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Friday, October 13, 2000 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER 31 An Oakville Beaver Feature A rts & Entertainment Editor: C A R O L B A LD W IN , 845-3824 (Ext. 254) Fax: 337-5567; E-mail: baldwin@haltonsearch.com Nature's Nature as seen through the eyes of local artist B y K a th y Yanchus SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER Like turkey and dressing, Don M orrison's Thanksgiving art show at Sovereign House has become tradition. This year is no exception, and although the holiday is behind us, there is still the opportunity to catch up with the artist and peek into his past year. "It reflects what I have done in the last year. I've done quite a bit o f traveling three canoe and camping trips, one major trip to Ireland. I've done winter scenes, working out of doors." Being amid creatures and plants and wandering back roads which sweep through some of this province's most majestic landscapes, inspire Morrison, no matter what the season. Once a year he shares those `snapshots' of the land with the public in a joint exhi bition with friend and fellow painter, Rod Collard. W hether it's 6:30 a.m. or -10°C Morrison never misses a chance to record nature; the pages o f his small black journal are cluttered with sketches and notes. Even as he strung his miniature watercolours together on the bare walls o f the pioneer home, set on the beautiful Bronte bluffs, he propped up his easel on the grass out side. Bundled up in a cable sweater, his long undisciplined white hair and beard a buffer against the nippy air, he sketched. An avid camper, two o f M orrison's favorite getaways with wife Carol and daughters Sarah and Shelley are Killarney and Algonquin. "I also love the area north o f Belleville and Kingston, Canadian Shield country." What makes him stop to sketch a partic ular bam or rickety old fence, or untouched landscape, he can't say for certain. "It's a feeling. It's the light, it's a curiosity," he says. The way the light reflects off noble, snow-covered pines late in the afternoon, or land enveloped in the soft, misty light of Photo by Barrie Erskine "You can't see the artist for the trees," quips Oakville artist Don Morrison as he does his "nature painting" outside Sovereign House. He and colleague Rod Collard will officially open their exhibition at Sovereign House this weekend. the early morning, intrigues him. For example, he says, his portrait of a tidy, twostorey barn with sectioned windows, was a sight worth capturing because he wondered why such windows were needed. His easy harmony with nature comes naturally to the recently retired Halton teacher, particularly when there are no dis tractions, like the time spent in an isolated cottage without power or heat. `Traveling takes you away from the daily grind and slows you down." M orrison has been recording his nature journal for more than 30 years, his words gradually evolving into sketches and paintings. "It's all based on producing a nature journal, a record o f observations for my own use," he explains. It might have been a soaring hawk, or the first trillium blossom, perhaps the nest ing of mourning doves which prompted him to jot down moments in time. "I see these things and write them down. If there's a plant I can't identify, I write it down. This led to art. As my jour nals became more proficient, sketches became more art than words." (Morrison will conduct a workshop on maintaining a nature journal at Kortwright Conservation Authority in May which he feels would be of interest to naturalists and trav eler^- anyone interested in the `art of observation') Although he works outdoors "a lot" he doesn't limit himself to nature. He also gleans ideas from poetry and is a member of The Visual Word, a group of artists and poets who feed off one another's creative juices. It wasn't until four years ago, when on a canoe trip with Collard, that the idea for a joint show surfaced. Although their show opened last week end, the official opening reception will be held at Sovereign House tomorrow between 2 and 4 p.m. I On Sunday, the Bronte Historical Society will celebrate Trafalgar Day in the house at 7 West River St. from 1 to 4 p.m. A cup of tea or cider, with rum cake, will be served up with the art work of Collard and Morrison. Admission is free. It's like a petting zoo for grow n u p s. Come meet The New C at Burrows Clothiers on Lakeshore, from October 13 to 15. www.allnewC.com MercedesBenz T h e F u tu re o f th e A u to m o b ile |