the HERALD Wednesday August 21 1991 Arts Ideas The gift of leisure can untap hidden talents nrlrlii1 in lilt nut email invites fill Our time gives us the gift of plenty of leisure or of a long old age and many of us use these hours and years to develop the special artistic talents and in terests we might have no matter how modest People join choirs or little theatre companies or they might decide to learn a craft or they find a spot somewhere in the house where they can paint or carve or print their own photographs We are living in the age of the amateur and a whole industry caters to their needs providing them with books of instructions as well as the vast array of materials and tools that are need ed for these activities These half tutored arts and crafts were once called folk art In the 19th century the label naive art was invented for them since most of these crea are made by urban people now not by rural folk anymore Because we engage in things it does not follow that we are good at it We spend huge sums on arenas exercise fields and swimming pools but only a very few people become outstanding athletes Likewise the activities of countless amateurs in the arts do not amount to much beyond the pleasure and sense of purpose individuals engaging in them might feel Very rarely does an amateur develop into a profes or into a truly naive artist with a vision all his or her own Today I want to point out to you two amateurs who have in my opinion the power to bring their vision across if not always then most of the time The first is Beck a retired carpenter from St Agatha Ontario who has moved his paintings to the Gallery of the Halton Hills Cultural Centre where they will hang to Saturday September Emil Beck decided to years ago to chronicle the life of the and he does It with and with a quick and graphic style of some skill The paintings show the Men working the fields sapp ing trees for maple syrup or returning from church in their horsedrawn buggies The Men are a communal people who feel they are the stewards of their farms and of each other and this communality is nicely expressed in Mr Becks pain tings Their stubborn insistence in a way of life that served them and their communities well and which is most likely superior to our way of life is illustrated by Credit Valley Artisans planning fall courses Another great line up of courses has been assembled by the Credit Valley Artisans with the first scheduled to begin on September 24 Registration by mail can begin imediately and there will be an opportunity to register in person at the Cedar- vale Cottage on Saturday September from a m until noon The courses available this Fall include Weaving for beginners Wednesdays Sept Oct and 16 Nov 6 and evenings until 10 Marquetry picture making with wood veneers Thursday evenings Sept 26 Oct 10 24 from 7pm to 9 m Tole and Folk art painting Tuesday evenings Sept 24 Oct 15 22 29from7pm Pottery for beginners Wednes day evenings from until pm Sept Oct 16 Nov 6 A Calligraphy workshop Saturday Oct am until m A Basketry workshop for in and beginners Sat Nov 2froml0am to4pm An intermediate to advanced course in Stained Glass lead came method Monday evenings from pm to p m Nov 4 18 and There will also be two courses specifically designed for children aged between and years These will be on Saturdays as follows Children s Pottery Oct and Nov from am to 12 noon Children s Drawing Nov 23 and Nov from to 4pm These courses are all held at the Cedarvale Cottage at Main St and Maple Ave in Georgetown The classes are small so students get close attention from the in The courses are filled on a registration paid basis with first come first served Some courses fill quickly so prompt registration is advised Registration forms are available at the Library in Georgetown and also at the Hills Recreation and Parks Department can get information on the courses by calling the registrar Frank An thony at after 6pm daily The Credit Valley Artisans will also be on hand at the Georgetown Fall Fair to answer questions and hand out regis a forms Wildlife wonders These creatures of wonder and beauty were created by artist Keith and are on display in the foyer of the Hills Cultural Centre from August 13 to Retired from the Ontario Provincial Police two years ago Mr has been creating detailed wood carvings of wildlife for the past years Keith creates about a dozen different pieces each year Ideas and The Arts by John Sommer Mr Becks art work and by a story he told me The artist has a friend who talked always in a rather indig nant way about the Mennonites These darn people with their buggies he used to say they always driver so slow and so close to the middle of the road I would like to hit them with my car It came to pas that a fierce summer storm one year destroyed this mans barn A few days later a whole neighboring community came roll ing into the storm victims farm yard with food and everything you can think of for a barn rais to help the stricken neighbor Needless to say there is one person now who has chang ed his mind about these excep communities in our midst As always with exhibitions of this kind there are about 10 pain tings too many covering the walls and leaving the protective cardboard corners on the frames is to say it mildly a droll idea Our noble Gallery space is not a bargain basement nor are the paintings served well by this treatment The second amateur artist I want to talk about is Keith a retired police officer from Georgetown His work can be seen in the showcases of the Cultural Centre lobby all through August Mr is a carver of birds and fishes and other animals He is a meticulous craft APPLE AutoClass WINDSHIELD REPAIRS We Handle All Insurance Claims SAVE YOUR BODY NORTH END NISSAN 878 610 Martin SI Milton NORTH END nissan 610 MARTIN ST 8784137 MILTON DENTURES FULL DENTURE SERVICES DIRECTLY TO THE PUBLIC New Dentures Rehires Repairs Cleaning i Dental Insurance Honoured J Wheelchair Accessibility TRENTON The Dppure Clinic 1 Church St Georgetown Ont 8772359 sman and his output is small Some very small pieces on ex hibit are the first he did when he started to carve years ago These have a simple charm His later pieces however are highly finish ed and often quite complicated in design I like his unpainted ings in particular but i have to admit that the painted ones are striking and memorable and almost scientifically observed The Halton Hills Camera Club invites all regional photographers to a oneday photo competition called Capture the Hills 91 This competition is a cooperative venture with the Halton Hills Recreation Depart ment You have to send an ap plication form to the Recreation Department to be able to par ticipate The deadline for registration is September I suggest that you register early because the com petition is limited to 100 photographers only hi JtiaiwraSHlLeH nMv JTWmi XiiHseeeHeeeeeesaBH Martins Meeting House Kitchener artist Beck left and Herald Arts and Ideas nist John Sommer meet at the artists three week exhibit scheduled from August to September Teusday morning at the Art Gallery In Halton Hills Cultural Centre Becks work reflects stewardship of the land the people and their lifestyles with brush and acrylic col The artist and columnist stand In front of one of Becks paintings entitled Martins Meeting House Clothing Mens Ladies Childrens ALTERATIONS REPAIRS 8771598 Established HALTON HILLS COLLISION ACTON ONT DISTRIBUTORS SPORTING GOODS CLOTHING SPECIALIZING IN TEAM CORPORATE WEAR 8730500 Mo St S Georgetown New fashions for fall arriving daily MYGENMK3N 61 Main St S 8732851 SUPPORT YOUR HOME TEAM Your local merchants try their best every day to provide quality merchandise and services at the lowest possible prices These merchants deserve our support and our business Sup port your home team and every one here will be a Keep the dollars you spend in HALTON HILLS