Lake of the Woods

Sun Struck Isle   oil on canvas   24" x 36"

It's been a while since you've heard from me but this post ties in nicely with the previous one where I talked about Zelda, my travelling companion to and at Lake of the Woods. This lake is over 110 kilometres long and wide containing more than 14,000 islands. It's primarily in Canada but, being on the border, it also stretches into the USA, at the western edge of Ontario where this province meets the SE corner of Manitoba.

Lake of the Woods from space

Gerry Wilson and her husband, John, were Zelda's and my hosts (in 2005). Gerry is also editor of this magazine which I am proud to have a painting published in ...

This issue (July, 2015) has an excellent article called A Shrine of Beauty; Painting at Lake of the Woods 1850 - 1930 written by Andrew Kear, Curator of Historical Canadian Art, Winnipeg Art Gallery. It is followed by this page ...

Gerry recruited images for the Artists Still Find Inspiration portion of the feature article including Zelda's, top above, and mine, centre right below.





Evening of the Summer Solstice   oil on canvas   36" x 54"

During the ten days in June (2005) that Zelda and I spent at the Wilson's gorgeous home on Coney Island we painted almost daily. John and/or Gerry would often boat us to and drop us off (with fantastic lunches) at different islands. Wanting to paint the magical light of sundown, on the evening of the summer solstice, the Wilsons took us to and stayed with us at Cat Island. John watched as we stroked paint on our canvases while Gerry swam laps around the island.  It was capped off by a divine supper picnic supper. The boat ride home at sunset was stunning.

Gerry and John with yours truly at the easel 

Zelda painting at Cat Island

After returning home from our expedition, Zelda and I produced a collection of larger studio works to add to our plein air paintings and in November we presented our joint exhibition ...





Our paintings at The Avens Gallery, Canmore, Alberta

In front of one of Zelda's oils with Gerry and John Wilson at the opening reception of Ladies of the Lake

Lake of the Woods has important significance for both Carol Picard and Robin Wade who purchased Sun Struck Isle shortly after Zelda's death on April 13th, 2015. Many thanks to the two of you for giving my painting a special home.

I wonder if anyone will recall the framed poster on the wall beside Carol?

I invite you to view my entire collection of Lake of the Woods paintings here.

Twenty-five Years at The Avens

(You can click on any of the photos to see them enlarged)

Arlene, a weaver and a founding member of the CAAG
at a Christmas Fair, December 3rd, 1982 

In 1981, when Bill and I moved back to the Canmore area, I joined the then one year old Canmore Artists and Artisans Guild (CAAG) and met Arlene Curry.  She and I became fast friends.  Side by side we raised our children ...

Kathy's 4th birthday, July 10th, 1983



Dale and Denise, Kathy Arlene, me and Laura September 16th, 1989

... and when Arlene had a vision to open a gallery we planned it together.  On June 13th, 1986, the doors of the Mountain Avens Gallery opened for the very first time.  Initially it was only to be a summer venture in a small, rented house at 730 - 9th Street beside the Peppermill Restaurant which is now The Trough.


Arlene on opening day, June 13th, 1986

 

Yours truly inside the Mountain Avens Gallery, June 13th, 1986

It was important that the name of the gallery include the word mountain.  The Mountain Avens flower grows only at high elevation and the plant has leaves that are evergreen.  On the gallery's first birthday I gave Arlene this painting:


There Will Always Be An Avens   1987   oil   10" x 8"


In 1987 Arlene (and her then husband) purchased an old house on Main Street.  After extensive renovations the gallery seamlessly moved and opened October 10th, 1987.  Here it continued to flourish and be further cemented in the community.  For years it was where our families viewed the annual Canada Day parades.


Canada Day 1991 - Denise, my Dad and Arlene in the doorway.
Bill on the left (in blue) and me with the yellow beret and palette


There were countless group shows and I participated in all of them but it wasn't until November 1994 that we presented my first Mountain Avens Gallery solo show ... Mountain Intimacy.  I had decidedly hit my stride with mountain imagery; I now had a few years of painting outdoors and bagging peaks under my belt.  The back country had captured my soul and was now shining through in both my studio works and plein air paintings.

The gallery's tenth anniversary exhibition hosted works by past and present artists.  At the opening reception, June 15th, 1996 special remarks entitled The Blossoming were given by Bob Sandford.


Arlene, Bob and me at the 10th anniversary celebration 

Arlene sold the gallery to John Borrowman in December 1998, and for a time she remained on as gallery manager.  John also owned The Quest in Banff and so the Mountain Avens Gallery was given a new name; The Quest Avens Gallery.  When John sold The Banff Quest he entered into a business arrangement with Arlene and together they planned a grand, new building.


Down with the old to make way for the new


The little house/gallery closed in September 2000 and while the construction of the new building was in progress the gallery operated out of a rented, temporary space above what today is the Main Street location of the Rocky Mountain Bagel Company.  Here is the completed masterpiece before the current, simplified name - The Avens Gallery - went up on the exterior ...



The new Avens building, September 11, 2002


The new interior space of The Avens was/is magnificent; very conducive to solo shows and I was ripe and ready to have one of those every spring.  There were six annual exhibitions in all beginning in 2003 with Under the Influence; French Impressions and concluding with Wild! in 2008 ... but these are stories in their own right and best saved for future posts.



The Aven's 20th birthday, me with John and Arlene, June 10, 2006



When we moved to Claresholm, in September 2008, I eased out of working as much as I had and excused myself from the high pressure of what major shows involve. 

By December 2010, when John sold the gallery I had really settled into semi retirement.  In the transition Curtis and Andrea kept a few of my paintings but I wasn't committed to providing new art to the new owners.  On August 29th, 2011 I removed my paintings from The Avens Gallery.  This marked an unceremonious end to a vital, twenty-five year, chapter in my life and with it came a multitude of feelings.  Gratitude for the great years working with Arlene and John.  Relief that the weight of obligation to produce and provide is lifted.  And, as you would expect, some sadness, but also delight that The Avens, like the perennial flower it is named after, continues to grow and blossom every year.