Spring Walk - North Burlington

Brick Books Celebrates 40 Years of Canadian Poetry

The esteemed Brick Books (of London Ontario) is celebrating 40 years of poetry publications. (No easy feat in Canada's publishing climate...). To commemorate this noteworthy event they have developed a retrospective overview of living (and dead) poets who have been re-interpreted by keen readers - and listeners - of poetry.

I am delighted to say I've been profiled in Week 13 of this wonderful project. The ever-gracious Dr. Carol Soucek King, a former fine furniture design colleague, and friend, has profiled several of my earlier poems in her engaging and flattering tribute. 

Sample words by Carol follows: 'I had written some decades ago about the expertly crafted warmth, charm and wit that Lindsay brought into her award-winning furniture designs. These qualities are so deeply inherent in her Self that it should be expected that they would be cornerstones for everything else she does, especially those items produced by her writing hand.'

It is an honor - and a privilege - to be represented amongst such august poetic Canadians.

Dundas Valley: Spring 2015

Back to painting. Did a little 'study' that I then transformed into a much larger painting (6'x4') of the view from on top of the Escarpment overlooking the Dundas Valley. Oddly, I'm liking the study better, even though it is on a wrinkled canvas with obvious slap-dash errors. Strange how that happens sometimes ... Still, at the end of the day, I paint for YOU to enjoy. Hope you like this most recent effort.
If interested in purchase, please get in touch. Cheers, mlh

'Study' Dundas Valley, Spring 2015 by m.l.holton - acrylic on loose canvas

Dundas Valley: Spring 2015 - acrylic on canvas - by m.l.holton

and then, just for fun ... 

another piece that emerged from a deep & peaceful dream from not too long ago ...

.... must be Spring ... those colours & the light :)

Greater Hamilton Music Directory LAUNCH - March 11th, 2015

Glad to be one of 97 funding-supporters behind the

Greater Hamilton Music Directory, 

brain child of music teacher & musician, Glen Brown.

I've got a little advert in the directory
for my last summer CD release, Summer Haze

( MLH plays a century-old Canadian-made Bell Upright. 

Originally recorded 30 years ago ... transferred to CD last year: Lotsa Fun!)

Glen has worked tirelessly to get this directory out in time for the JUNOS, 

hosted this year, in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. - Look for it. 

It's chock-a-block full of local talent, musical gear, editorials & jammin' activities. 

LAUNCH of 'Greater Hamilton Music Directory'
happening at HOMEGROWN HAMILTON (map link)

Wednesday night, March 11th, 5:30pm onwards .... 

27 King William Street, downtown, in the Hammer.
Get yer printed copy there! 
 

Excerpt from on-line edition - Summer Haze advert.

'Artists of Halton&Peel' at Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre

Thrilled to have one of my paintings selected for the inaugural juried show

'Artists of Halton & Peel Counties' Exhibit

at the Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre

 Opening Reception: Sunday, March 15th, 2-5pm

Showing until April 19th, 2015 

Where? - 1086 Burnhamthorpe Road, North Oakville, Halton County

Great vibe in this lovely facility, with a very groovy renovated barn 'space'. The centre includes twelve acres at the headwaters of Sixteen Mile Creek, North Oakville, in Halton County. Jurors for this show included: Dick Rampen, a multifaceted artist with over 25 years teaching as an OCAD professor, and Shirley Erskine, a highly renowned & respected artist, and teacher/resident at Joshua Creek Studios.

All welcome to the reception on Sunday, March 15th, 2-5pm -

or drop by during the week from Tuesday to Sunday, 1-4pm.

Otherwise, by appointment only. Call ahead.

See you there!  

(p.s I have to split a bit early, at 3:30-ish on Sunday)

Update, March 16th: GREAT OPENING! Great turnout for this show!

 with Founder of Joshua Creek Heritage Art Centre, Sybil Rampen, front & centre :)
(in front of my painting - 'Spring Creek'.)

 ... and spring oozing everywhere. It's just around the corner. 
Saw flocks of geese landing in thawing corn fields ... a welcoming sight.

UPDATE: Exhibit extended until May 2nd. 
Get up there if you can!

 

Sugaring Off at Westfield Heritage Village

I just love this time of year ... the sun is slowly warming up everything ...

 

 There's nothing more indicative of spring then the rising of tree sap ...

This hardy trio is tapping 160 maple trees at Westfield Heritage Village over the next few weeks. 

The syrup fest runs on March 15, 22, & 29, Good Friday April 3 and Easter Sunday, April 5, as well as Wednesday, March 18 and Thursday, March 19 during March Break.  All are welcome.

WATCH - Sugaring OFF! - via VIDEO LINK

One maple tree produces about 1 litre of pure maple syrup after the sap is boiled down.

'Tapping' is a native tradition, adopted by the French, then the English. Examples of that evolution are re-enacted all around the village by enthusiastic volunteers who play-out our colonial history. The wafting smells of wood smoke and boiling sap are a intoxicating combination when walking from display to display.

 Log cabin mistress tends a cooking fire at Westfield Heritage Village, March 2015. 

The19th century schoolhouse. No computers or cellphones needed for education back then ...

Main means of transportation before rail or auto

If going, be sure to wear good water-tight boots. The snow is melting fast, and it gets muddy. 

 Westfield Heritage Village is near Rockton, Ontario, about 40 minutes from downtown Hamilton, by car.  

For more information, including maps & entrance fees, link to Westfield Heritage Village.

Now published on Raise the Hammer

Front Cover of Silver & Gold SPRING 2015 edition

'Lilacs over Stone Post' by mlh

SILVER & GOLD is an adult (45+) lifestyle magazine 

for the Golden Horseshoe Region of Southern Ontario, Canada

-  (on-line circulation of 10,000; print circulation of 40,000) -

Spring Edition 2015 - front cover photography by yours truly

34th Annual Spring Orchid Show & Art Exhibit @RBG

Up for TWO DAYS ONLY - Don't Miss It! 

Saturday, Feb. 28th - 12 noon to 5pm  

& Sunday, March 1st, 10am-5pm 

at the Royal Botanical Gardens, 

hosted by the Orchid Society of the RBG.  

Regular RBG Admission with $3 off for seniors.

I will be offering up my zany triptych, 'Orchids', as seen above. 

It's a crazy jam-packed orchid fair for garden & art loving enthusiasts.

All welcome. See you there! 
 ---
p.s I covered this show a few years ago. 
Did a little slide show ... 

God, the Unknown, Skeptics & Dying

Sometimes you stumble on something on the net that just rings so true, you must share. This is one such occasion. This story first appeared on Facebook several days ago, under a friend's timeline. I'm not sure who wrote it, or where it even originated. But, without a doubt, it is one of the BEST 'stories' I've ever heard about 'God, the Unknown, Skeptics & Dying'. I'd like to credit the original author, but, seriously, I have no clue who that is. If you know, please post in the comments below. Otherwise, enjoy & pass it on ... It's wise and witty. :)

"In a mother’s womb were two babies. One asked the other: “Do you believe in life after delivery?” 

The other replied, “Why, of course. There has to be something after delivery. Maybe we are here to prepare ourselves for what we will be later.”

“Nonsense” said the first. “There is no life after delivery. What kind of life would that be?”

The second said, “I don’t know, but there will be more light than here. Maybe we will walk with our legs and eat from our mouths. Maybe we will have other senses that we can’t understand now.”

The first replied, “That is absurd. Walking is impossible. And eating with our mouths? Ridiculous! The umbilical cord supplies nutrition and everything we need. But the umbilical cord is so short. Life after delivery is to be logically excluded.”

The second insisted, “Well I think there is something and maybe it’s different than it is here. Maybe we won’t need this physical cord anymore.”

The first replied, “Nonsense. And moreover if there is life, then why has no one has ever come back from there? Delivery is the end of life, and in the after-delivery there is nothing but darkness and silence and oblivion. It takes us nowhere.”

“Well, I don’t know,” said the second, “but certainly we will meet Mother and she will take care of us.”

The first replied “Mother? You actually believe in Mother? That’s laughable. If Mother exists then where is She now?”

The second said, “She is all around us. We are surrounded by her. We are of Her. It is in Her that we live. Without Her this world would not and could not exist.”

Said the first: “Well I don’t see Her, so it is only logical that She doesn’t exist.”

To which the second replied, “Sometimes, when you’re in silence and you focus and you really listen, you can perceive Her presence, and you can hear Her loving voice, calling down from above." 

Great eh?
Update: Source: Originally written in Hungarian by Útmutató a Léleknek, translated by Miranda Linda Weisz

The Freelton Antique Mall: Eclectic, Exquisite & Eccentric

Sample of 5'x8' Booth at the Freelton Antique Mall

The 'mall' is a buzzing beehive filled with magnificent & mundane bounty ... 

Well worth a visit to Freelton, Ontario. The adjacent 'Thai' cafe is e-e-eccentric too!

Check out my latest review (with a walk-about video) in Raise the Hammer.

Chief Joseph Brant: The Man, The Myth.

I have, for some time, been interested in the life and times of Chief Joseph Brant. He was, without question, a colourful and controversial figure caught up in the crush of the cultural evolution that swept over the North American continent during the end of the 18th century.

My portrait of him is an imaginative interpretation of him as a young man, based on prior 'formal' and 'informal'  euro-portraits done of him later in life. (Note: He lived long before photography, as a documentary device, emerged.) All we have today are other artistic interpretations of him. Mostly he was painted as an emissary for his people, though, in fact, he had little hereditary stature within the then small Mohawk nation. The 'Chief' designation came as a 'war' appellation, later in life.

I've now added my own portrait of Chief Joseph Brant to the well-known portrait pantheon of the man, created by George Romney, Gilbert Stuart, William Anderson, Charles Wilson Peale, Ezra Ames etc.

Who was Chief Joseph Brant?*

Chief Joseph Brant (b.1743-d.1807) - aka Thayendanegea ("he who places two bets") - was a prominent Mohawk politician and warrior during the American and British Revolution in North America.

Joseph became a 'Brant' when his mother (of the matri-lineal Mohawk Wolf Clan) married for a second time to Brant, a well known Mohawk leader. "Her new husband's family had deep ties with the British; his grandfather was one of the Four Mohawk Kings to visit England in 1710." (Wikipedia) Joseph's half-sister, Molly, soon established a common-law relationship with Sir William Johnson, the influential and wealthy British Superintendent for Northern Indian Affairs. Sir William was fluent in the language of Mohawk and was greatly involved with the development of 'British-Indian' relations over the course of his lifetime. Joseph moved in with them at Johnson Hall, and William soon took on the responsibility of educating Joseph to, what would become, the 'New World'.

It is interesting to note, that, by the time of his death, Johnson was one of the largest landowners in British America, (170,000 acres), and one of it's largest Northern slave owners (60 Afro-Americans and numerous indentured Irish families worked his lands and mills.) 

Sir William Johnson was also a strong supporter of the British Anglican Church to counter the influence of French Catholic missionaries in western New York. By so doing, he consolidated both Iroquois and British territorial and growing commercial interests against the rival Algonquin and invested French interests.

In 1769 Sir William Johnson paid for the construction of an Anglican church for the Mohawk on land donated by Molly Brant. He is known to have had 8 children with her, as well as numerous other children by other women. (Not particularly 'uncommon behaviour' for that era.)

Joseph watched this powerful man of influence and learned how to 'operate'  ...

Starting around age 18, Brant took part with Mohawk and other Iroquois allies in a number of British actions against the French in what is now upper New York state and Canada.

In the spring of 1772, at 29 years of age, Brant went to Fort Hunterto stay with the Reverend John Stuart. He became Stuart's interpreter and teacher of Mohawk, collaborating with him to translate the Anglican catechism and the Gospel of Mark into the Mohawk language. Brant was, seemingly, a devout Anglican.

He married three times: Peggy, who died of tuberculosis, (and had two sons, including Isaac who he later killed, in 'self defense'), Suzanna (died in 1777, with no issue) and Catherine Adonwentishon Croghan, who he married in the winter of 1780. She was the daughter of Catharine (Tekarihoga), a Mohawk, and George Croghan, a prominent Irish colonist and British Indian agent, deputy to Sir William Johnson. She and Joseph had seven children.

On November 11, 1775, Guy Johnson (nephew of Sir William) took Brant, aged 32, with him to London to solicit more support from the British government. Brant hoped to persuade the Crown to address past Mohawk land grievances in exchange for their participation as allies in the impending revolutionary war. The British government promised the Iroquois people land in Quebec if the combined Iroquois nations would fight on the British side in what was shaping up as open rebellion by the American colonists. In London, Brant was treated as a celebrity and was interviewed for publication by James Boswell.  His portrait was painted (twice) by famed portrait painter, George Romney, and later, by other notable portrait artists. He was received by King George III at St. James' Palace. Life was good.

Meanwhile, the existing council of the Six Nations had previously decided on a policy of neutrality between the warring North American euro-factions. They considered Brant a minor war chief and his Mohawk clan a relatively weak people. Frustrated, Brant recruited insurgents who would become known as 'Brant's Volunteers'. In essence, these fighters were a mixed band of marauders who raided frontier communities, stealing cattle, livestock & crops, and burned homesteads, killing many 'enemies' ...

In July 1777 the Six Nations council decided to abandon neutrality and entered the war on the British side. Brant soon acquired a reputation as 'Monster Brant' for his lack of restraint in military actions. That nickname was built, it seems, on unsubstantiated rumor, but stuck. During his assorted military escapades, he was wounded twice, once in the ankle, and once in the leg.

In May, 1779, Brant returned to Fort Niagara where, with his new British salary and plunder from his raids, he acquired a farm on the Niagara River, six miles from the fort. To work the farm and to serve the household, he used slaves captured during his raids. Brant also bought two slave girls, a seven-year-old African-American girl named Sophia Burthen Pooley & her sister. They served him and his family for many years before he sold Sophia to an Englishman in Ancaster for $100. (It appears that Sophia and his wife, Catherine, didn't get along that well ...)

He, like Sir William Johnson before him, built a small Anglican chapel for the Indians who lived nearby.

With the Treaty of Paris (1783), both Britain and the United States ended their conflict. Both countries studiously ignored any prior land sovereignty issue with the Indians.  Brant was disgusted by this betrayal and became instrumental in the establishment of the Western Confederacy (of 15 tribes), that attempted to regain sovereign control of former native lands. The long and the short of it, they did not succeed.

Brant, however, was 'honoured' in 1784 by then Upper Canadian Governor, Haldimand, with a pension and a proclaimed land grant for a Mohawk reserve on the Grand River in present day Ontario. Later that year, the clan matrons decided that the Six Nations should divide, with half going to the Haldimand grant and the other half staying in upstate New York. 

With his secured funds, Joseph built a new house in Brant's Town which was described as "a handsome two story house, built after the manner of the white people." Therein, he managed 20 white and black servants and slaves. (Brant believed Anglo Governments made too much over the keeping of slaves.  Captives of war were long used as servants in Indian practice.) He developed a good farm of mixed crops and also kept cattle, sheep, and hogs.

In 1792, the American government invited Brant to Philadelphia, then capital of the United States, where he met President George Washington and his cabinet. The Americans offered him a large pension, and tried to lure back the Mohawks, with a reservation in upstate New York.

In early 1797, Brant traveled again to Philadelphia to assured the Americans that he "would never again take up the tomahawk against the United States." Brant actually offered his band of 'volunteers' to the French to  "overturn the British government in the province."  ...

He eventually secured 3,500 acres from the Mississauga Indians at the head of Burlington Bay. (By then, Upper Canada's Lieutenant Governor, John Graves Simcoe, would not allow land sales between Indians, so he bought this tract of land from the Mississauga and gave it to Brant.) Around 1802, Brant moved there and built a mansion that was intended to be a half-scale version of Johnson Hall. He is known to have had a prosperous farm, in the colonial style, with a 100 acres of crops.

Joseph Brant died in this house at the head of Lake Ontario (site of what would become the city of Burlington, Ontario) on November 24, 1807 at age 64 after a short illness.

His last words, reputedly spoken to his adopted nephew, John Norton, reflect his lifelong commitment to his people: "Have pity on the poor Indians. If you have any influence with the great, endeavour to use it for their good."  In 1850, his remains were carried 34 miles in relays on the shoulders of young men of the Grand River Indian Reserve to a tomb at Her Majesty's Chapel of the Mohawks in Brantford, Ontario.

In summation, Brant clearly acted as a wily negotiator for the Six Nations. He used British fears of his dealings with the Americans & the French to extract concessions, and to self-profit. His conflicts with British administrators in Canada regarding tribal land claims were later exacerbated by his renewed relations with American leaders. Yet, even so, the Brits allowed him to settle handsomely in Upper Canada, off reserve.

Brant was a war chief, not a hereditary Mohawk chief or sachem. His decisions could and were at times overruled by the assembled sachems and clan matrons. However, his natural ability, his early education, and, the connections he was able to form, made him one of the most influential Indian leaders of his time.

His lifelong mission was to help the Indian survive the transition from one culture to another, transcending the political, social and economic challenges of one of the most volatile, dynamic periods of North American history. 

* Facts extracted from Archives of Canada and  Wikipedia   

UPDATE, June 2021: Have just stumbled on an in-depth analysis of Brant's land-grant negotiations and war-time escapades. Dive deeper here >  http://www.biographi.ca/en/bio/thayendanegea_5E.html

NB: There are ample on-line resources to further expand your knowledge of this intriguing man ...

In other news ... and a curious bit of timing ...
The City of Burlington unveils a new heritage plaque this week ...

For an interesting general history about Burlington, go here> http://www.eureka4you.com/burlington/history-history.htm
There's an curious piece of trivia on that site about the living tree that Brant used as a marker to walk off the boundaries of his land grant.

Winter Wrap-Up for 2014.

Well, the weather is weird. First off, there is no snow. Not even a bit. No ice. No bracing refreshing COLD.

Still, the Earth Turns, and we're about to embark on another oblong cycle around the Sun.
Brace yourself.

Over a two day period, the landscape changed from this ...

to this ... 

with not a speck of snow in sight. 

Happy New Year Everyone. 

Catch up again soon - mlh

p.s. And here's my final painting for 2014 ...

 Inspired by a friend, HHD. Thanks Holly!

Northern Lights - via NASA

Stumbled on this amazing shot of the Northern Lights, via NASA recently. It kind of sums it all up, for me.
We really do live on the most amazing and enchanting planet ... It is a blessing - regardless of whatever 'god' you subscribe to ... Merry Christmas Everyone.  - Have a wonderfully festive and thanksgiving 'break' with dear family & friends. - We'll catch up again in the New Year.  - ho ho ;)

Signature Poem from 'Bush Chord', e-poetry book of 2006 ...

 

Bush Chord

Available in Bush Chord, 79 page poetry & pinhole e-book

pine poplar willow and punk wood
spit and spark
while bone hard elm birch apple and oak
hum harmonious
fine hard woods - good wood to burn
these wonder instruments pressure whistle
chattering, cheering, cackling
crackling within a hesitant cyclone of light
flickering flames
of sublime delight, warming slow, they give us life

parse this minor miracle of mega bio-physics
of holy fire drawn down
from primal sun
through leaves to rugged root shoots far flung
look here now
to this instant, brilliant burn
an intense unrehearsed liquid fire –
a sound symphony of sun struck lyres
complete and sacred
a rare but common gift

the honey musk smell of jumbled bush wood
burns deep into primal memory
     (remember those crisp sun-filled fall days
     of cutting, gathering, splitting, stacking,
     carrying, piling, drying, and cursing
     those back breaking loads?)

to get to this
this calm clear moment
listen

listen
to these bush chords
please

Canadian Authors Association Holiday Social Event

7:30pm - 9pm 

Monday, December 15th, 2014

Canadian Authors Association

at

The Nathanial Hughson Art Gallery

27 John Street North (map)

Hamilton

I'll be there ... bells on ... 

'Tis the Season & all that ...

 Fractal Star Ornament by MLH

Christmas, the approximated birth date of Jesus Christ, is one of the pivotal celebrations within the Christian calendar. It has become, as most know, increasingly smothered by commercialization. Frenzied families now accumulate 'stuff' to ornament their homes, their trees and fill their tummies.

There is nothing 'wrong' with celebrating Life's bounty with friends and family. 
It can be - and most often is - a wonderful joyful time of laughter and good cheer. 

But, increasingly, it is important - very important - not to overlook the larger issues that face our continued survival on this planet.

To that end, this year, in lieu of cards and extended gifts, I have made a sizable donation to an organization that I believe is doing GOOD WORK, work that is helping humanity move forward towards a more sustainable existence on Planet Earth - The Council of Canadians. 

Maude Barlow, an active champion and spokeswoman for this organization (amongst other things) continuously draws our attention to the Right of freshwater for all inhabitants. She is mighty opposed to Big Business, in collusion with governments, from diminishing or removing that Right.

I agree with her. Water, like AIR, is a fundamental Life-giving Necessity. As planet caretakers, we must, and can, do better. Please watch this documentary to further understand what really is at stake here. -  'Blue Gold: World Water Wars'.

Then, kindly consider a purchase of one of my decorative Fractal Christmas Ornaments to brighten your festive family celebration this year. - For every purchase made, I pledge to donate 50%  to The Council of Canadians so that they can continue to do what they do best.

Thank you for helping me - so that I may help them - help all of us.

Merry Christmas to One & All - 
Ho Ho :)

Nice bit of press ....

Lovely gentle story by Jeff Mahoney in The Hamilton Spectator today about my studio -

The complex beauty of living on the Beach

Photo credit: Cathie Coward,The Hamilton Spectator

New Fall Painting 2 (Acrylic): Milkweed

A blast of winter has just descended, but not before I managed to finish this final fall painting for 2014 - Milkweed. Monarch butterflies are in desperate need of these 'weeds' for nourishment and protection. When consumed, the milkweed wards off predators with a toxic combo that makes them ill. Nature's checks & balances are amazing in that way ...  

Milkweed - Acrylic on canvas, approximately 36" square - by m.l.holton

If interested in price or purchase, please contact the artist.

New Painting (Acrylic), Fall 2014

Purple Aster Preliminary under-painting

 One of the things I LOVE to do in the fall is WALK. 

The colours and the massive change in the natural world is always such a pleasure to behold. 

This year, while strolling back country, I came across this massive patch of 'purple aster'. 

Most people call them 'weeds', but I think the add immensely to the changing landscape ... 

The image above is the 'first pass', in acrylic, 

with the INTENT to 'zap' it a la MLH as seen below.

What do you think? Yes/No? Size is about 38" square.

... just a common weed ... by m.l.holton

I'm going to take another pass at milkweeds on the lakefront soon.

Will post when done. 

Constructive comments always welcome .. :)

A few thoughts on #PaintingHamilton now showing @ The Art Gallery of Hamilton

BIG canvas' from Charles Meanwell

In truth, I was expecting A LOT more 'piss & vinegar' then what was shown at the Opening last Sunday.

As I was wondering around, LOOKING, I kept trying to find the word that best summed up the benign 'neutrality' of the show. The word that bubbled up from the nether regions was 'Exact'. 

It, the exhibition, is - EXACT. 

Cumulatively, the melange and cross-pollination of visuals created a kind of Tarty Rigidness. 

There was little there that made me air-suck with delight or WHOOP! in appreciation.  

Still, the PRECISION of the whole exhibit did please, in a visceral kind of way ... Though, overall, it did not feel very much like the Hamilton most know. 

Perhaps that was the point in whole, or in part. 

From the liner notes for the exhibit: 
Hamilton has a very rich artists’ scene, and a great number of brilliant painters. On the occasion of the AGH centennial, this exhibition features ten artists from the Greater Hamilton area, many of whom are not well-known, showcasing the diverse subject matter, techniques and materials that are of the moment in contemporary painting practices. Direct from the artist’s studios and local private collections, the exhibition includes over thirty works in landscape, portraiture and abstraction. From lush oil paintings to a sculptural installation, the range of media, form and scale is intriguing. However the psychological weight of the subject matter prevails, as it is activated by the materials. Whether an intimate portrayal of a model, or an intuitive and gestural expression of the environment, the pieces are captivating, powerful, and impressive for their ability to engage the viewer on a subconscious level.

The exhibition title is 'Painting Hamilton'. The works displayed certainly seemed to contrast to the dominate and prevailing  'Ambitious Hamilton' sentiment.  Almost, at times, the items appear as art-school intrusions into an industrial place. And they seem, though often maturely executed, overly 'young' in subject matter. Little is political. Most are 'safe' art subjects. 
 
Is THAT the Hamilton most artists' living and working in this re-surging re-energized locale know and articulate? - Didn't seem so to me.  

Still, the exhibit is an useful insight into what the current curatorial staff consider 'of note' "in contemporary painting practices". That perception alone reflects what they might like Hamilton Painters to become - "on a subconscious level."

Question is: will this CARRY long term? Will this exhibition assist to DEFINE a uniquely maturing Hamilton Perspective on a national and global stage? Personally, I doubt it. There is just not quite enough of the 'rough & tumble' of Hamilton, past or present. 

Don't take my word for it,  check it out or yourself. 

Featured talented artists are Jennifer Carvalho, Catherine Gibbon, David Hucal, Daniel Hutchinson, Charles Meanwell, Matthew Schofield, Christina Sealey, Beth Stuart, Lorne Toews and Manny Trinh.  (... And no, I hadn't heard of most of them either ... )

With  the passing of the Executive Torch by the incomparable and elegant Louise Dompierre as CEO and President of the Art Gallery of Hamilton, we can soon expect a NEW ERA from - and for - the AGH.  It will be curious to see what 'brand' incoming Shelley Falconer will concoct for the Next Generation of attendees for this venerable institution, now 100 years young.  

Jennifer Carvalho  with one of her paintings in 'Painting Hamilton'

Afterthought:  Here is how Amy Kenny of The Hamilton Spectator weighed in ... 
... Much more emphasis on the curator, then the artists. And so it goes ... 

Worth keeping in mind is that Hamilton City Council ratified a 30 million dollar fundraising 
initiative for the Gallery, effective of late 2013. That means a WHOLE NEW look & feel, by 2019 ...  

Update: Stephanie Vegh, of the Hamilton Arts Council, also weighs in on the Exhibit ... 
...  afraid I have no comment on that, except to share ...