Makers at the Manor

Caitlin Burke has been creating art since her teens, exploring colour, pattern, and design. Her love of flowers and gardens connects her to family and inspires her work in watercolour, acrylic, and mixed media. An art teacher for over twenty-five years, Caitlin continues to discover her own artistic voice. She brings that curiosity to her teaching, welcoming experimentation and mistakes while helping participants find joy, connection, and well-being in the creative process.

Irene is a multidisciplinary artist who loves transforming treasures into wearable art. Encouraged by her artistic parents, she explored painting, sewing and jewellery making. Today, she turns quilts into coats, curtains into outfits and vintage textiles into distinctive clothing. Broken jewellery, beads, crystals and even cookie tins find new life in her handcrafted pieces. A former teacher and Merrickville Artists Guild board member, she celebrates creativity, community and the beauty of individual expression.

Tanya Deacove brings a background in fine art and art therapy to her passion for Ukrainian egg painting. She lives and works with her husband, woodworker and broom maker Raphael Kerem, in the restored Burridge Village cheese factory. She decorates her pysanky eggs by hand with symbols that carry meaning and good wishes. Through this intricate work, Tanya celebrates a Ukrainian folk art tradition passed down through generations, connecting artistry, rich cultural heritage, and the handmade.

Mike Doxey is an award-winning ceramic artist based in Portland, Ontario. An honours graduate of the Ontario College of Art, he creates functional stoneware and sculptural wall installations inspired by nature, architecture and experimentation. His studio includes a wood kiln he designed and built in 2008. Through a continual process of making, observing and refining, Mike explores clay’s possibilities, creating work that celebrates natural materials, thoughtful craftsmanship and the enduring pleasure of making by hand.

Award-winning artist Ted Stewart celebrates Ontario’s birds and wildlife through woodcarving and painting. His individually carved wildfowl reveal natural wood grain or exquisite painted detail, capturing birds in quiet repose or poised for flight. An original Rideau Lakes Studio Tour artist, Ted has served as an Artist in Residence in several national parks and judges regional woodcarving competitions. His work reflects an enduring fascination with nature’s beauty, character, and quiet presence, shaped by decades of observation.

Maggie Stewart is an Indigenous artist, teacher, and advocate from Kashechewan First Nation in Northern Ontario. Taught by her mother, aunties, and kookum, she creates beadwork, wearable art, traditional moccasins, and mittens. Now living in Newboro, Maggie shares her heritage through workshops and community gatherings. A founding member of Three Sisters, she supports Indigenous women and allies, celebrating traditional making as a source of healing, belonging, cultural connection, and stories carried through every careful stitch.

Diana Kemp discovered stained glass in the 1980s and has loved its colour, texture, and movement ever since. Through White Heather Glass Creations, she transforms carefully chosen glass into decorative pieces, gifts, and personalized commissions, each brought to life by natural light. Now based in Rideau Lakes, Diana also shares her skills through encouraging workshops, helping participants build confidence and experience the joy of creating something beautiful entirely by hand, one piece at a time.

A fine jeweller from Merrickville, Kenna reveals the natural works of art held within stone and transforms them into distinctive, wearable forms. A trained lapidarist and silversmith, she has cut gemstones and created copper and silver jewellery for more than 20 years. Her work has a profoundly Canadian focus, celebrating Canadian gemstones and the ancient landscapes from which they come. Guided by the individual colour, markings, and story of each stone, Kenna creates every piece with care, allowing the gemstone itself to shape the final design. Her commitment to ethically sourced materials, thoughtful processes, and one-of-a-kind or limited-edition work places TerrAdore Art Jewelry firmly within the slow fashion movement. Her jewellery has appeared in an international art and fashion magazine and received a Global Excellence Award from a UK luxury goods publication.

Margaret Martin is a painter, poet, and educator whose love of art began in childhood. A graduate of Guelph’s Fine Art program and Queen’s University, she now paints primarily in acrylic. Inspired by Impressionism, she explores colour, light, and atmosphere, transforming landscapes and interiors into places of memory and human connection. A longtime supporter of Rideau Lakes’ creative community, Margaret also writes expressive poetry and currently serves as co-president of the Rideau Lakes Artists’ Association.

An original maker of fine brooms using ancient techniques and natural materials, Raphael works in a beautiful heritage building in Burridge, Ontario, where he and his partner, Tania, have a workshop and showroom for their collection of handmade objects, both functional and decorative.

Lisa Paddle brings a lifelong love of wool to her felted creations and welcoming fibre classes. A self-taught knitter, she explored sewing, crochet and weaving before discovering felting over twenty years ago. With degrees in Nursing and Public Administration from Queen’s University, Lisa combines artistic curiosity with an interest in wool’s history and science. She encourages everyone to embrace imperfection, be brave and experience the joy of creating something truly beautiful and meaningful by hand.