Demolition by Neglect. Beautiful Stephenville WW2 Buildings in Limbo.

Stephenville, Newfoundland  was home to a United States Air Force Base in World War II.  This was an enormous base, and the last stop before Europe. Although many of the hangers are now gone, there are still many buildings from this period remaining. Barracks and other buildings that housed soldiers are now transformed into lovely apartments and private homes. Creative uses have been found for some of the hangers that exist, but some, like in the photo above, are vacant and in limbo, awaiting the next entrepreneurial endeavor. I imagine there are a few people in town who would like to see these vacant shells torn down. I hope they remain up. I would love to see  a creative use for these  beautiful giants with the dramatic auras.

I spent some time photographing the outside of some of these Stephenville WWII buildings. They compliment the photos I have been privileged to take of the interior of the Small Arms Inspection Building in Mississauga, Ontario. During the second world war, over 40,000 women came from across Canada to work in the Lee Enfield Rifle plant there. The Lake View Legacy Project is committed to revitalizing this building as a creative centre with artist studios, theatres, exhibition space, brown field studies & more. Although it, too, sat in  limbo, creativity , co-operation & collaboration has resulted in a promising & positive future for this WWII space in Mississauga.

Happy Hipstamatic

Just got the Hipstamatic app. I love it. Here are pics just outside my studio at the Williams MIll Visual Artist Centre.

The Artist Studio - Big Cats "Spring Into Art"

[slideshow] Above are a few photos of my studio - all cleaned up for this past weekend's  "Spring into Art" Open House - an annual event on the first weekend of May  at the Williams Mill Visual Artist Centre. Lots of black oil paint going on it those giant paintings of cats! I changed the "wet paint" sign to the more effective "Warning   - Big Wet Cat".

Artist Carmen Hickson supplied the tulips, and not seen,  I had lilacs and crabapple blossoms. As an aside, lilacs are out  in Mississauga, are simply buds in Halton Hills, and a visitor told me are not yet in bud in Ottawa. The coffee was ready to brew on the Keurig, and the chocolates were out. Thank you to everyone who took the time to stop by. I always appreciate your investing in my art.

Couldn't make it this time? My studio, as well as the over 30 others at the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre are open Fridays and Saturday 12 - 5 pm. The Williams Mill Gallery is open Wednesday to Sundays 12 - 5 pm.

The Williams Mill is in the western GTA (Greater Toronto Area). It is only 5 minutes south of Terra Cotta, and  is 15 minutes north of Winston Churchill Blvd. and the 401 in Mississauga.

Squamish, Olympic Spirit & a Running Squirrel

I was flipping through my iphoto on my MAC & listening to a CBC Radio One show about Squamish, British Columbia. Under the leadership of an inspired Squamish citizen,  a large team of hardworking volunteers showed their Olympic Spirit  - through  determination, teamwork, creativity, too - and successfully established Squamish  as a source of nordic expertise for the Olympics.

And there it was. A photo I had forgotten about. A  squirrel goes for the gold (seeds from a bird feeder) and runs upright through a well-worn track in the snow. Obviously he made many visits there. This focussed fellow isn't a Squamish squirrel but he certainly represents how perseverance clears the path to success!

And now for B.C.... is they could just get some of the snow in the photo....

Curious about  Squamish. Here's the link.

Warming up to Plein Air Painting

Minus 32 degrees celsius with the wind chill did not deter 8 members of the Ontario Plein Air Society (OPAS) from meeting at the heritage Scotsdale Farm, on the Maureen Smith trail area of the Bruce Trail in Ontario.

This was my first visit to the lovely American colonial style farm buildings, and my need to explore and photograph, took precedence over my need to paint. Long tree shadows crossing over white clapboard buildings, a stone silo dusted in snow, and weather vane topped cupolas made for inspiring photo taking.

As there was so much to see, it took me a while to settle down to draw with my Cray pas oil pastels. But by the time I did, the weather changed - everything going grey. Still beautiful, but we all became a little more conscious it was winter. Shadows disappeared, and snow  swirled off the roof tops, as in the little 8" x 8" oil pastel drawing on canvas I did, and am quite fond of, even though it was quickly produced, for the grand jaunte it represents.

By drawing on location, my feet buried in the snow,  in a farm pen that I had to climb over a fence to get to, for the view I wanted, I can still feel the crispness of the air, and replay the image of the snow swirling past the silo I was drawing. The paintings of Scotsdale Farm that will be created  in the comfort of my Williams Mill studio - these paintings, will certainly benefit from the plein air experience.

To see a video by Zan Barrage on this plein air day, with some great tips (e.g. how to use socks..) click here. For the OPAS blog with plein air painting info, click here.

09/09/09 Lucky Numbers for Mississauga Artists (well, most of them)

Today, on the ninth hour of the ninth day of the ninth month of the ninth year, The Lakeview Legacy Project , a non profit organization, was to stand before Mayor Hazel McCallion & the Mississauga City Council to ensure that the proposed Small Arms Building creativity centre would receive the infrastructure repair funding it so richly deserves. I wondered, (as both a visual artist and with AIM, Artists in Mississauga) would the 09/09/09 date bring good news or not for the arts &  artists in Mississauga? Now, I knew that  the team that makes up the Legacy Project has such experience, dedication and vision, that I really needn't worry. But a little chink in my faith resulted when, as just before I headed out the door to the council meeting, my teenage daughter asked for a whopping $300 for school, and that the number on the cheque I made out  was  333! (add them up- they equal 9)

My anxiety grew, when stuck in traffic snarled by back- to - school buses, and construction everywhere, it took me 3x as long to reach city hall. Then, thinking I was lucky to grab a free  parking spot behind the Living Arts Centre - it wasn't till I was far from my car  - I saw there were now new automated ticket booths. With no  change on hand, I couldn't get mine to work with my charge card. I had the joy of adding some feelings of inadequacy to those feelings of frustration at being late... until  I passed a  gentleman equally perplexed at getting his card to work.

I moved my car to the Square One Parking lot instead.

Racing over to city hall, I held the door open for an out of breath young man who, all dressed up, looked quite perturbed as he ran up the stairs towards me. Aha! a fellow witness also late to this historic event!

But then, across the great hall, little flower girls dressed up in white and pressed against the glass - caught my eye . A wedding, and he made it.

Jim Tovey, Chair of the Lakeview Legacy Project, and the Lakeview Ratepayers Association was presenting his case as I entered the Council Chambers. With no further a due Council unanimously agreed the cause was worthy and deserving. Huzzah!

And then, but with a little more difficulty, the Art Gallery of Mississauga, also got approval for funds toward their much needed and deserved expansion ideas. Huzzah again!

Happily, I returned to my car only to find a ticket on my windshield. Somewhere in time, what had been part of a large mall parking lot, still looked like the mall's parking lot, and has no obvious signs otherwise, at least not to a frustrated motorist,  was now just for private use by who knows who?!?

I could pull a "23" story line and point out that the ticket # ended in 9 (which it did) and so did the officer's number. But that's not the real point. The real point is that Mississauga is getting all grown up. It is getting mature enough enough to recognize that the arts matter, and sometimes, the value of money spent is not just about numbers. And that the nuisance of traffic, and parking that has to be paid for (sigh) are simply growing pains of coming of age.

Plein air painting at Riverwood with OPAS

Today I was to paint with the new group Ontario Plein Air Society, but rain got in the way. Instead we held a very constructive meeting in OPAS leader Zan's SUV, and roughed out goals for the next year. OPAS will be holding plein air painting sessions every Sunday until November and yours truly will help organize at least three of them, including the three day paint out to be held in conjunction with the international plein air paint out day! To find out more about and /or to join OPAS  (it's free!) visit   http://ontariopleinairsociety.blogspot.com/ Meanwhile here are a few hits of colour on what was a very gloomy day.

A New Plein Air Painting

Today was the third gathering of the new group Ontario Plein Air Society.  Nine of us met at the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre in Glen Williams.  We used my former studio in the beautifully restored old yellow mill - which can now be rented by the half day - as a home base, but painted down the road by the Credit River.

In my secluded little spot on a couple of feet of eroded shoreline, and only a foot from the water, I painted the tree line that stood at my eye level, resulting in the oil painting on canvas above "Spring Growth by the Credit River. A Glen Williams, Halton Hills scene) . The day was hot, and very bright, but in my tiny shady oasis, I was cool and relaxed by the lapping water. That is, after I decided to ignore the huge yellow jacket that buzzed in front of my eyes every 20 minutes, and the clouds if midges that wafted above now and then!

Some terrific paintings were produced by all, and it is always fascinating to see each artist's interpretation of  the same location.  I am always surprised how  3 hours of painting outdoors feels like a happy day away! (Please note: this plein air painting is now sold)

Today we were honored that J. Bandini, President of the International Plein Air Painters Worldwide Organization drove all the way from Niagara Falls to join us.

And for those of you who think you might like giving painting out doors a try - the following is info on OPAS. By the way OPAS is free, and anyone is welcome. It is a way for plein air painters across the GTA and beyond, to link up to paint.

http://ontariopleinairsociety.blogspot.com

Find us on Facebook Ontario Plein Air Society(OPAS)

Follow us on Twitter twitter.com/O_P_A_S

On the "Go" - Two new paintings, Mississauga landscape, Kincardine Lighthouse interior.

Last week was busy!  I finished this  20" x 20" oil painting of  a youth going down the lighthouse stairs at Kincardine, Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. The challenge to myself was to paint whites in shadow (expand my gray palette). I wrote a blog on this painting & mini  color mixing lesson. Click  here.

Above is a 9" x 12" oil painting of  a Go train emerging from the trees over the Credit River in Port Credit, Mississauga, Ontario. Young boaters from the nearby Mississauga Canoe Club stop to watch it go by - thus the title Stop and Go on the Credit River (Please note: This painting is now sold).

The Credit River in Port Credit is fabulous spot to spend an urban summer evening. Boaters, birds, coffee and ice cream - Lots of places to stroll, shop, sit & people watch.

The original painting isn't as dark as this photograph. Unfortunately it sold so quickly I never did take that quality RAW photograph. Artists out there ! Heed this lesson. A painting is NOT finished until you have taken that quality image for your records.

I often have the problem - when the painting is glossy and glazed - of getting a true representation of the painting. Either the gloss of the paint from my use of liquin (which speeds drying time) reacts like a varnish layer and reflects the light, even on an overcast day. OR even worse, the camera is too efficient and somehow photographs through the top glaze layers and The image photographs as if in an unfinished state!

My husband has decided this is his favourite of all my paintings. Hmmm. I am flattered, but considering I have done some fairly ambitious pieces over the past six years, I am bit "stopped" by such enthusiasm, but I will admit it was fun to have a "go" at a train.

(Last week I also did my first plein air painting . Here is that painting & blog - Click here) This painting will be auctioned off at the 2010 Art Gallery of Mississauga Annual Art Auction.

Grey Paint. Phenology. Where's the link?

Today I was going to talk about painting greys, that is until I did a look see at  The Riverwood Conservancy new web site- here. Formally the known Mississauga Garden Council, this non profit organization has chosen a new name more suitable to  their role as steward (and much more)of this amazing urban wilderness - that in their words, to which I fully concur-  is both "beautiful and wild".

There is much to explore in this 150 acre old growth forest that is the most ecologically diverse in the Credit Vally watershed. Do you know that the salmon, yes salmon, are working their way through the 6th largest city in Canada, right about - let me check my watch - now?

But what I really wanted to let you in on is the niftyRiverwood web feature, the Phenology Database . At this link one can search for the time and place of the sightings of specific animals and birds. I think this is a great tool for nature lovers, artists and photographers alike.

As well, one can return the favor and enter the location, time etc. of the wildlife seen. I think this would be a nice participatory thing thing for the kids to do, too.

You don't have to be an artist to enjoy a visit to Riverwood... but I strongly suggest you'll regret not bringing your camera.

So much  talk about Riverwood on such a sunny spring day. The greys can wait. Guess where I'm heading?

Riverwood, Mississauga crocus Copyright Christine Montague 2009

Big heART Ideas for Mississauga Small Arms Building

In the blog earlier today, I wrote about the thoughtful & inclusive process Mississauga has undergone to research the betterment of arts and culture in the city. The creation of venues for culture, heritage and education in Mississauga, has pretty well taken a back seat to 30 years of building houses, and attracting business. Pretty well complete, the city has outgrown its "bedroom community" moniker. More people are coming into Mississauga to work than leave, and guess what? A lot of artists want to work, learn, perform, teach, exhibit, sell, share, mentor, here too. But where?

Well, AIM, (Artists in Mississauga) and the Lakeview Ratepayers Association, may have the solution! Sitting on Lakeshore Blvd East, with Lake Ontario to its back is the 33,000 square foot Small Arms Inspection Office Building. This building has everything one could envision for a world level arts (all arts) centre.

The positives:

· It is ENORMOUS- solving city's desperately needed room for studios (visual art , dance, sound, & more), workshops, installations, cafe, galleries, heritage museum

· fabulous lighting everywhere - huge windows, skylights

· high ceilings (which do play a part in creativity - high ceilings, big ideas)

· Location, location, location. By the lake, Lakeshore Rd & Mississauga Transit, by Longbranch Go, by TTC streetcar, by Marie Curtis Park, by future parks and Lakeview's Heritage Plan

· Plenty of free parking space

· handy to plenty of walk by traffic - especially when those parks go in

· Large welding area- large garage doors - set to go as metal sculpture centre. Who else has one of those?

· Important potential for tourism, arts, culture, and citizen destination

· Important potential for artist to sell, work, interact, teach, exhibit, Stay in their city to create!

· Heritage: This building with its historical connections to World War 2, feminism, 40's architecture, & Mississauga development deserves to be saved, and used well. It embodies one of Mississauga's most exciting historical stories.

The Negatives? We're not in there..yet.

Mississauga Grows up. A story of hope for artists. Ending Unknown.

My city, Mississauga, located in Ontario, Canada,  is  a new city - only 30 years young. It is remarkably, for being so young,  Canada's 6th largest city. It has many wonderful attributes - a diverse, multicultural population made up of wonderful involved citizens and great neighbors, clean streets, safe environment, libraries galore,   terrific hospitals, varied work opportunity, and it is debt free.

What does this have to do with art?

Mississauga's past focus on rapid growth - from it's bedroom community image amongst farm fields, to a city with a spanking brand new skyline,  white collar industry,  and the largest  shopping centre east of West Edmonton Mall, is not a bad thing. Most people want a nice roof over their head and nice places to work and shop.

30 years ago to own a car and a suburban home was hot, and so this city was not built around culture, public transportation, and education. Attracting builders and developers and keeping the tax base low, thanks to them, was. Museums and places of art just weren't included in the equation.

The result? Rapid growth didn’t save room for all those quirky, interesting, and traditionally low rent spaces where artists of all sorts can set up shop to create, practice, incubate, mentor, promote, exhibit. There are plenty of places for children or hobbyists to take extracurricular arts courses of all types, thanks to the commitment of the city to create  community centres.  But for citizens, whose compulsion to create  is as vital to their existence as breathing,  are there are a lot of talented Mississauga artists out there, there is an extreme lack of venues to work, show, sell, create, perform, incubate etc. One must either leave, compromise,  or give up.

Then along came hope and the promise of Vision - for the Good of the City as well as its Artists.

3 years ago Mississauga, i.e., its Mayor Hazel McCallion, and Council did something rather amazing. Even though culture was not highest on their mandate, they recognized, (and the recent literature of the time proved) how cities need art and culture to be healthy . Mayor McCallion , in particular , is infamous for her passion for the city. Like a devoted parent, she decided that if her city needed arts and culture to grow, even if it wasn't her thing in particular,  she would do her darndest to help it.

Through an incredibly inspired and citizen inclusive process the following happened.

The Mayor invited unbiased, respected and knowledgeable movers and shakers to voluntarily serve on an Arts Review Task Force . ARTF held town hall meetings for every arts group & individual on what was negative &/or positive for the arts in this city. They listened. From this information, the ARTF formed a incredibly comprehensive report of recommendations for the city - one of the recommendations being the formation of the Office of the Arts & Culture. The Council accepted and lauded  the report. A momentous day, a foot in the door of hope for artists.

Next came the formation of the Office of the Arts and Culture (OAC). More listening to the arts community needs, some growing pains, a little reorganizing.

The OAC then hired the Canadian Urban Institute who held a free, incredible speakers series - "A Conversation About Building A City For The 21st Century" . This series offered attendees the opportunity to hear what different visionaries thought about Mississauga's future.

As an artist, and advocate for low cost art spaces for artists, I particularly liked the evening Dr. Roberta Bondar, astronaut, physician and photographer, shared the stage with Tim Jones, executive director of Artscape, a company specializing in building creative communities. My optimism for the arts and  Mississauga itself actually grows.

Next, Mississauga citizens - yes, everyone!- were invited to attend workshops, and round table discussions about how they viewed their city.  They got to speak their minds on exactly what it is they wanted.

In 2009, the UIC, after more calls to the public and arts communities,   made bang on recommendations for the OAC to create their strategic plan. This plan will be presented to Mississauga Council on April Fool's Day, 2009. Surely, this inspired visioning, offering such hope to the city's arts community will not turn out to be a trick.

Mini Lesson Continues: Light, Dark, More Birds in Painting & at Riverwood too

Next Step:  I have mentioned in the previous blogs how I did not have the foreground with the figure of  Wishing it was His Turn to Go as dark as I like.  I dropped a glaze of burnt umber over the figure, the door, and deck  posts.  Brilliantly, I forgot I had been painting the screen door earlier and so the paint pulled down through the opening in the door. This accidentally gave a "screened effect" and although the painting is still young I am hoping to  use this to some advantage.  I did not glaze over the hand holding the door. You can see the contrast between the hand and the neck define the right side of the head.

I simplified the sky, "carving" out the ear and jawline on the left side when I did so.

I also added the birds back into the painting.

In contrast to this early fall painting, was this very glorious day just before spring. This afternoon I spent a couple of hours exploring Mississauga's  wonderful urban wilderness, Riverwood Park & returned home 300 photos richer.

I do not have a quality lens, and must remember to get a monopod, to help with those darker wood scenes and bird shots.  Out of focus, I know, but this was such a darn pretty woodpecker, and the happy little thief of a  squirrel was sweet to watch as well. Who can resist animal shots?

Valentine's Day Love for Chickadees at Riverwood Park

   I was over at Riverwood Park early this morning to take part in the Riverwood Conservacy  "Family Day" bird talk. I wanted to learn more about the birds I see in the park , and was hoping for some great photos too.

Photographing a chickadee that hops down for a moment to pluck a seed from your hand is not easy when one's fingers are numb from the cold and one's arms are aching from patiently standing still  - holding a camera to one's face with one hand and holding the other arm up and out lie a tree branch. But the wait was worth it ! The feeling of the little claws landing on the thumb then hoping to the palm are unique. One can't help but love these cheery little birds. And what a joy to reconnect with naturen on our very urban city.

Speaking of our city..In Mississauga , Valentine's day is also a cause for another celebration - Our Mayor Hazel McCallion,  the mayor of Canada's  sixth largest city, celebrates her birthday. The significance? Not only does Madame Mayor turn 88, but she always hosts a fundraiser for the arts on this day. A year ago today, it was my honour to have my portrait painting of the late, great Oscar Peterson, presented to the Mayor, and Kelly and Celine Peterson, at the Mayor's Valentine day's Tribute to Oscar Peterson "Feelings from the Heart". It was a wonderful moment in my carreer, as well as a wonderful show, produced by Mississauga's own Ron Duquette. The painting now hangs by the portrait of Mayor McCallion in the Living Arts Centre.

So enjoy your Valentines's Day, and for Ontarioians, your Family Day Weekend. Mine is certainly off to a good start!

P.S. A special thank you to all the wonderful, knowledgeable & friendly Riverwood Conservacy Volunteers. As well there is a terrific new free brochure out from the Riverwood Conservacy that identifies the Riverwood birds

Visual Artist Christine Montague Painting & Photography Fine Art Blog

Welcome to Camera and Canvas!  I paint realistic, representational oil paintings on canvas & am an avid nature photographer. 

I entered into the world of art years ago primarily out of the love of drawing. I drew all the time - from life and my imagination - and I was good at it.  But in 2002 after an invitation to help create the artist co-operative Beaux-Arts Brampton, I entered the art world full time with the ambition to be a painter - to finally have a real go at using oils. Until then, with no space of my own at home & conscientious of my children's  health, oil painting had never been an option for me.

After two years in a studio at Beaux-Arts Brampton, I moved into a larger studio in a beautifully rennovated old mill , the Williams Mill Visual Arts Centre in  Halton Hills. Inspired by the wonderful art buzz of the community and my beautiful art space in the countryside, my painting skills progressed to a new level. My very first painting there , The Magnificent Ascent of the Mighty Bear, a 3' x6' oils & oil stick painting took top prize at two juried art shows. And my photographs, initially taken as possible future reference for my paintings, began to take on a following of their own. Exhibited in my studio for interest, they began to sell, and one was used on the 2006 Halton Hills Tourist Guide cover. In 2008 I had two solo photography shows. "The Hidden Garden", a year long study of the Chappell House residential gardens in Riverwood Park was part of CONTACT 2008 Toronto Photography Show and the first photography show at Visual Arts Mississauga.

For almost 5 years I observed how important having ones own studio and what an important support being surrounded by a creative community is to this solitary business of visual art. But I also observed these artist communities work best for those in them. I lived in a completely different city to the communities above . And I wanted what those communities offered to be offered to not only me, but the other artists of my city - Mississauga. And thus AIM  - Artists in Mississauga - and the grassroots movement AIM4Studios were born.

So onto my journey. In 2009 I want to put away the habits I have developed over the past few years- ie. painting realistic paintings straight from photographs. I want to get back to my roots of drawing, incorporate that in my painting. I used to love graphic novels and wonder can I get that back?  can I retrigger my imagination? I also I want to tell more stories with my camera & bring my view of looking at nature more into the public eye.

And finally, I passionately want to make progress for AIM and find us a home to create.  

Wish me luck! And I invite you to comment on what you think of any new art I post and anything else art related.