One thing we have missed on the road has been access to art galleries. Traveling with Jolene has endless benefits… and a few drawbacks. And one of the drawbacks is a fine arts museum’s reluctance to release dogs around their one of a kind artworks. We had sort of resigned ourselves to the idea that we would see very limited art in terms of galleries on this trip. Then some road magic happened and we got a private gallery tour from the artist/owner herself, Kayla Jackson.
We were heading south through the Green Belt north of Toronto and night was falling fast. I don’t particularly like to drive at night, so we had already scoped out some possible stealth sites ahead of time. But, as we soon discovered, stealth sites are heavily discouraged in the Green Belt. They lock the gates and have lots of patrols. I began to get anxious. Also, I had to pee.
We stopped at a gas station and I peed. On my way out, a woman says, “Nice bus; I have a Beetle.” It’s not an uncommon interaction for us at this point. I decided she didn’t look like an undercover park ranger and I told her that Miracle and I live in our bus and we were looking for a place to park for the night. She pointed us toward a couple spots, including a small chunk of public land she guaranteed us would not be patrolled. We slept like babies.
When we awoke the next morning we had a message on Instagram from Kayla inviting us to check out her studio/gallery, located in the oldest timber-frame building in Ontario—a place called the Melville White Church. Kayla and her business partner, E.C. Munson, a photographer have taken this already-beautiful historic church and made it into a really chic, upscale, and inviting gallery. Both women have their work spaces at the back and they partner with other local artists to showcase a variety of art and make sure there’s always something fresh to see. It may not have the square footage of an art institute, but it has personality and charm and, most importantly, some jaw-dropping artwork. Do yourself a favor and check out Kayla’s artwork on Instagram: @kaylajackson_art or check out her website: KaylaJackson.ca . And if you’re in the Caledon area, grab a coffee at Higher Ground Cafe, shop at Noinkees, and make the drive down the road to see the gallery at Melville White Church.
On the Road with Adie 