Exhibit 18 - 'Art in the Workplace', McMaster Innovation Park, Hamilton

'Dory', acrylic on canvas - by mlholton - 2015

'Art in the Workplace' 

 Exhibition Opening 

Date: Thursday, August 6th, Time: 7-9 pm. 

Place: McMaster Innovation Park, Atrium

Live music, free horsey d-overs, 

cash bar - and of course, LOTS of fabulous art!* 

EXHIBIT RUNS FOR THE SUMMER.

Don't Miss It!

'SAIL PAST' by mlholton -  2015

* Note. The painting that I will have in this above show is 'Woodland Deer'. I've posted that around the 'web' a couple of times, so rather then 'repeat', I'm posting two newer works. If interested in either, please contact the artist for sizes & prices. nb: 'Dory' has NOT been stretched or framed yet.

McMaster Innovation Park

Address: 175 Longwood Road South, Hamilton, ON

Phone:(905) 667-5500

UPDATE:  Great Opening. Lots of Fabulous Work. Here are a few shots of what caught my eye (sorry, didn't take note of artists on route. Plus one shot of yours truly beside my work - eyes closed - NATURALLY. Ha!) 

MIP August to November, 2015 

 

Atrium of MIP - MLH with her piece, 'Woodland Deer'

 

MIP artworks  - with crowd shot of those in attendence

Winona Escarpment View

Winona Escarpment View by mlholton - Acrylic on Canvas 

Thank you for your on-going support and interest in my work! 
Copies of TRILLIUM will be shipped out in the first week of December.
To return to the fall 2018 mailer - link here.

WORLDS SMALLEST FILM FESTIVAL at NIFF, June 18th-21st

The 'Worlds Smallest Film Festival' challenge was to shoot an ultra short film ( less then 3 minutes) using a smart-phone or tablet. My ultra short 'stop motion' film, (52 seconds) was shot on an iPod in the spring of 2015. - The 'theme challenge' this year was WATER. So, guess what I did??

***PLEASE***

WATCH & 'LIKE' - my light-hearted mini film - 

 > SUGARING OFF!<

Sugaring Off -Video Still  by M.L.Holton

NIFF FESTIVAL DATES: : June 18-21, 2015. 
Expect a unique culinary & film adventure with exquisite food, phenomenal films, and stellar wines all in the heart of Niagara. The Niagara Integrated Film Festival (NIFF) is an unforgettable adventure in great food and phenomenal film taking place at all the top wineries in breathtaking Niagara Region.

Consider one of the four event 'packages': -

GALA - Experience a Hollywood premiere-style affair. The Opening Night Gala will take place at Peller Estates with a seasonally designed plated dinner and delightfully paired wines to kick off your NIFF experience. Fri-Sun night Galas will take place at Jackson-Triggs Winery with spectacular chef-attended food stations spanning the property. We'll have red carpets and talent to introduce the films and provide an interactive audience Q&A. Finish the night off at the complimentary after-party with a glass of wine!

FILMALICIOUS - It's dinner and a movie at its finest! Hosted at some of the most splendid wineries across Niagara-on-the-Lake and Twenty Valley, during this sensory experience guests will enjoy a sumptuous dinner paired with award-winning Niagara wines selected specially by the winemaker.

FILM FEAST - Film Feast shines the spotlight on the very best of food, film, and wine -- all combined to create a unique afternoon in the vineyards. Leave the tour behind and take a guided bus tour to some of Niagara's remarkable wineries. At each winery, guests sample a flight of vintages accompanied by exquisitely prepared hors d'oeuvres. What makes Film Feast unlike anything else is that at each winery you will enjoy the amazing short films selected from Canada's Not Short on Talent, a program imported express from the Cannes Film Festival.

SPOTLIGHT SERIES - Spotlight Series takes place at the Pen Centre in St Catharines and at the historic Seneca Queen Theatre in downtown Niagara Falls. The Spotlight Series Weekend Pass is your best bet to see as many films as you can from Thursday to Sunday for one low price!
 

For TICKETS & MORE INFO - 

Phone 289-438-1695
http://www.niagarafilmfest.com/

Learn more about NIFF: 
Bill Marshall (Founder & Chair Emeritus of TIFF) & Sar Ruda (Producer at Corsair Entertainment Corp) head up the Founders & Board of Directors -  https://niagarafilmfest.com/about-us/#founders

Individual Tickets - Schedule of Galas & Special Events - https://niagarafilmfest.com/buy-tickets/

Line up of the Main Festival 2015 FILMS - https://niagarafilmfest.com/2015-films/ 

OFFA-Oakville Festivals of Film & Art: June 26-28th

   June 26th -28th

WITH a PHOTO FOCUS    

--- See: UP COMING  FILM LIST.

And, JOIN US at the GALA - Saturday, June 27 at 8pm

Photo Art Fête is an exclusive celebration for VIP OFFA supporters to meet, hear, and celebrate the works of curated local and international photographers. This portion of OFFA 2015 is what sets us apart from any other film festival in the region. But more importantly it follows OFFA’s mission to “Breath new life into the Oakville Community.”

Photo Art Fête begins Saturday June 27th at 8pm with drinks and hors d’oeuvres. The night continues with live art, live music and live performances throughout before a riveting discussion with a few of the 16 featured artists - including yours truly :)  I will speak about my evolving photo-collages, and about a new MLH film project in the works .... 

Finally, the first ever Oakville Festivals of Film & Art’s People Choice Award: Best Photograph will be presented preceding a great night of socializing and fêting. The event will be hosted by SavvyArt Market, one of Oakville’s leading art distributors.

If you are on Instagram, you can vote, if you like, (and I would appreciate it if you did!) for either one of my two favourite photos collages in the exhibit: 'Wolf Eye' - here, or  'Apple Sleeping' here

PHOTO ART Fête 2015 will take place at Aroma Espresso Cafe in Downtown Oakville,

 at 321 Lakeshore Road E, (Lakeshore and Reynolds, one East of Trafalgar.) and remain 'up' throughout the month of June.

Join the Photo Art Fête! 

See you there! - 8pm, Saturday, June 27th.

Update: A great occasion - albeit the weather was TERRIBLE. Kudos to all who braved the elements!

New Paintings: Spring 2015

Tulips in the Garden - Acrylic on canvas by M.L.Holton

 A loooong winter has passed, and a delightful, 

albeit flitting, spring is upon us. Summer beckons ...

Zoom into Summer - Acrylic on board by M.L.Holton

I'm shifting into a 'Canadada' kind of mood ... 

For sizes and pricing, please contact the artist.

Re-post: The Scenic Journey of Edgar Payne (1883-1947)

InCollect has done a great profile of Edgar Payne, the man and his works, aptly entitled, 'The Scenic Journey' (2013). When I discovered it, I loved it. So, I'm reposting that direct LINK .

I mean, really, LOOK at THIS. ....  It's bleedin' FANTASTIC! 

'From Heart to Hand', Holcim Gallery, Milton, Ontario, Canada

A number of escarpment-based artists from North Burlington (myself included) will be 

exhibiting at the annual Fine Art Society of Milton's - 

 'From Heart to Hand'

Show & Sale at the Holcim Gallery

in the Milton Centre for the Arts, Milton, Ontario

Exhibition Reception - Thursday, May 21st, 6:30-8:30pm, 

 - runs until June 6th, 2015

Hours: M&F, 11:30-5pm, T&R, 11:30-9pm, Sat. 9:30-5pm.

Always a great variety of subject matter, technique, perspective - and diverse talent.  

Holcim Gallery at Milton Art Centre, 1010 Main St East, Milton, Ontario, Canada

 Come on UP to Escarpment Country!

'Spring Revelry' Niagara Escarpment, North Burlington, Ontario - Photo Credit: MLHolton

Shooting at the moment ...

Cocks on the Mantel - B&W, & Sepai, Digital - by M.L.Holton

Legacy Mural at Velodrome in Milton, Ontario

This past weekend's unveiling of the LEGACY MURAL at the new Pan/Am Mattamy Cycling Centre in Milton did not disappoint. Eighty local artists spent months participated in this 'one-of-kind' wall mural project where each artist created ONE signature panel (12" x 12") to be incorporated into the larger line-drawing whole. Each panel had a basic colour code. Otherwise, artists were free to do what they wanted.

I wanted to do something very simple that would appeal to adults and children alike. 

I ended up using 'dollar store' rhinestones and butterflies to give it that whimsical twist ...
I was assigned block 'A8'....

Pieced altogether, here's the FINAL effect. 

Impressive, no? Can you find my contribution on the top there ?

 This mural is now 'publicly visible' on the THIRD floor of the The Mattamy National Cycling Centre. (it may not stay there permanently, but that's where it's at now.) This grand cycling venue provides a much needed 'cyclists home' in Southern Ontario, Canada, for amateurs and professional cyclists alike. Truly a legacy project for the larger community (unlike the CIty of Burlington's goofed-up money-grabbing 'legacy project' of installing tons of plastic grass into the nationally revered UNESCO Biosphere at City View Park.)

The Cycling Center is located at 2015 Pan Am Blvd, (At the Tremaine Road & Louis St.Laurent Blvd roundabout, circle around WEST to Pan Am Blvd ... South of Derry, North of Britannia.) Click on prior link for more info.

Also, a commemorative book about the LEGACY MURAL (including artists profiles) is soon available, HERE.

LOTSA SERIOUS FUN!

 (Justin, photog for Metroland, upper left, is such a photogenic cutie!)  CHCH TV was there too.

Fantastic launch - and equally impressive view of Rattlesnake Point from west side of Velodrome.

UPDATE: Nice bit of press, July 8th, The Hamilton Spectator, in a Special PanAm Edition ... 
Plus, a nice plug on CHCH News. 
 

Update, August 2015 - President of the Fine Arts Society of Milton, Ursula McDermid, selling souvenirs from this event ... Ursula McDermid, FASM President, selling Pan Am memorabilia ... Photo by m.l.holton

YUM!!!

DONE.

Woodland Deer - Painting

It's a kind of mini-miracle, when walking in the woods, to suddenly see a group of shy quiet deer. The sunlight shimmers through their translucent ears before their inevitable quick-bounce exit off into the dark cover of the trees.

Woodland Deer my M.L.Holton - Acrylic on canvas.

 ... I like this IDEA, and have run with it, zapping it a la mlh. 

If interested in purchase, please contact the artist for trim size &  price. .... Enjoy.

MLH Spring 2015 Newsletter & 'Early Bird' INVITATION

Dammit .... lousy weather still .... But, ***SPRiNG*** is coming ...

In mock defiance - and with Great Joy - I bring you the link to my latest Newsletter - 

MLH SPRING 2015 Newsletter & 'Early Bird' INViTATiON

Will post other 'new works' soon ...

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