Saturday, December 5, 2009

A.Y. Jackson


Just finished the excellent book: A.Y. Jackson by Wayne Larsen. Though I really liked the Group Of Seven and knew some of their story there was much I didn't know and this book gave me new insights into Jackson and the Group. I was so impressed by his passion for Canada and for art. From his early years until well into his 80's he painted constantly in virtually every part of Canada. He thought nothing of comfort and walked, canoed, snowshoed, drove or flew into the remotest corners of Canada working outdoors in any weather except fog. His hectic lifestyle meant he had to sacrifice having a family but he could do nothing else. However, he had the ability to make lasting friendships everywhere he went and was surrounded by a wide circle of extremely loyal friends. He lived until 91, painted almost to the very end and his only regret was that he didn't have another 100 years to paint everything he wanted.

I was inspired by his story and his life. Certainly, art in Canada would never have been the same without him.



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3 comments:

  1. Thanks for this Rex. So much inspiration comes from those that have gone before with the passion of art in their veins and in their daily activities. It can be done if one actually DOES the work.

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  2. We enjoyed looking at all the pictures,video's and the commentary on this site. Obviously a great deal of work went into making this and we congratulate you both, we loved it.

    Staff & Val

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  3. Staff & Val:

    Thanks for taking a look. Glad you liked it. It is a lot of work but I'm loving it.

    Rex

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