At 18 James Street in downtown Parry Sound, Jessica Vergeer Studios combines an art gallery, a working painting studio and a dress shop under one roof. It is run by Jessica Vergeer, a contemporary Canadian landscape artist and fashion designer whose work is inspired by the waters and forests of Muskoka and Georgian Bay.
Jessica’s path to Parry Sound ran through textiles and fashion. Born in southwestern Ontario, she studied at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design before building a fashion career in Toronto. In 2004 she moved to the Parry Sound area with her husband and business partner Dan, and the cottage-country landscape pulled her toward painting. Today she works in acrylics, creating expressive, impressionistic canvases full of dramatic skies and sunlight dancing on water. Many paintings begin with her own experiences boating, hiking and exploring the region, and she also accepts commissions, turning clients’ photographs into bold original paintings.
The dress shop reflects her fashion roots. Alongside her own handmade dresses, skirts and tops, it carries clothing, jewelry and accessories from other Canadian designers and fair-trade sources. The gallery also showcases selected work by other local artists and designers.
Visitors who prefer to get hands-on can join one of Jessica’s step-by-step painting classes, offered for public and private groups throughout the year. No experience is needed, and you leave with a painting of your own. Consistently rated among the top shopping stops in Parry Sound, the studio is an easy walk from the waterfront.