A shepherd, wool worker, musician, and artist in the mediums of acrylic, watercolor, papier-mache and photography, Kathryn Stuart operates Northern Viking Farm from the original Stuart family homestead, where she raises her flock of purebred Icelandic sheep. She is passionate about shepherding, and finds great pleasure in sharing her knowledge with others.
In the wool studio, Kathryn explores traditional wool processing using a hands-on approach. The wool is processed on site; from the shearing and wool washing, to the picking, carding, and spinning of the wool into a unique double-ply lopi yarn with the use of traditional hand powered equipment and foot pedaled spinning wheels.
She finds the process of turning a sheep’s coat into roving and yarn, into wearable hats and scarves, to be a fascinating study in transformation, as well as a real-time exploration of her ancestral heritage. Her products come in a wide variety of natural hues, as seen in the unique patterns and colors of the Icelandic sheep.
Kathryn enjoys the multifaceted skill set required in raising her flock, and relishes the creation of beauty from the harvesting and working of wool. This art form, is a continual source of learning, and serves as a constant part of her process as she further explores this natural treasure.
When Kathryn is not looking after her sheep, she pursues her artistic skills; over the last 30 years her work has been displayed in galleries in Quebec and Ontario, and in stores across Canada. Kathryn draws much of her artistic inspiration from her extensive travels through the Canadian landscape; from Haida Gwaii, to the Yukon, Newfoundland, and everywhere in between.
Her products can be purchased on site at the Northern Viking Farm Store; paintings, papier-mache creations, art cards, CD’s of Kathryn’s original music, skull and horn sets, as well as a wide range of her wool products; handspun yarn, roving, felting wool, woven wall hangings, hats, scarves, and shawls.
Kathryn also operates Northern Viking Records as a platform for releasing her original music and audio projects. Classically trained in piano, trumpet and guitar, over the last 25 years, her music has been featured on Campus and Community Radio Stations throughout Canada, the US, Europe and Asia. Past reviews from various publications describe her genre-spanning albums as such: “When Kathryn Jane’s vocals emerge, they just cut into you” – EXCLAIM!”, “Jack Kerouac and Picasso in music form” – Edge Magazine, “Hard rock in the style of Bleach-era Nirvana” – The Gazette – London, “One cannot help but draw comparisons to Canadian legend Neil Young or even Bob Dylan when listening to this intimate, sensitive, musical portrait” – The Excalibur- North York.
Northern Viking Farm is home to youth artists working in the mediums of wood, leather and metal; any of whom may be on site demonstrating during the tour.
Note of interest: For those on the Group of Seven Trail, AY Jackson, who taught Kathryn’s grandmother, once enjoyed a chicken dinner with the family in the farmhouse kitchen (now the Wool Studio).
