If You Heart Art… - theHumm February 2020

If You Heart Art… - theHumm February 2020

By Miss Cellaneous

Find Faraway Places… in Perth!

As the temperatures drop and we start to feel a little tired of lower light levels and icy pathways, our thoughts tend to travel to Faraway Places! Step into Strévé Design Studio Boutique Gallery in Perth and soak in the bright sun-drenched colours of Barbara Chappelle’s abstract oil and cold wax paintings of travelling the El Camino trail in Spain or biking through Provence and Perigord in France. Be sure to check out Rob Laffier’s ship-inspired poster in oil on canvas of Oasis on the Seas.

The hot African sun can be felt through the layers in mixed multimedia collage works by Hawa Kaba. The warm glow is also evident in Caroline Evans’ impressionist style oil landscapes of Paramali Beach and Brittany. Ben Bennett and Margaret Martin create energy on painted acrylic canvas through landscapes and surging waters of High Ridge, Scotland and Salmon Cove, Newfoundland. David Lafleche draws you into his high realism oil paintings of places such as Gdansk, Amsterdam, Quidi Vidi in Newfoundland, and Peggy’s Cove. Travel away to such places as Cody Mill, Mallorca, Venice, La Rochelle and Seoul via David Gilmore’s realistic watercolours and acrylics. At the end of these earthly travels, quilt artist Beth Van Wyngaarden lets us contemplate a trip to the moon.

Spend a little time traveling to Faraway Places at Strévé Design in downtown heritage Perth, behind the TD Bank. They are open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 5pm and Sunday by chance. Find out more at strevedesign.com .Meet the artists on Saturday, February 15 from 1–3pm in the gallery during the Frost and Fire Winter event in Perth. A few artists may be painting live in the gallery. Stop by and ask them about their faraway travels — who knows, they may help you plan your next vacation or at least get you dreaming of one! The exhibit runs until March 15.

Maple Run Time!

Spring is just around the corner and the sap will soon be running — which means it’s almost time for the annual Pakenham Maple Run Tour of art, fine craft, local food and heritage. On April 4 and 5, the tour returns for the 18th year with exceptional artists and artisans in ten fascinating stops in and around the beautiful village of Pakenham.

Experience a huge variety of carefully curated creative expressions including painting, pottery, pewter, glass, jewellery, photography, weaving, soap-making, blacksmithing, paper arts, woodworking, artisanal food and so much more. New artists join the tour each year! Take a drive of discovery and take in spectacular spring scenery en route to experiencing the tour’s unique locations: heritage buildings, a craft brewery, a cidery, a one-room schoolhouse, a peaceful retreat overlooking the Mississippi River, and of course working studios. New this year, organizers are thrilled to announce they have added the beautifully renovated Pakenham Branch of the Mississippi Mills Public Library as a stop.

The Maple Run Tour coincides with Maple Weekend, so be sure to pick up locally produced maple products during your visit or include a stop at Fulton’s Sugar Bush and Pancake House. Tour brochures are widely distributed locally and regionally during the month of February, or you can find all the information you need at  mapleruntour.com

Lanark Life Learners Vernissage

On Saturday, February 8 from noon to 3pm, MERA is proud to welcome the Lanark Life Learners back to Dean Hall. The exhibition will run throughout February — please visit meraschoolhouse.org for directions and hours.

The Lanark Life Learners is a group of home learners from all over Lanark County who love learning through everyday experiences. They also love art! They encompass a wide age range, and their art represents an eclectic collection of media and styles. Works in this show will include sculpture, drawing, painting and mixed media. The pieces include both the abstract and the literal; many are based in nature, and most are full of fantasy and imagination. 

This group believes that art is a form of individual expression. Art is a universal language that people of all ages, interests and backgrounds can understand. It is a way of storytelling without using words. It can be therapeutic or just plain fun! Each artist in the group has a different personal inspiration and has had different artistic training, but they find common ground in their love for expressing themselves and experiencing life through art. MERA is located at 974 Conc 9A Dalhousie in McDonalds Corners.

Call for Participants

If you are a practicing artist or artisan interested in joining a dynamic tour, consider joining the popular Crown and Pumpkin for their 24th annual tour on Thanksgiving weekend in Almonte, Clayton and area. The 2019 tour was a resounding success as the public responded enthusiastically to the variety and quality of fine art, craft, food and drink.

Organizers like to keep the tour fresh with professional quality, innovative work. New kinds of three-dimensional art and craft will receive particular consideration. If this is your practice, they would like to see your creations. To apply, submit digital images of recent work and a brief biography. Work is judged on originality of expression, concept, and quality of execution. Applications open April 1 and the deadline for submissions is May 1. Send your application, including photos and a link to your website/Facebook page to  barbara.mullally@gmail.com . For more information, please call 256–3647.

 

In memoriam – Dr. Bill Buttle - theHumm February 2020

By Kris Riendeau

I honestly can’t remember when Bill Buttle first started contributing Artbeat cartoons to theHumm, but I think it was some time within our first year of publishing. So for the past two decades (give or take a year or two), his humorous take on the world of art and music has had pride of place here on page 2. On Sunday, January 19, Bill passed away peacefully in Arnprior at the age of 79, leaving behind grieving family and friends as well as legions of Artbeat fans throughout......

...more

Charles Spratt A Four-Decade Love Affair - theHumm February 2020

By Sally Hansen

Art… and Soul

It is a true gift to discover a passion that endures and rewards for the rest of your life. Charles Spratt is grateful that he has had forty years to enjoy what it took him forty years to realize — he is an artist.

Interviewing artists is always an adventure. When he ushered me into the basement of the tastefully appointed home he shares with his wife Pat in Stittsville, I was astonished. Spratt’s man cave is unusual and fabulous. I would like to return a......

...more

Thaw Out at Frozen Jr. in Carleton Place! - theHumm February 2020

By Linda Beiglee & Sherrie Seward, CoProducers

This enchanting modern classic from Disney is based on the 2018 Broadway musical, bringing Elsa, Anna and the magical land of Arendelle to life onstage.

A story of true love and acceptance between sisters, Frozen Jr. examines the emotional relationship between Princesses Anna and Elsa as they embark on a journey. When faced with danger, the two discover their hidden potential and the powerful bond of sisterhood. With a cast of beloved characters, and laden with magic, adventure and plenty of h......

...more

Hard Hitting Blues at Blues on the Rideau - theHumm February 2020

If you like your blues hard and heavy then you won’t want to miss the Bill Durst band at the Cove on February 21. Blues on the Rideau producer James Doran explains: “This will be Bill’s first visit to Westport, and I don’t know why it’s taken this long for us to get him here. I promise that anyone who loves Texas roadhouse-style blues (like ZZ Top) will really enjoy this band. This power trio blues rock is as good as it gets!”

Growing up in Wingham, Ontario, Bill was influenced by Mo......

...more

Almonte’s Seedy Saturday - theHumm February 2020

By David Hinks

The fifth annual Almonte Seedy Saturday will soon be here. That’s right — fifth year — what an amazing anniversary!

Seedy Saturday comes to the Almonte Civitan Club on Saturday, February 8 from 9am to 3pm. Once again there will be guest speakers all day on a wide variety of topics, more than forty artisan vendors and not-for-profits, door prizes, plenty of seed swapping, and homemade brunch from the Civitan canteen. Johvi Leeck, a young local entrepreneur and owner of t......

...more

Key for Two
Laugh the Winter Away at the Station Theatre
- theHumm February 2020

By Smiths Falls Community Theatre

February is the dreariest of months — if you aren’t a winter person. There’s snow, cold, wind… it seems to have been here forever and seems like it’s never going to end. You need a pick-me-up! A night to forget about it all and just submerse yourself in a whole lot of nonsense. That’s where the Station Theatre comes in. Our production of the traditional British farce Key for Two by John Chapman and Dave Freeman is sure to lighten your mood!

First-time director Linda Pipher has put together a g......

...more

Shift Happens: A Documentary Series
The Impact of Humans on Our Planetand What Can Be Done About It
- theHumm February 2020

Studio Theatre Perth, Biosphere Environmental Education, and Three Green Peas are pleased to announce a series of documentary films at the Studio Theatre in Perth.

Five award-winning environmental documentaries shown over five months will cover climate change and environmental challenges caused by human activity. One documentary from the series was presented in November 2019, and four more will be shown in February, March, April, and May of 2020. These films explore the dangers facing our......

...more

Family Time & Mid-Winter Milling! - theHumm February 2020

By Miss Mills

OK — we’re tired of being indoors already, so it must be time to head outside for some awesome activities and marvellous milling about. No problem — Mississippi Mills has you covered (or uncovered, as the case may be)!

Monday, February 17 is Family Day in Ontario, and there are many affordable (and free!) activities to enjoy close to home. In Almonte, Pakenham and area, you can enjoy free public skating, explore local history, have fun outdoors, eat pancakes or catch a screeni......

...more

Marion Bridge
Where Past and Present Jostle for Forgiveness
- theHumm February 2020

By Heddy Sorour

Studio Theatre Perth’s upcoming production promises a heart-warming evening of discovery. Marion Bridge by Daniel MacIvor is a humorous and touching story about the power of realization and how it heals more than it harms.

“It’s a drama, with lots of comic moments. They’re amusing characters and the language is amusing and clever and it just flows,” enthuses director Barb Guthrie.

The play is about three sisters in their thirties who congregate at their childhood “home” ......

...more

Eric Walker: Solo Exhibition in Almonte - theHumm February 2020

Artist Eric Walker has been creating his “painted constructions” — blurring the boundaries of painting, collage, and sculpture — for over three decades. Much of his work is linked to the history and culture of the Maritimes, combining elements of high art with more vernacular forms. Walker aims to call attention to collective history by focusing on a mix of commonplace subjects such as ships, trains, government buildings and cities seen from the ground ......

...more

The Postman Delivers - theHumm February 2020

By Sebastian Weetabix

But first, a word from Weetabix on analogies and terminology, since exactly what is delivered is of interest. “Il Postino” in Italian is, literally, the postman or letter carrier. Il Postino in A......

...more

The People Are Coming!The People Are Coming! - theHumm February 2020

By Glenda Jones

I feel like I’m living in that Ikea commercial — in a big flap because company is coming, important company who’ll be here for a few days, and who might be opening cupboards or looking under beds......

...more

Snow Angel Party - theHumm February 2020

By Sue Cressy

We are celebrating the Tenth Annual Snow Angel Making Party at Highlands Gate (4381 Wolf Grove Road in Lanark Highlands) on Sunday, February 16 from 1–4pm. It’s fun, it’s free, and it is fab......

...more

Library, After Dark
Featuring Jenny Whiteley & Joey Wright
- theHumm February 2020

By Heidi Taber Work

The Perth & District Union Public Library is preparing to use their space like never before. On Saturday, February 22 at 8pm, the library will be transformed into a live music venue for ......

...more

If You Heart Art… - theHumm February 2020

By Miss Cellaneous

Find Faraway Places… in Perth!

As the temperatures drop and we start to feel a little tired of lower light levels and icy pathways, our thoughts tend to travel to Fara......

...more

Indian Creek Orchard Gardens - theHumm February 2020

By David Hinks

“Five acres is not nearly enough”, opined Scott Sigurdson in a recent interview.

Scott is one-half of the dynamic duo that own Indian Creek Orchard Gardens near Pakenham. Scott and his life-......

...more

Church is Not aFour-Letter Word - theHumm February 2020

By Heather Atkinson

Three years ago, I “came out” to the former minister of the church where I sing in Pakenham. I had asked to meet with him, and I was very nervous. I had a big secret to share.

“Reverend,” I s......

...more

The Narrow Years and the Luxurious Years - theHumm February 2020

By Angie Arendt

It’s not much of an orchard as far as orchards go, I suppose. Rumour has it that back when roads around here were mostly dirt and people were still punching a time clock in the mills across the r......

...more

HFT Donuts’Vallentyne Bake - theHumm February 2020

When Ed and Doris Atwell first moved to Clayton, one of the first people they met was Gord Vallentyne. Gord’s brother Bill was often in the Clayton General Store, so they got to know him as well.......

...more

Embracing Winter in Smiths Falls - theHumm February 2020

By John Pigeau

You know, you never hear a ten-year-old say, “Man, I’m so over winter. This is bleak.” Nope, kids are a hearty lot. Playful, adventurous. When I was a kid, February was prime time road hockey sea......

...more

PDHS PresentsA Preview of Spring - theHumm February 2020

Spring will feel just around the corner when Carol Onion of Hillside Gardens treats us to what we might expect this growing season. At the Perth and District Horticultural Society (PDHS) meeting ......

...more

Come toMardi Gras
(Without Travelling Too Far!)
- theHumm February 2020

By Karen DeLuca

On February 22, the Arnprior Public Library, in collaboration with the Arnprior & District Food Bank, will be hosting a fundraising extravaganza sure to kick out those mid-winter doldrums.

......

...more

Choral Evensong in Perth - theHumm February 2020

The evenings are already getting lighter — a perfect opportunity to come to Choral Evensong at St. James the Apostle Anglican Church in Perth on Sunday, February 16. There will be a prelude ......

...more

Music of Life
River Resonance Chamber Choir
- theHumm February 2020

River Resonance Chamber Choir is a new addition to the Perth choral scene. This twenty-voice balanced choir, comprised of voices from across Lanark County, is led by Nicola Oddy and will perform ......

...more

The Girl, the Ash, the Plantation… and Wilding - theHumm February 2020

By Susie Osler

The Girl

She used to sing as she walked past and up the hill, to the rock where she would sit, looking back towards me, and I towards her. We grew up together. She’d w......

...more