Issue link: http://publications.winnipegfreepress.com/i/514227
67 Day 1 The Interlake provides fertile ground for the creative arts. Twice each summer, dozens of artists open their studio doors to visitors during WAVE Interlake Artists' Studio Tours. See how a luthier makes a guitar, learn to make paper, watch a potter at work, and peruse stocks for collectibles. Take a basic blacksmithing class at the Cloverdale Forge or sign up for beading and leatherwork lessons before retiring to your room at the rustic log Cloverdale Farm Bed & Breakfast to plot your course along the shores of Lake Winnipeg. Between WAVE tours you can check out eclectic new works at the Mermaid's Kiss Gallery and Gimli Art Club near the seawall murals in Gimli, then cruise south to Winnipeg Beach and duck into community arts centre Scape at the Winnipeg Beach Plaza or What? Clay Art & Curios. When the Inukshuk in the yard is wearing a red hat, the What? studio is open. > watchthewave.ca > cloverdalefarm.ca > mermaidskissgallery.com > gimliartclub.com > scape.name > whatclayart.com Day 2 Take the scenic route to Portage la Prairie, west on Hwy 67 and Hwy 227, with stops at Oak Hammock Marsh, Stonewall and Delta Beach. Portage artists open their doors during the Prairie Ripples Art Tour, set for Aug. 29-30 in 2015. Participation among about 20 artist members varies each year, but you can see pottery, intricate wood carvings, watercolours and photographic works year-round at the Portage & District Arts Centre, housed in the William Glesby Centre performance- arts venue. Works are available for sale in the gallery gift shop and during an arts and crafts sale in October. Check into the Little House on the Portage la Prairie Bed & Breakfast to soak up tranquility stay on a treed acreage, or head for Canad Inns Destination Centre to enjoy an indoor pool and gaming lounge. > prairieripples.com > portageartscentre.ca > littlehouseplp.com > canadinns.com Day 3 Head south from Portage la Prairie on Hwy 240 to arts destinations in the Pembina Valley. Morden's Pembina Hills Art Gallery & Gift Shop, located in the clock tower building on Stephen Street, displays regional arts and crafts from stained glass to jewelry, prints and woodcrafts. Explore studios from La Rivière to Winkler during the Pembina Valley Artists Tour in mid-September, to see works from more than two dozen artists, including Jake the Sculptor, whose creations include a larger-than-life Sasquatch. Maps are available at the Pembina Hills Art Gallery and at Altona's Gallery in the Park, where you'll find wonderful and whimsical works indoors and out. Stroll beside the reflective pool and through the extensive sculpture garden. Before heading back to Winnipeg, make a stop at Altona's giant replica of Vincent Van Gogh's Sunflowers. Standing on a 76-foot (23-metre) high easel, the replica is a nod to the Altona Sunflower Festival, held on the fourth weekend in July. > pembinahillsarts.com > pembinavalleystudiotour.com > jakethesculptor.com > galleryinthepark.ca Artists find inspiration in every nook and cranny of our province, and many throw open their studio doors to guests each year. Catch a WAVE tour in the Interlake, follow the trail of Prairie Ripple artists in Central Manitoba and dip into the Pembina Valley arts scene. GO with the F LOW GIANT REPLICA OF VINCENT VAN GOGH'S SUNFLOWERS IN ALTONA