Studio Tour guest artist got started as a child

Patricia Haftar has been painting for more than 65 years but it has only been in the last 20 that she has been able to pursue her passion full-time.

“I started with my grandmother,” Haftar, 77, said. “When she was painting she’d set up a little table for me with a little bit of newsprint some pencils and I’d sit with her for hours.

“It was a really special time. She was my mentor.”

Haftar took commercial art in high school but her practical father couldn’t understand how an artist could make enough money to feed a family. She ended up in a food sciences program and became a home economics teacher.

Haftar took some art classes and dabbled a bit but it wasn’t until after 2003 when she retired that she could devout more time to her art.

Inspired by landscapes, Haftar, a Welland resident, was one of more than 35 artists to participate in the Norfolk Studio Tour on the weekend.

Organized by Lynnwood Arts, the tour included the studios of artists from across Norfolk County.

Haftar had the distinction of being the studio tour’s first guest artist and had her work on display at the Simcoe home of her close friend Robbin Pulver-Andrews. The pair met at an art show a few years ago.

Pulver-Andrews, 63, paints local landscapes and exhibits her on the weekend included at a local lavender farm. She also enjoys painting local old buildings.

A graduate of the animation and fine arts program at Sheridan College in the 1980s. Pulver-Andrews put her art work aside while she was working and raising a family.

However, in 2006, Pulver-Andrews suffered a severe spinal injury which required surgery and about two years of recovery.

“I couldn’t go back to work because it would be too heavy for me and with the kids older, my family said ‘well Mom, you’ve always wanted to go back to your artwork when we grew up and you retired, so now is the time.’

“So for me, something really awful turned into something really wonderful because I could go back to my art work.”

Pulver-Andrews lived in Oakville and Hamilton before moving to Simcoe six years ago to be closer to family.

“We really love it here,” she said.

Pulver-Andrews said the studio tour was a successful event for her and Haftar. They had close to 60 visitors on Saturday and were hoping to meet more people on Sunday.

Work by Studio Tour artists will also be on display during a public exhibition at Lynnwood until the end of December. The show will also include a pottery exhibit of work by members of the Norfolk Potters’ Guild & Studio.

The exhibition opening reception will be held Thursday, October 5 at Lynnwood Arts, starting at 7 pm

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