Saturday, November 1, 2008

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

about-FACE: Photo & Pencil Exhibit

... what do we really SEE ?
... when we look at another person?
about-FACE:
PHOTO & PENCIL EXHIBIT
by Golden Horseshoe Artists
Ewout de Gelder &

Margaret Lindsay Holton
Opening: Friday, Sept 5th, 6-9pm
at 'The Village Gallery'
17 Main Street SOUTH, Waterdown, On. Canada
( ... between Toronto & London, Ontario.
Call 905-689-1688 for direction details ... )

Showing 'til October 17th, 2008
Open daily - Mon-Sat, 9-6pm
'WHY WE WANTED TO DO THIS ... '
There has been a verrrrry long, not so subtle, often fatal, rivalry between the pencil and the camera. Practitioners of either discipline dismiss the skill and expertise of the 'other'. Each 'camp' waves their pennant arguing about: the incalcuable 'instant realism' of photograhy VERSUS the studied meditative 'realism' of a 'one-off' pencil portrait ... Pennants flutter.
As artists, we wanted to explore this oft contentious relationship and find that which compliments, rather then complains, about the 'other'. In the course of preparing for this show, we developed a novel 'perspective'. We created 'ricochet' portraits. We used each other's work to stimulate our own photo or pencil work. Ewout shot photographs, and I drew pencil portraits. The results are amusing, insightful and often delightful.
The pencil & the camera are BOTH only 'tools' by which we, as artists, subjectively record HOW and WHAT we perceive. Each 'tool' assists in 'capturing' or 'freezing time'. Yet, in essence, both mediums & disciplines are 'fake & arbitrary'. Because both do ATTEMPT to 'stop time'. Everyone KNOWS - 'time' does NOT stop.
So, with that all said, we welcome you to come take a look at our unique show. Let YOUR eye 'ricochet'. Let it ping-pong from portrait to portrait. Do an 'about-face': turn around, take yet another look at that BEGUILING living breathing marvelous fascinating and very human FACE in front of you ...

Saturday, September 6, 2008

'about-FACE: Photo & Pencil Exhibit' LAUNCH ... The Village Gallery, Waterdown, Canada


Well, THAT was FUN !!!
'Event' Photography' by Margaret Lindsay Holton

'Flamborough County Friday Night Attire'

Excellent turn-out from 10 month BEAUTIFUL baby girl to VINTAGE 80 year olds ... Great country 'vib' to the whole event, with delicious fresh pressed cider and yummy Canadian cheddar ... Lots of yabbing, lots of mingling
... Flamborough County & the village of Waterdown did us proud ...
... lots of head turners ... lots of head turning ... gee, there was a whole lot of 'ricochetin' goin' on !

Remember, 'about-FACE: Photo & Pencil Exhibit
by Ewout de Gelder & myself
is ON until OCTOBER 17th, 2008 @ The Village Gallery
17 Main Street SOUTH, Waterdown, Ontario, Canada
Call Dave for 'directions' - 905-689-1688

'Portrait of Ewout de Gelder, 2008'
by Margaret Lindsay Holton


 UPDATE: Press > https://www.insidehalton.com/whatson-story/2940606-camera-and-pencil-working-together-in-about-face-exhibit/

Friday, September 5, 2008

Pencil Portraits by MLH

Commission - 'Family Pet, Dog Portrait'

In anticipation of an up-coming Pencil & Photo Portrait Show entitled 'About FACE:' to be held with Ewout de Gelder in Waterdown, Ontario for the duration of September and half of October, I thought it expedient to show you a few examples of 'what to expect'....

'Charles Pachter, Canadian Artist'
(and 'LIVING LEGEND' ... love ya Chas!)


Line 1: Queen Elizabeth II, Portrait of a Young Girl, Lester Pearson
Line 2: Ewout De Gelder, Charles Pachter, Nelson Mandela
Line 3: Paul Newman (in his younger years), Mordecai Richler, Bob Young


Benazir Bhutto, assassinated, December 2007

Local Postal Clerk, Waterdown

Ewout and I intend to do 'ricochet' portraits - stimulating each other with portraits that we've done independantly of each other, and then trying to 'mimic', to some degree, the essence of the 'others finished work' ... we are still 'in production', but the results, thus far, are proving not only FASCINATIN' but provocative. All in all, 'tis SERIOUS FUN ...


Additional samples follow of my pencil portaits done over the past five years ... (and yes, Commissions are ALWAYS welcome ... contact the artist.)

Pencil Portraits by MLH, continued ...

Ron Dembo, CEO, Toronto Business Executive


Line 1: Donald Trump, Rick Mercer, 16th century portrait after Andrea del Sarto ,
Line 2: Benazir Bhutto, Melvin Smith - Canadian Refugee, Walter Cronkite,
Line 3: Tony Marchese - local merchant, Albert Einstein, Pamela Anderson


Hugh Laurie aka 'Dr. House' - Television Character

Bob Hope, American humorist


... guess who ...

Sample MLH Photo Portraits (Digital)

'Postal Clerk, 2008'


'Henri Cartier-Bresson Remembers His Youth '


'Granny & Jed'


'Shattered ...'

Fight Club (Digital)


Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Friday the 13th, June, 2008 ... It was a dark & stormy night ...



... and I was driving back from a friends house near 10pm. Torrential rains, rattling thunder and brilliant lightening made the going rough ...


I passed by a hastily abandoned fair ground. People were running to shelter under wind-swept umbrellas. Others were otherwise soaked to the skin. All the lights on the fairgrounds were ablaze. The ferris wheel was still turning ...



Once home I peered thru the gloom of the night out over the lake and saw that the lovely old blue spruce on the lake edge had been STRUCK. Horror of horrors. it is a mere 20 feet from the house!!! The next morning I had to arrange for the tree to COME DOWN. Immediately.

A fantastic 'tree guy' came to the rescue at 8am. In a rare feat of confident courage he felled that old tree.

We have had much thunder & lightening for the month of June. Much.

The Blue Spruce Comes Down

Lightening struck the Blue Spruce out front ... this is how it looked first thing the next morning ...

The solution? Gus, the tree guy, from Carlisle, on deck at 8 am ...

He brought the old beaut down within an hour ... amazing, considering how long it has stood sentry on the edge of the lake. We figured it was near 70 to 100 years old ... maybe a bit older ...

Gone. Finito. End of an era.

Gus & The Blue Spruce

... Gus, as seen thru my studio window ... By this point, he'd cut off 4/5ths of the limbs. He wouldn't go up higher on account of the 'lightening tear' in the tree (visible in this photo...). Down he came.

Digital photo collage by mlh


'End of an Era: Gus & The Blue Spruce'

This is a LARGE oil painting - 7 feet square.
Done in my signature 'naive surreal folk abstract' style.
It is 'For Sale', as is, unframed, on loose canvas.
It would be GREAT as wall hanging.
Contact me for further details ...