The little ABC book of Muskoka pictures and words has achieved a third edition in 2025. While the original words and sentences are “improved”, it retains the original goal, to be a little book that challenges children of all ages to explore pictures and learn words.
ABC Muskoka is available now for postal delivery anywhere. Go to Contact for how to get your copy
In January-February Toronto’s Heliconian Club Monday Life Drawing exhibits, celebrates our efforts at drawing from life. This exhibition is open to all participants in the group, whether or not they are Heliconian Club members. This year we have displayed 111 pieces from 53 participants. We had close to 200 attendees and numerous sales at the opening party. Some of our usually nude models (fully clothed of course) attended to see their images framed on the wall.
“Flying Fingers” drawn in coloured pencil over about 20 minutes in one of our unique sessions, a quartet of musicians (fully clothed). Here the pianist’s fingers fly over the keyboard while her visible toe taps the pedal.
Meet Tony the Pony, aka Temper of Tony. He is 18 years old, a homebred from Schomberg Ontario.
His rider, Cameron, has outgrown him, so he is retiring after an active show career in Pony Jumper, plus Hacking, Hunting, 3-Day Event, and Barrel Racing on the rodeo circuit.
Their Pony Jumper successes led to a special invitation to the 2022 USET Pony Championships in Lexington Kentucky. Tony was 16, Cameron 12. They won, with 4 clean rounds. But there was glitch, Tony & Cameron are Canadians. Despite their special invitation and written assurances of eligibility, they were not allowed to win. The competitor from California (on a very expensive imported German pony) was declared the winner. After a good deal of fuss the competition was declared a tie.
Tony is not retiring, rather he is going on to teach his 8 year old owner about cross poles in the pony hunter ring. Cameron is moving up to horses for more adventures.
This image is the Christmas gift to his now14 year old too tall rider, to celebrate and remember their career together. It joins two of my other portraits, created in the 1980s for his parents of their mounts successful careers.
Tony’s 2024 portrait, is coloured pencil on 300 lb Arches Hot Press. Coco’s from1988 is egg tempera on museum board. Lucky Charm’s from 1983 is pen & ink on Rising hot press bristol. The textures and colours of the coats are created through multiple layers of cross hatched strokes.
Some original of ABC Muskoka’s Lino relief prints on the mantle of the Heliconian Hall, each 8” x 6” @ $50.00 are ready to go “Off the Wall” to new homes,
It’s never too early to take this opportunity to affordably introduce younger members of your family to collecting original art for their spaces.
It’s never too early, or late, to to give an artist a special gift, your purchase of their efforts.
simply call The Heliconian Hall (416) 922-3618
to arrange a time and date.
Roosters. Personality Roosterfied. Imperious. In charge. …and an endless subject, in any medium
The Riverdale Farm’s Tamworth Family encountered an art show. Result. They are going to a new home
four others joined the family
“Backyard Bunny”, “See My Crown”, “See My Crown Too” and “See My Crown?, It’s Better!”
Many years ago I faked my way into what turned into a great job. I let the prospective employer believe I had extensive experience in silk screen printing. I didn’t. But I had hand cut a few silk screens and did have a lot of experience with window display. Those images went all over Canada for several years in the Dylex windows, even featured in “Inspiration”. I’ve played around with print works ever since. This summer I found whole “new” method of reduction printmaking (to me anyway) at the Freehand School of Art, in a hands on workshop. “See My Crown, It’s Better” will be on exhibit at the Heliconian Club’s Fall Exhibition “Encounter”
Please: Join me on Saturday September 7th 2 to 5pm. Explore how members old and new at the Heliconian explore the theme of “Encounter”.
One day the ewes at Riverdale Farm decided to go for a stroll down the hillside. Everything was green in high summer. I got out my flat brushes to have fun. See “Ewes on the Hill” at the Heliconian Club 35 Hazelton Ave. July 6th at 2pm
Every once in a while a new project with new learning comes along. Who would ever have guessed that the history of King Township would provide the opportunity. Over the past couple of months I’ve learned a lot about Maps, the complexity of History (or Herstory if you wish) in Ontario. How to spell new words, like Haudenosaunee.
The image above is in Muskoka, The place that David Thompson wrote off. The maps will be seen when the King Township Historic Society’s book by Ann Love comes out!
It’s the Heliconian Club's first “arts and letters” show, written and picture portraits.
Portraits can be other and more than just people. Here are three of mine, a fourth is Turpentine the Studio Cat for many years.
They were on view along with many others, in “A Portrait by Any Other Name...” at the Toronto Heliconian Club.
“I’ve Got My Eye On You” has done it again. He will be off to New York to the Salmagundi Club!
I’m honoured to have him accepted into this prestigious historic exhibition and sale.
Now he has gone on to win the Fredrick Wong Prize.
https://americanwatercolorsociety.org/2024-annual-award-winners
After New York he will be part of the traveling exhibit as it wanders around the USA
And, there is an article in Forbes Magazine about the 157th Exhibition.
It’s almost too exciting!
Drawing From Life in Heliconian Hall is all about figure drawing. A guest “I was surprised at the nudes. Then I decided I could look at the works not the pictures”. This tiny work has definitely got a figure. It also SOLD. That was a real surprise. Thank You.
Pictures speak. Pictures came before words. Pictures are timeless. Pictures record our world.