St. Maarten, the Gaspe Peninsula, Maine, Italy. Stepping through the doorway of artist Gesuina Eyford's Greensville home, visitors leave the rolling hills of West Flamborough to embark on a journey, in vibrant oils, around the world And what a colourful trip it is.

"I'm a colourist, I love colours," she agrees. "I put my ideas across with the colours that I use. I've done some watercolour, some black and white charcoal, but I prefer the oils. That's my favourite."

Eyford's Weirs Lane studio (which is just about anyplace in or out the house, depending on her subject) will be featured on the upcoming Flamborough Studio Tour. "Oils are lively, and they stay lively years later. They don't lose their vibrancy," she said. I can manipulate them, and work with them until I'm satisfied with what I see. I can achieve what I want".

Eyford will feature some 30 original paintings for the tour, including local landscapes and still-lifes, as well as scenes from her travels. Most pieces measure 18 to 30 inches.

Remarkably, Eyford delayed the exploration of her artistic talent by three decades, first attending to the responsibilities of raising a family and running a business. But she knew she'd return to art, and is thrilled she was able to retire from her beauty shop early and focus on her passion. "I always wanted to do art," she said "At age nine or ten I did some work for my teacher in Italy. The teacher was impressed and asked if she could keep it It was a child's work, but I always kept that in mind". 

When she finally returned to her artwork, Eyford enrolled in several sessions at the Jensen School of Art in Florida, and has studied with several private local artists, as well as instructors at the Dundas Valley School of Art. She is a member of the Women's Art Association, and volunteers each year with the Hamilton Conservatory to bring a name artist to the city to complement the annual staging of the Nutcracker production.

"You learn different things from different people," she noted "They each have their own influence. You have to find somebody that translates to you, and you pick it up and learn from them"

This is her first time on the local studio tour, but Eyford has been working hard to promote it. She's pleased the tour has managed to break past the Hwy. 6 boundary this year.

Eyford is hosting guest artist Susan Ricketts (handcrafted wire jewellery) at 242 Weirs Lane, while potter Susan Rodgers will be joined by watercolour/pen and ink artist Jennette Czuba at her studio at 500 Orkney Rd. for a total of four displays in West Flamborough.

"We need exposure," said Eyford "There are a lot of artists in this area, and so many people are doing such great work."

The Flamborough Studio Tour features the work of 27 artists and artisans at 17locations, and takes place Friday, Sept 24 (noon - 5 p.m), Saturday, Sept 25 (10 am to 5 p.m) and Sunday, Sept 26 (10 am- 5p.m.).

For information on the free, self-guided event, brochures are available at local businesses, recreation centres, libraries, municipal or tourist offices. Maps can be requested by calling 905-689-3750 or printed from the Web site, www.fstudiotour.com