Painting: "And I thought this was a sissy game". Frederick Banting

A dynamic article on Sir Frederick Banting, Doctor and Artist.

Sir Frederick Banting, on a plein air painting expedition with  AY Jackson:

"During an outing to St Jean-Port-Joli on the south shore of the St. Lawrence, the weather was cold, the wind was ripping and Banting bundled up but working steadily admitted, "And I thought this was a sissy game.""

source: Canadian Medical Association

Association News article by Elaine Rolf

SUMMER BLOG NOTICE

Sorry folks, but my computer has to go in for servicing. Call it summertime blues, or whatever.

Future Shop usually takes two weeks.  If I get time I will drop into the public library and I may be able to get some entries put together. Otherwise......

I'M GOING FISHING.

Maskull Lasserre. A formidable sculptor

I was recently guided online to the works of Montreal artist, Maskull Lasserre..  Maskull is one of those lucky guys who grew up, in an artistic environment with a mother who is an artist. Even now, his life partner, is also an artist whose media is abstraction. 

I suppose you can call Maskull a sculptor, but there is so much more to it then that. Maskull is quick to say that his sculpure isn't just about sculpturing, but its a reflection of his way of thinking, through his hands about the everyday world and its mysteries and wonders.

I like Maskull's humility. While many artists boast about being self made, Maskull gives credit to the encouragement, from parents, friends and teachers. He even acknowledges the musician Tom Wait, " if I could make sculpture the way he makes music, I'd be a happy man."

All of this doesn't mean that it's handed to him on a silver platter.  Maskull is also quick to say that he works much harder then anyone he knows.  He is a living example of how success in the arts comes from an uncountable number of hours of very, hard work.

Maskull has had a meteoric rise in the world of art. He spent two weeks last year as a war artist, and he is now represented by the Pierre Francois Oullette Art Contemporain Gallery of Montreal, and he has shows coming up in Washington DC, and in North Carolina  at the South Eastern Centre for Contemporary Art.

Maskull's life is defined by his sense of adventure. He sees himself as a risk taker who pushes the boundaries, and clears away misunderstandings.

About all I can add to this is for everyone to step back and watch this man go places!

To learn more about Maskull and see his works, please click here.

Uproar over a painting

Andre Pellan: Eastern Canada

Are you ready for this?  Andre Pellan's work was recently taken down from the walls of the Foreign Affairs Building in Quebec and replaced by a large portrait of Her Majesty.  That's when the pot began to boil.

The Parti Québécois says Quebec should repatriate two works of art that have been taken down from the Foreign Affairs building in Ottawa in favour of a portrait of the Queen.
The paintings by celebrated Quebec artist Alfred Pellan have been removed at the request of Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, and replaced by a giant portrait of Her Majesty.
The pro-independence party says the gesture shows how little the Conservative government cares about Quebec's culture.
It says the move probably wasn't intended as an insult and was simply a goodwill gesture for the visit of Prince William and Kate, who attended a Canada Day event at the building.
A pair of Quebec paintings have been replaced by an image of the Queen in a federal building in Ottawa. What do you think?  CBC News. Please click here

Niagara Falls as seen by Elizabeth Simcoe

Can you imagine, that this is how Elizabeth Simcoe viewed Niagara Falls. If we think it is formidable today, we should look again.  What's happened to the falls?  A lot of eroded rock has fallen over the edge since then.

Elizabeth Graves Simcoe

In December 2007, a statue of Elizabeth Simcoe Gwillim was erected in the town of Bradford West Gwillimbury, while commemorating the 150th anniversary of the town's incorporation. The statue is located in a parkette in front of the Bradford post office at the corner of John Street West and Barrie Street. - Wikipedia

Bend in the St. Lawrence River, c. 1792

Elizabeth Simcoe was the wife of John Graves Simcoe, the first Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada.
Elizabeth was an accomplished artist and, between 1791 and 1796, as she travelled throughout Upper and Lower Canada, produced a large number of sketches and watercolours depicting Canadian scenes. She was also an avid diarist and wrote about many of her experiences.

These diaries and paintings combine to create a vivid portrait of both the raw beauty of the untamed landscape and the day-to-day life of a gentlewoman in pioneer times.

Elizabeth Simcoe was a prolific watercolourist. She painted almost 600 paintings while in Canada.

Wikipedia reports:

Elizabeth Simcoe left a diary that provides a valuable impression of life in colonial Ontario. First published in 1934, there was a subsequent transcription published in 1965 and a paperback version issued at the turn of the 21st century, more than 200 years after she wrote it. Lady Elizabeth Simcoe's legacy also includes a series of 595 water-colour paintings that depict the town of York. She was responsible for the naming of Scarborough, an eastern Toronto district, after Scarborough, England. The townships of North, East and West Gwillimbury, just south of Lake Simcoe in central Ontario, are also named for the family

From the Archives Of Ontario website. Please click here.
You may wish to check the Wikipedia article. Please click here.




Queenston Barracks, c. 1793.


Quebec, St. Audrey, Grondines, Dechambeau, 
September 23, 1794, (detail)

Edward Abela

"Whether in the Island of Malta, my country of birth or in Canada, or in my travels in Europe or America, I have always sought to interpret my environment on paper or canvas. Like the impressionists, I seek to be a ‘painter of light” and look for beauty in light and shadows and in contrasting colours. Most of my landscapes incorporate this to some degree. If the viewer looking at my work finds this to be pleasing and exciting, I feel I would have achieved my purpose."

Edward is a member of the Markham Group of Artists and the Don Valley Art Club.

Mainly self taught, I am always looking for opportunities to widen my artistic horizons. I am currently a member of the Markham Group of Artists and the Don Valley Art Club. He has exhibited his solo and group shows in Canada, England, Germany and Malta and he has received a number of awards.  His paintings can be found in private homes and offices in Canada, US, England, France, Switzerland, Hong Kong and New Zealand.


To visit Edward's website, please click here.