Peter Rotter is a well known landscape artist from Lakefield, Ontario. He grew up in Toronto, spending his summers and many weekends at the family cottage on Stoney Lake just a short twenty five minutes north of Lakefield. It is here that Rotter finds true inspiration for painting. “The Kawartha and surrounding areas are my muse” Rotter says he began painting landscapes at a very young age. As a child he was “obsessed with a book on landscape painters”, and in particular, books about The Group of Seven were of interest to him. “Drawing and painting the north was just something I did growing up.” His parents were always very supportive of his art, encouraging him with art classes on the weekends and art camps during the summer. “It seemed growing up, I was always the youngest kid with landscape paintings at shows in the Toronto area.” Rotter studied design at the Ontario College of Art and Design and computer animation at Sheridan College. He went on to work in animation fo...
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The Wilno Hills, an hour north of Bancroft in the Madawaska Valley, is known by some to be God’s country. It is here that you will find the artist Linda Sorensen . Artist Linda Sorensen shows her art to me in her studio. Linda was born in London, England. She moved to Canada with her mother and settled in Burling ton, Ontario where, as she says, she had the good fortune of Robert Bateman as her high school art teacher. It was the early 70`s and the school was the newly built Lord Elgin High - since renamed after this world renowned Canadian wildlife artist. Under Bateman she studied Pottery and Sculpture, Drawing and Painting and Art History. She also took a course in Textile and Printmaking with Birgit Freybe , now Robert`s wife. She was truly inspired! Linda moved to the Madawaska Valley and recalls heading out “ with a pack on my back and not two pennies in my pocket .” She became part of a back-to-t...
The Wilno Hills, an hour north of Bancroft in the Madawaska Valley, is known by some to be God’s country. It is here that you will find the artist Linda Sorensen. Linda was born in London, England. She moved to Canada with her mother and settled in Burlington, Ontario where, as she says, she had the good fortune of Robert Bateman as her high school art teacher. It was the early 70`s and the school was the newly built Lord Elgin High - since renamed after this world renowned Canadian wildlife artist. Under Bateman she studied Pottery and Sculpture, Drawing and Painting and Art History. She also took a course in Textile and Printmaking with Birgit Freybe, now Robert`s wife. She was truly inspired! Linda moved to the Madawaska Valley and recalls heading out “with a pack on my back and not two pennies in my pocket.” She became part of a back-to-the-land movement and lived off the grid, ``without telephone, running water, hydro and neighbours!” For the next 25 years, she devoted ...
In the Pink The work of artist Brenda Stonehouse of Lindsay Ontario will stop you in your tracks; yes, those vivid colours, strong lines and the striking use of light will catch your eye, but you may also find yourself caught in a bit of serendipity. You may find your mind drifting back to simpler times; it may even bring you back to a moment in your past, a good memory. With the fast paced, ever-changing life whirling by, it is wonderfully refreshing to take these moments in seriously. As a child, Brenda’s family moved around Ontario, so she had the privilege of living in a variety of different cities. From the cottage country of Huntsville and Muskoka, to the rugged terrain of the Canadian Shield in North Bay and Thunder Bay, and to the busy city life with Lake Ontario in the background in Kingston and Toronto. With this came Brenda’s appreciation of the diversity in the landscape this province has to offer and that is reflected in her paintings. You will see the rocks, tree...
Barbara recalls early affirmations of her paintings, in particular, her first award. She was in grade four and studying the Norseman. During art class at school, Barbara painted a depiction of the Norseman people, a woman and man she remembers it plain as day. The judges were quick to conclude that the painting was too good for the age group, but her teacher stepped in offering an award to Barbara - a quarter. While attending BCIVS, she continued to take art classes. She recalls Miss Pallette, an excellent art teacher who would often take the class outside to paint. Barbara remembers the back entrance of the old Corby building catching her eye. She painted this historic building and the flowers that naturally sprawled across the long stone wall. This may be one of the earliest pieces in her collection where the subject matter is historic. In fact, when listening to Barbara describe her paintings, it is clear they are all historic in nature. Whether it be historic buildings, his...
Nan Sidler remembers a ‘charmed childhood‘, as she calls it. A simpler time when she could play outside all day, “exploring local woodlands for snakes or chipmunk holes, or wading wetlands looking for frogs.“ These were the days when you were free to explore all day, as long as you were home for supper. Growing up, she has an appreciation for her time living near the beautiful water and wild spaces of Ontario, reflecting fondly on Picton and the white sandy beach at the Sandbanks and living near the Ottawa River in Pembroke. She has always used her gift in drawing and painting as a way to engage with the world around her, a gift she says she shared with her grandfather, who worked beautifully in pen and ink. Her post secondary education took her to Peterborough where she met her husband at Trent University. They shared a love for the area with its rocks, trees and shining waters and decided to stay there to raise their two sons. The family became avid campers, hikers and canoeis...
Nothing brings this country to a momentary stand still like the death of one of our very own beloved authors. In early May this year, we came to a sudden halt. The nation respond ed immediately – it wa s announced on every radio station from coast to coast, on local and national news and in every newspaper , informing us of the loss of a most impassioned writer, ardent environmentalist and a true Canadian icon for sure. Farley Mowat dead at 92. The end of an era; a century really. And the nation mourns. O ne of Canada’s best known and best loved authors; Farley Mowat is recognized as a nature lover, world traveller and champion for those without a voice. The latter includes wildlife, the First Nation people s of the north, and of course the land . As CBC reports, the author spoke out on the radio show The Current less than a week before his death against a proposed plan to equip Canada’s National Parks with wifi, which he called “a disastrous, quite stupid, idi...
Canadians have a love and connection with the lakes like no other. It isn't even necessary to put it into words – we just know. Whether we are near, on or in the water, the feeling of purification and completeness is abound. Canadian artist and performer, Jane Eccles, truly captures Canadiana in her painting series known as ‘water’. One look at her images, and we know of childhood summers at the cottage, or that feeling when you first jumped into the lake, or the peace of sitting by the water’s edge on a hot summers day. Powerful images indeed. As Jane recalls “My roots are around water.” Born in the Ottawa valley, she spent a great deal of her early childhood close to the Rideau water system. Her family moved to North Bay near Trout Lake when she was about ten years old, and this started her relationship with the ‘dark navy lakes’ so well associated with the northern parts of this province. She also attributes this area with the ice and snow in all of her imagery. In ad...