who lived most of her life in the Greater Toronto Area.
“You think T-O is the place to be but it’s not,” she says. “Some of our friends thought we were crazy, but we love it here.”
Fresh is clearly making her mark. She’s already had a show at the Judith and Norman Alix Art Gallery to display her work.
Recently, she was commissioned by Brooke-Alvinston-Inwood council to create a mural to grace the second floor of the municipal building.
Fresh came up with a self-portrait where she is peeling back a white curtain to reveal a riot of colourful shapes.
She likens it to awakening to “endless possibilities,” adding the municipality wanted to raise awareness of the arts.
Fresh was among the vendors set up at the 4th annual Alvinston Arts and Music Fest held Saturday in the village.
Liana Russwurm, who co-organizes the event with Elisa Nesdoly, says Alvinston’s art community is getting bigger, drawing people who want a less expensive, slower-paced lifestyle.
Also an artist, the former Torontonian says she was attracted to Alvinston by the area’s natural beauty.
“I need the earth and the grass and the outdoors,” Russwurm notes. “And you have that here.
“People want to come here. They like what they find.”
Russwurm says money from the Lambton Creative County Grant Fund allowed them to expand this year’s event and rent a stage for this year’s festival and hire the popular Mudmen band for a street party.
“We hope we can do that again,” she adds.

Share This

Image
News

Potential for $3.5B investments in Lambton

February 16, 2025

Tariff threats holding companies back says SLEP leader Heather Wright/The Independent The head of Sarnia-Lambton Economic Partnership says there are nearly 50 organizations “actively considering” setting up shop here. But Matthew Slotwinski says the potential for massive tariffs from the US government is making companies nervous enough to put their plans on hold. Slotwinski provided his annual report to Lambton

Read More

Image
Front Page

No cash to help with Petrolia’s feral cats this year

February 16, 2025

Heather Wright/The Independent The Caregivers of Petrolia Ferals won’t be getting a grant from the Town of Petrolia this year.The group requested a $3,000 grant from the town, in a letter to council Feb. 10, which had provided cash to control the feral cat population in the past. In a letter sent to council, the organization said over 275 cats

Read More

Image
News

Cyclist arrested after fight with Sarnia police

February 16, 2025

Sarnia’s Police Chief says there could have been a very different outcome after police arrested a cyclist Saturday. An officer say a cyclist travelling south on the snow-covered road against traffic. The officer stopped the cyclist to speak with him through the cruiser passenger window. The cyclist tried to pedal away so the officer moved to stop him from moving

Read More

Image
News

Sarnia police chief wants single point of contact

February 16, 2025

Cathy Dobson/The Independent Sarnia’s police chief is calling for a more co-ordinated approach to help those facing homelessness, addiction and mental health issues. A single point of contact for the public and professionals trying to find shelter and support services for people living rough and seeking detox and medical services is needed, according to Chief Derek Davis. “Even something as

Read More