annual art trek to Curve Lake and Buckhorn

This aft my friend Sylvia & I enjoyed our annual Buckhorn rural art gallery ramble, sans dogs for the first time. I gave Chase a long walk by the river before we left, & just returned a few mins ago from the late night version of the same trek. I met Sylvia by the Donutte Shoppe at the intersection of hwys #7 & 28 outside Pboro, & we headed up to the Whetung Gallery in Curve Lake. Then we drove thru Buckhorn to The Gallery on the Lake. Some interesting new stuff, but also a lot of pieces we've seen over the past 2+ decades.

 I really admire visual artists for putting so much energy into their work, often with such minimal appreciation. The Whetung Gallery was fairly busy as usual, but also as usual there were only a few other strays at The Gallery on the Lake. We capped the aft off with dinner on the patio by the Buckhorn locks. This may be our last annual art trek, as Sylvia plans to sell her TO house & return to TBay, where she was raised, next spring.




Whetung Gallery





Gallery on the Lake


The most striking pieces imho were 2 large Norval works, done on stretched hide and laced to a wooden frame - the effect was far more visceral than seeing his work framed in the trad style, & I'd never seen his work displayed this way before. It was a tad ironic that these two works were hanging in the Gallery on the Lake rather than at Whetung  ;  ) 


I sold ZenRiver Gardens a few weeks ago. It sold within a week - I got the same agent who had finally managed to sell Warren & Rose's place. All the mowing had become more of a chore than a pleasant stewardship task. I've owned ZRG for exactly a decade, & the timing just feels right to pass it on to a new gardener, esp. as last year was the end of the Marmora PurdyFests (#8). The woman who bought it wants to keep the 'magick garden' tradition alive, altho she's not as keen on the Buddhist aspect.

El Rancho finally reopened after being completely rebuilt after the fire over a year ago. On Sunday 2 weeks ago some of the old gang got together for the first time in a while, including Jim, Morley, Gail, John Hamley, & even Warren & Rose. The food was as good & cheap as ever, but they're a little chintzy with the portions now.

Best wishes for a successful show ;  ) I miss my regular visits to TO - Sylvia & I visited the AGO at least once a year on our visits.