Now that the Collingwood Art Crawl is in the books for another year, local artists are looking ahead at their next projects.
For this week’s edition of People of Collingwood we sat down with John Burton, a Collingwood artist.
Q: How long have you lived in Collingwood? What’s your background?
A: A passion for skiing brought me to the area starting in 1980. After retirement, I moved up permanently from Scarborough in 1994. My search for an active lifestyle was pleasantly surprised by the quality of culture that Collingwood has to offer.
Q: How long have you been an artist?
A: At 87 years of age and still very active in several sports, art has been a part of my life since childhood. My artistic endeavours range from soapstone and wood carvings to stain glass design, watercolour, acrylic and oil painting. My creative nature expands to landscaping, pond design and a passion for cooking.
Q: What inspires your art?
A: My focus now is oils on canvas. I am especially inspired by skies and the rugged scenery of the Georgian Bay area. I am known for my bold use of colour where the paint is predominantly applied using a palette knife. This results in luscious texture striving to capture the dramas of light and the beauty of the nature surrounding us. My paintings invite the viewer to walk right in!
Q: Was this your first year participating in the art crawl? What made you want to participate in the crawl and the Battle of the Brushes?
A: I have been involved in the art crawl since its inception and the Battle of the Brushes every year. I was initially encouraged by Andrea Rinaldo and Jason Alexander to enter. I tend to be a fast painter anyway so the 20-minute timeline in the battle is not an issue. Again, my 20-minute paintings feature a Georgian Bay theme and always sell right on the spot!
Q: What is your opinion on the Collingwood art scene?
A: The Collingwood art scene is alive and well! There are so many opportunities now for the area artists to showcase their works and the art crawl is just one of them. However, the crawl is a truly special event with so many venues, musicians and artists! Now that the town has taken over this event, we have the talents of Tanya Mazza, the co-ordinator of arts and culture, to make it even more special.
Q: What are some things you wish people knew about artists? Are there any misconceptions out there about artists you would like to correct?
A: Perhaps a misconception of most viewing artwork is that they seem more interested in knowing how long it took for a particular piece to be completed. I am constantly asked! As I have mentioned before, I am a fast painter.
Edgar Degas stated that, “Everything an artist does with ease was paid with many years of hard work and practising.”
At 87 years of age, that pretty much sums it up for me.
Q: Do you have a gallery, or is your work presently in any galleries in town?
A: My artwork hangs at the Blue Mountain Golf and Country Club. That venue has generated many commissions! My paintings are generally large and no two paintings are alike.
Q: What’s next for you? Is there anything else you want people in Collingwood to know about you?
A: I have taught several watercolour classes and may consider teaching classes in palette knife painting. However, I always look forward to my next canvas, all those tubes of paint and my next idea!
For our feature People of Collingwood, we’ll be speaking with interesting people who are either from or are contributing to the Collingwood community in some way. This feature will run on CollingwoodToday every Saturday. If you’d like to nominate or suggest someone to be featured in People of Collingwood, email [email protected].
