In Studio - Magic Hour, Georgian Bay by MLHolton

Magic Hour, Georgian Bay - acrylic on board, by MLHolton

This work recently returned to my lakefront studio, and will be here until the end of the month, when it will go back into storage. It's nicely framed, if I say so myself, in a silver wooden plain frame. Size: 25" square. -- If interested to view, please make an appointment -  M-F, 9-5pm. Thanks!

Painting & Pinholing - Off to a Great Start in the New Year!

Bruce Trail: Early Spring (2009) by M.L.Holton - SOLD

For five years, I was the Trail Captain for the Ian Reid Side Trail, a tributary of the Bruce Trail, in southern Ontario, Canada. A 1.5 km trail, it meanders off the main trail through the woodland area beneath the Niagara Escarpment. It was my job to keep the trail clear of debris and just keep an 'eye on it'. I'd head out for a good hike at least once every two weeks. At that time of the year, the tail end of winter, the ground was still bone hard. A gentle brush of snow covered the lee-side of the escarpment, but the sun - oh that Sun! - was sending out such radiant warmth that I stopped in my tracks when ascending the trail and just marveled. ... I could sense the WHOLE marvelous planetary drama unfold ... The trees cracked, wee tiny water rivulets were forming on the trail, and that shimmering sunlight & early spring air were soooo fresh & invigorating! Ah! The Promise of Spring! - We are so very blessed to live on this amazing planet. - And I am very happy that this work has now gone on to a good home.

In other 'New Years'  news, I also recently completed a great interview with David Ellis via his arts blog, about my pinhole photography. Have a gander -  Photographer Interview - Margaret Lindsay Holton.

A few choice extracts follow - 

DL: Thank you for chatting to us today about the traits of your photography, along with what motivates and influences you as a photographer. Firstly, please tell us about your photography speciality, which is Pinhole Photography. What type of photography is this and what are its origins?

Margaret Lindsay Holton replies: 
Pinhole photography is the oldest known form of photography on the planet. The earliest known use of this technique was in Asia around 500 B.C, and in the West, around 500 A.D. During the Renaissance it enjoyed a brief resurgence as scientists and philosophers explored the emerging realm of optics. Sir David Brewster, a Scottish scientist, first coined the phrase ‘pin-hole’ in the 1850’s. Also known as a ‘camera obscura’, pinhole photography – without the use of lens or fancy mechanical gadgetry – lets in a small pinhole of light to a completely blacked-out cavity. This incoming pinhole of light creates a upside-down reverse image of what the pinhole is facing.
In other words, it creates a ‘negative’.I use photo-sensitive paper to create my images. From the paper ‘negative’, I pull a ‘positive’ print in my darkroom using conventional developing techniques. The ‘positive’ photo image, also known as a ‘contact print’, is what you see as the finished photograph.

Labour intensive, creating one pinhole image can easily take 8 to 10 hours, from initial ‘loading’ of the photo-sensitive paper in the darkroom, to the end result of the final photo image. Yet, oddly, time dissolves when pinholing. The process forces one to be very attentive to the ‘here and now’. All becomes vivid, more immediate. One is literally dancing with Light…

I am ever beguiled by this seemingly archaic form of ‘slow photography’. It amazes me still, even after nearly two decades of pinholing, that I can create photo images without a lens, or a mechanical box with shutters or digital fittings.

Have you always been interested in Pinhole Photography or do you have other genre types of pictures that you have focused on over the course of your career?

I began taking photographs many years ago, like many, with a simple Box Brownie. As I grew older, I moved into more conventional photography, with upgrades of equipment, first using 35mm film then switching to digital, for the last twenty years.

Now, as an award-winning, multi-disciplined and senior Canadian artist, I see and use the discipline of photography as an alternative tool to perceive, interpret and document the world that I inhabit.
I have always pinholed somewhat organically. I never, as example, use a light meter. Rather, to understand exposure, I instinctively gauge the brilliance of the Sun bouncing off objects, constantly learning by trial and error.

All in all, I am not particularly ‘connected’ to current digital methods of photography. Cameras are tools that can be used in a variety of different ways to amplify WHAT we see and HOW we see it. The skill of photography – to convey meaning – comes with the understanding of the effects of light while adroitly framing a composition. Mechanical cameras and digital software twiddle with these photo basics.

To that end, aside from pinhole photography, I create digital photo-montages where I layer images on top of each other to create hybrid visual stories.


I also create what I call digital ‘white outs’. In this method, I take a digital image and then, via now an outdated computer software program, manually erase segments, by moving the computer mouse. The effect creates an interesting fusion of perceived as well as created contours that, I believe, both please and engage the mind’s eye.

Lately, I have also been using digital video to explore additional aspects of visual storytelling.
About five years ago, I started by making short documentary profiles for local news outlets using my Apple iPod and a simple Apple editing application, iMovie. These video shorts allowed me to hone my shooting and editing style.

Then, in 2016, I wrote and directed my first narrative film, ‘The Frozen Goose’. This period film, about a rural family coping in the aftermath of WW1, with a cast of five, has exhibited at festivals over the past year, aired on local cable stations, received good media coverage and is now globally available online.

As a result, it is much more likely that people will be aware of my ‘art making’ capabilities via film, than by my pinhole photography or even my signature painted works. That’s just the nature of the beast.

The serious fun part of filming is, in fact, the editing, not the shooting. Why? Because editing moving pictures establishes a basic cognitive resonance between the filmmaker and the viewer in a way that still photography seldom can. With film, the editor intimately ‘tells the story’ from start to finish, leading the viewers’ eye, ear and minds.

With still photography, the reality of viewer distraction is far greater. And the viewer, through their own perceptual bias, ends up mentally quick-editing the stationary image, in order to find their own meaning. Nothing wrong with that, but it’s a more capricious engagement process then creating video stories. It is much much tougher to make an arresting still photograph, let alone, a good pinhole image.

Other than that, I continue to paint two dimensional works, as I have done for over 40+ years. You can sample that kind of work via my art blog. ...

Whose photographic work has influenced you the most in your life? 

Henri Cartier-Bresson. But I don’t know that he has particularly influenced my work. I do very much admire his compositions and acute eye, his way of seeing. We all see so many images now. What seems to hold attention these days is the jarring or often visually upsetting image. But I don’t know that this is really useful or helpful to anyone, in that, we have become somewhat anesthetized and polluted by the vast array of digital photography flicking on multiple screens. They are constantly demanding our attention: “Look at ME!” Think of the constant barrage of ‘attention grabbing’ headline photos of extreme whatever. Our minds are constantly being assaulted by this advertiser-induced stuff to – to just WATCH. My intent, by changing the means of photographic creation – be it through pinhole, photo-montage or white-outs – is to ‘Free the Eye’.

I hope to visually persuade viewers to make new synaptic connections that seduce through gentle curiosity and interest, instead of through heightened uncertainty or horrific pain. Violence doesn’t have to be a mainstay of how we SEE things. ...

Among all of your photographic works, which one is your personal favourite and why is it your favourite?

Oh dear. Impossible to choose. I like many for very different reasons. Light effects, composition, familiarity of subject matter or even the ‘odd ball’ shot. One of my favourite pinhole images, as example, was entirely a mistake. The mounted photo-sensitive paper fell off inside the camera during exposure. The result was a ‘double image’ of the window frame. Interestingly, this image sold to an enthusiastic collector from Portland, Oregon, about a decade ago.

When and how were you originally inspired to become a photographer? Also do you have any formal training that you draw upon?

I became enamored with pinhole photography after taking a one-day workshop with Di Bos, a pinholer of some acclaim here, in Canada, in 2001. I was amazed that a photo image could emerge without using a conventional camera. Aside from that initial pinhole baptism, I have learned 100% by doing.

How do you personally educate yourself to take better pictures? What sort of research do you partake to improve your skills?

The internet, unlike mainstream tell-a-vision, has provided an astonishing array of options to improve HOW we see. I use various web portals to explore HOW others SEE, like Pinterest or Instagram.
If a photograph resonates, I always STOP, and look again to understand WHY. It could be a simple thing like the flow of highlights within a photo, or, alternatively, the absence of light.

Do you use any specific editing software packages or written guides to assist you with the production of your pictures?

No. Pinholing is done manually.

How do you spend your free time when you are not taking pictures?

When we open our eyes in the morning, we immediately start taking mental pictures. This activity guides our hand to turn on the light and find our slippers. The portals of our eyes feed our minds to constantly assess the risks, challenges, pleasures and rewards of daily living. Equally, when we go to bed at night, we zoom off into visual worlds of our memory and our sub-conscious. It’s how our minds work. — What do I DO when not making pictures? I think – and Live.

Tell us more about your upcoming projects. Are you working on anything specific or have plans in the pipeline?

My next pinhole exhibit will be in July of 2018 at the charming Carnegie Gallery in Dundas, Ontario, Canada. The show is intended as a compliment to my fall show that I had at Oakville’s Sovereign House Museum in 2017, entitled ‘SUN SHADOWS’. Some of my older hand-made pinhole cameras will be on display there too. Drop in!

What are the things that you wish that you knew back when you first started taking photos? Do you have any parting words for other aspiring photographers to take to heart?

As I am a painter first, I have always approached photography as another artist’s tool. The primary image-making device, that we all possess, is our own eye. This is an extraordinarily powerful device when fused with the aspirations, neuro-stumbling and imaginations of our minds.

Best advice I can give, Learn to SEE. A good primer about SEEING – clearly – can be found in John Berger’s ‘Ways of Seeing’. (Best to READ the book instead of watching the online documentary.) Think about what you’re reading. Penetrate and understand the inherent stories of the beautiful, good, bad, evil and the ugly that SEEING clearly can convey.

THEN pick up a camera to document what and how you see what you do.
 
The skill is 100% in the SEEING – not in the camera itself.

And that’s a wrap!

The New Year ... 2018

Woohoo. Winter came in with a blast over Christmas. The landscape in Southern Ontario is truly a 'Winter Wonderland'. Continued COLD temperatures mean that the snow hasn't gone slushy, or cruddy, yet.  It truly is 'perfect' - especially for x-country ski enthusiasts. I've got a few primo shots from a few outings over the break, but only one ready for today.

Happy New Year to All. 
May 2018 prove a better year for planet Earth, our miraculous & enchanting home ... Do your bit!

Snow Fest, Copyright by MLHolton 2018

Winter Solstice - Yule Tidings - 2017

Winter Solstice  -Yule Tidings - Acrylic on Board by M.L.Holton

It is so easy to forget the mighty and majestic 

celestial ballet that plays out above us on a daily basis. 

Planets swirl and twirl above and below us. 

We are a part of this ballet too. 

Imagine how far we've come, and yet too,

 imagine how far we have got to go ... 

May the Blessings of a New Year envelop you All. 

May they carry you forward in to this momentous & delicate ballet. 

Twirl on dear friends. 

Twirl on! 

 ...  with love, mlh

p.s. Here's a basic & informative article about the Winter Solstice.

New Paintings: End of 2017 - by Margaret Lindsay Holton

'Sunrise Sunset' by mlholton 2017  - 3 panel set

Once in a Blue Moon ... by MLHolton (acrylic)

 I just love painting - 

whether with brushes (above) or with palette knife (below). 

Each method offers something different.  

'Forest Studies' by mlholton 2017 - 2 panel set

 Which method do you prefer? All are For Sale. 

Please contact the artist for size, price & shipping details. 

'Flower Study' (acrylic & palette knife) by MLHolton

The Fox by M.L.Holton

... It's always fun to look back at older paintings to see what has and hasn't changed in the way that I paint. I remember painting this one back in 2011.

There was a secretive and beautiful fox that lived at the front of the property, in a den in the lakefront bank. In the eight years that I lived there, I only saw the fox twice. Once, during the early part of my residence, and once, near the end.  During the intervening eight years, I was always aware that the fox was there ... secretive ... and beautiful.

Seems a fitting image to welcome Autumn, 2017 ...

The Fox by M.L.Holton, 2011

The Frozen Goose at Hamilton Film Festival, 2017

The Frozen Goose - a film by M.L.Holton

It's OFFICIAL! ~ 

The Frozen Goose will be screening at Hamilton Film Festival.

Mark calendars for Nov. 8th, 7pm - 'Ontario Shorts!' program.
At wonderful theatre space - Cinestarz Burlington

Event listing:  https://www.facebook.com/HamiltonFilmFestival/posts/904118356412288

Ticket info:  https://www.bruha.com/event/2002

UPDATE: Sept.25th -  Tickets selling fast! Almost sold out!
UPDATE: Oct 18th - SECOND SCREENING set up. Nov. 9th.

Don't delay if you want to catch this Canadian classic WW1 family drama on the big screen! Fun for the whole family.

Also thrilled to report that this 25 minute film has been picked up by educational distributor,  McIntyre Media.  It is in their fall catalogue, available to rent or buy. (It has also been included in their Remembrance Day package.) And, #TheFrozenGoose will be broadcast on COGECO on Nov. 11th at 1pm & 7:30pm, and again on Nov. 12th at 1:30pm. Check your service provider's schedule for dates & show times.

UPDATE: Dec 12th - A special one-time Christmas airing is happening on CABLE 14, Dec. 17th, 6pm. Tune in then! Rogers and COGECO subscribers can live-stream. 

Or - Watch on-line through my secured portal: 

https://thefrozengoose.vhx.tv

Hamilton Art Bus Studio Tour, Sept 16th - with M.L.Holton

THIS Saturday, Sept 16th, 2017 - 

Enjoy a guided tour to eclectic and interesting artist's studio spaces in the Greater Hamilton Area.

My art studio, on the Hamilton beach strip, (Lake Ontario, Canada), will be the 'last stop' on this Saturday's Hamilton Art Bus Studio Tour.

Saturday, Sept 16th, from 1pm to 4pm.    
 Get your tickets now!

- MLH paintings as well as several small goodies will be on hand for review & purchase -

 COME ON DOWN!

UPDATE, Sept 18th, 2017: Great visit! Approximately 30 inquisitive souls crossed the transom, exploring the studio, asking questions, pouring over my 'art stuff' ... Pinhole, paintings, pillows!
Photos courtesy of Lisa Schumph (attendee) & Annette Paiement (organizer).

Show & Tell ML! Photos Courtesy - Lisa Schjmph & Annette Paiement. Lower Right QUIZ: What is that stick??

Moonscapes: Paintings by M.L.Holton

....Was looking at the full moon last night and had this acutely CLEAR moment when I just FELT how incredible it is to be standing on this Earth as the precise ballet of planets occurs around us ... This morning, I started to rummage through my paintings to see how often I have depicted this orb.

Some are oils, some are acrylic, some are over 20 years old ...

Marvel at the Celestial!

Moon Over Lake Ontario. Painted by M.L.Holton

Moon Over Farm, Painted by M.L.Holton

Moon Over Lake, (Inspired by Georgia O'Keeffe), Painted by M.L.Holton

Moon Over Lake Ontario I, Painting by M.L.Holton

Moon Over Barn, Painting by M.L.Holotn

Over the Hill, Under the Moon, Back to the Pond, Painting by M.L.Holton

... old one ... Moon at Roger's Gap, Georgian Bay, Painting by M.L.Holton

Moon Over Tews Falls, Painting by M.L.Holton

Sun Shadows: New Photo Works by M.L.Holton

Please join me Thanksgiving Weekend at the historic Sovereign House, in the picturesque lake-side village of Bronte/Oakville. I will be showing recent pinhole, photo-montage, and photo-collage image works, and will have several of my pinhole camera 'on deck' to demonstrate how it all works ...

THANKSGIVING WEEKEND! 

Saturday Oct 7th, Sunday the 8th & Monday, Oct. 9th.

 Afternoons ONLY. From 1 to 4pm. 

Hope to see you then!

 Map below and/or link here for directions.

Sovereign House, Photo Credit - M.L.Holton

Gratefully acknowledge funding from the Ontario Arts Council

 UPDATE: Super weekend. Incredible weather & EXCELLENT turn-out (plus sales!) So great to see everyone.

Exterior shots at Sovereign House

 Also managed to catch some shots before the festivities got underway, made a short video of Bronte Harbour locale and Sovereign House location.  Fun stuff. Watch HERE.

Exhibition Prep by M.L.Holton, 2017

New Painting: 'The Clearing' by M.L.Holton, Canada, 2017

The Clearing II - Acrylic on Board by M.L.Holton, 2017

 Often, when back country, Up North, I would go a-wandering just to explore the undulating features of the landscape ... I'd keep on because there is ALWAYS something of interest ahead ... The Sun LIGHT stimulates everything we see, eat & touch. It's a guiding natural force. A primal Life force. A defining POWER. So, naturally, when walking towards the setting sun, beguiled and enticed by All, I would simply watch ... looking ahead ...

I rather liked this 'palette' and continued to explore it over the past few days ... 

(Not the greatest of photo below, sorry. Just took a quick snap.) 

Summerscapes by M.L.Holton (2017)

Upper left is on loose primed canvas: a man, woman and dog are visible on the horizon. Lower left was done immediately after Clearing II. I wanted to expand the underbrush and branches with a strong and fluid brush stroke. The result if vaguely oriental, and highly abstract. Finally, the two items on the right were painted on art boards. Simple land shapes, with horizons. But still, to my mind, effective. This colour combo works!

Please contact the artist if interested in purchase.

'Summerscapes - No.6'  by M.L.Holton - SOLD.

New Photo Collages: 'Colonial Heritage' by M.L.Holton (2017)

The following works are a Tribute to my Dear Dad. 

When I was starting out in the 'Canadian fine furniture design & making' trade eons ago, my father gave me a monthly subscription to 'The Antiques' magazine. I just LOVED it, and I have been saving decades worth of that subscription ever since. The time has come, however, to finally purge this coveted magazine inventory. To that end, I wanted to do something that honoured my Father - and his wonderfully inspiring gift to me - all those years ago. 

Colonial Heritage - Panel 1 - ORIGINAL - by M.L.Holton (2017)

These cut-outs mounted in photo-collage form, then lightly painted over by me, (series of 4 panels), were culled from the editions. Artists' - mostly American - like Sargent, Whistler, Wyeth, Marsden, and Avery, etc., with some - mostly anonymous - outstanding 'craftsmen' demonstrate the outstanding art work and finesse of a very specific time period (mostly): the colonial period in North America.

In some respects it is amazing to consider how far we've come. We've now got electricity, gas-powered engines and feminism. And yet, in most instances, the actual level of craftsmanship and SKILL that produced the above art and artifacts has diminished, ten fold. Too few today truly appreciate the time, apprenticeship and discipline needed to do this kind of mind-linked eye-hand-heart skillful work. It's just not much done anymore - in North America anyway. 

We live in the digital age  ...  In response, I've zapped the above ORIGINAL with a few easy clicks of a photo app to achieve 'alternate representations'. In some ways, these 'abstractions' are better - more 'contemporary' - of the 'here & now' - circa 2017.  To be sure, the photo-REALISM of the original photo-collage stands as a somewhat sad reminder of how much has really been lost. (Better to forget, no? and just doodle with simple straight lines, busy circles & bright colours ...)

Let me know if you have a preference from the following ... Thanks. mlh

Colonial Heritage - Panel 1.1 - by Canadian artist, M.L.Holton (2017)

Colonial Heritage Panel 1.2 by M.L.Holton

Colonial Heritage Panel 1.3 - by M.L.Holton

Colonial Heritage - Panel 1.4 - by M.L.Holton

Colonial Heritage - Panel 1.5 - by M.L.Holton

Colonial Heritage - Panel 1.6 - by M.L.Holton

Colonial Heritage - Panel 1.7 - by M.L.Holton

Kindly note, there are 3 more panels in this 4 panel series. 

All Reproduction Rights are RESERVED.

If interested in one of the abstract prints, signed and dated by me, let me know.

Some of this collection is now available on my Fine Art America Retail site, 
consider a print and/or consider as pillow or tote bag! Looks pretty sharp!

(I will be retaining the originals photo-collages, in memory of my dad.) 

Canada 150 Mosaic Mural: Burlington, Ontario with 'Earth Home' Tile by M.L.Holton

... Brain child of three amigos, Lewis Lavoic, Paul Lavoie and Phil Alain,  from Sturgeon County, Alberta, the Canada 150 Mosaic is a cross-country community 'arts initiative' to stimulate 'national pride' during Canada'a 150th year since Confederation. It's certainly an ambitious project that has received significant government funding. Lots of media is and has been following and reporting on it over the past year ....

The City of Burlington is involved with this project too. As a local artist, I created a tile to amplify "sense of place" (for FREE), and sent it back to one of the local coordinating organizers, Cobalt Connects of Hamilton, (who works with the City of Burlington on their 'public art' programs ... )  The 'unveiling' is happening on Canada Day, July 1st.

Canadian Celebs get in on the act - Atom Egoyan, Jane Arden, Walk off the Earth band

Here's a peek at my wee effort - 'Earth Home'  -

'Earth Home' tile for Canada 150 Mosaic City of Burlington Mural, by M.L.Holton - 4" square

I admit, it was kind of SURPRISING to hear one of the other cities involved, Ajax, Ontario, 

has an eerily "co-incidentally similar" sound-track in the promo video for their mural, 

(so says Producer & the film-maker) to my latest spoken word & musical album:

  CANADADA: TAKE TWO.  

... It's very weird and TOO coincidental to MY EAR ... 

Anyway, after a brief discussion, they said they'd remove the music from the following clip. They haven't, (as of today, June 7th.)  That film clip - with the same soundtrack - is still on the filmmaker's YouTube channel. Last checked, it has been removed from the CANADA 150 MURAL website ... 

   

Will post UPDATE of the final mural in situ, post July 1st. 

... Curious to see where my little teepee ends up ...  
UPDATE, July 4th: Well, HERE IT IS! 

Interestingly, my teepee has not been included in the end mural ... Draw your own conclusions. 

(And NO, second row from bottom on the left side, is NOT my teepee.)
Ha! The Politics of POLITICS!

MLHolton TILE for Burington's 150th MURAL --- Disappeared, "lost". Seemingly.

 UPDATE: Closer Look at the 'over-painted' or 'copied' MLH tile now in the mural. Very UGLY & CLUMSY, Ugh..