Technical Early Retirement; A Hammered Dulcimer and Albert Robinson Writes About Tom Thomson

Dusty Ukeline on the left and Banjo Uke on the right

Rare 1890's Hammered Dulcimer to companion another instrument in our collection; story follows

IMBEDDING MYSELF IN A WILD PLACE - FROM NEWSROOM TO MUSIC STUDIO - THE NEW WHIRLWIND IS PRETTY COOL

RECORDING STUDIO SET-UP BRINGS MUSICIANS A STRANGE NEW COMFORT ZONE

     THE NEWS PROFESSION AND THE ANTIQUE TRADE SHARE ONE IMPORTANT QUALITY, FOR A GUY AS PRONE TO BOREDOM AS ME. NOTHING IN THE NEWS WEEK, WAS SCHEDULED, EXCEPT GRIP AND GRIN PHOTOS, COUNCIL MEETINGS, STAFF MEETINGS (SO HORRIBLE I CAN'T DESCRIBE THEM IN GREATER DETAIL), AND PAY DAY. EVERYTHING ELSE THAT HAPPENED WAS THAT HELTER SKELTER YOU'D EXPECT OF A REPORTER TRYING TO GET A SCOOP. WE RAN A SCANNER SO WHEN THERE WERE FIRE, AMBULANCE AND POLICE CALLS, WE'D BE OFF AND RUNNING; SOMETIMES TRYING TO FINISH OUR LUNCH ON THE WAY. I FOUND IT SO INVIGORATING, THAT I PUT IN THE HOURS NECESSARY TO COVER BREAKING NEWS, WITHOUT ANY HOPE OF GETTING ANY OVERTIME COMPENSATION. I WANTED THE NEWES BYLINE AND THE PHOTO CREDIT. WHAT MY SALARY DIDN'T PROVIDE ME, THE CREDITS CERTAINLY DID. I'D SEND ITEMS OFF TO THE TORONTO STAR, AND THEY DID PAY HANDSOMELY, IF THEY MADE THE CUT. THE SAME CAN BE SAID FOR THE ANTIQUE TRADE, BECAUSE ALMOST ALL OF IT IS A HELTER SKELTER ARRANGEMENT, THAT IF IT WAS ART, WOULD LOOK LIKE A JACKSON POLLOCK PAINTING. IT'S WHAT TURNS ME ON ABOUT THE BUSINESS. WE DON'T GET OUR INVENTORY FROM A WHOLESALER, OR BY BROWSING THROUGH A CATALOGUE. WE EITHER FIND SOMETHING INTERESTING, OR IT FINDS US. TODAY IT HAPPILY WALKED IN THE DOOR OF THE SHOP. MAGIC! IMAGINE A JOB THAT NEVER FLAT-LINES IN EXCITEMENT! 

     IN THE ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE PROFESSION, THINGS CAN GET STRANGE, AND EVEN A LITTLE CRAZY, PRETTY FAST, ON DAYS WHEN, I SUPPOSE, THERE'S A FOURTH NORTH MOON OR SOMETHING OF EXTREME ATMOSPHERIC INFLUENCE. A METEOR WAS SUPPOSED TO PASS BY EARTH THIS AFTERNOON, AT ALMOST THE PRECISE TIME SOME WONDERFUL RELICS HIT OUR COUNTER. AS FOR THE "FOURTH NORTH MOON" REFERENCE, THAT'S WHAT SUZANNE AND I QUIP, WHEN SOMEONE WALKS OFF THE STREET CARRYING A COFFIN COFFEE-TABLE, OR A MEDICAL OFFICE SKELETON; OR MAYBE EVEN AN ALLEGEDLY HAUNTED WARDROBE, THAT MAY HAVE BEEN FOR FROCK STORAGE, IN THE BEDROOM OF AUTHOR C.S. LEWIS. WE HAVE A LOT OF ORDINARY DAYS, WHEN ALL WE GET OVER THE COUNTER, ARE OLD CROCKS AND SEALER JARS. ADD THE WHACKY THINGS A MUSIC SHOP PROPRIETOR CAN COME ACROSS, IN A DAY, AND YOU WILL GET THE LITTLE SHOP OF BEAUTIFUL HORRORS. WE HAVE A HARD TIME KEEPING A STRAIGHT FACE, AT THESE TIMES, BECAUSE SOME OF THE ARTICLES AND ARTIFACTS ARE SO DARN AMAZING. IT COSTS A LOT OF MONEY BUYING OVER THE COUNTER, BUT THIS WINTER, WITH THE WILD WEATHER, WE'VE SATISFIED OURSELVES BY DRIVING LESS, AND THE MONEY WE SAVED ON GAS, WE INFUSED INSTEAD, IN OVER THE COUNTER "BUY AND SELL" TRANSACTIONS.

     TAKE FOR EXAMPLE, THE LATEST ACQUISITION, OF A LARGE HAMMERED DULCIMER, JUST LIKE THE ONE-IN-THE-ROUGH, IN SEASONED PINE, WE HAVE SHOWN ON THIS SITE PREVIOUSLY. THIS IS OF MASSIVE SIGNIFICANCE TO US, BECAUSE WE HAVE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO PROPERLY STRING THE ONE I PURCHASED, FROM AN ANTIQUE SHOP IN BALA, SEVERAL YEARS AGO. THE SHOP OWNER, THEN, HAD A NOTE WRITTEN ON TOP, SUGGESTING THE STRINGLESS DULCIMER WOULD MAKE A GREAT COFFEE TABLE, IF A NEW OWNER COULD COME UP WITH SOME FASHIONABLE, DURABLE LEGS; AS IT IS A HEAVY PIECE. SO IMAGINE MY SURPRISE, AS THE OWNER OF THIS STRINGLESS WONDER, WHEN ANDREW BROUGHT IN THIS MUCH MORE ELABORATE DULCIMER, COMPLETE WITH BRIDGES AND STRINGS; WHICH ALLOWS US TO COPY THE SET-UP FOR THE OTHER ONE IN OUR COLLECTION. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM, BECAUSE EVEN DULCIMER EXPERTS, HAVEN'T BEEN ABLE TO FIGURE OUT THE STRINGS, BRIDGING AND TUNING; ALTHOUGH EACH OF THOSE WHO HAVE LOOKED AT IT, IN THE PAST, HAVE WANTED TO OWN IT OUTRIGHT. I JUST COULDN'T STAND THE IDEA OF SELLING WHAT HAD, ACCORDING TO THE STORY, BEEN USED FOR ENTERTAINMENT IN A MUSKOKA LUMBER CAMP, AS FAR BACK AS THE 1890'S. I'VE ALWAYS IMAGINED ONE OF SUZANNE'S RELATIVES, WHO WORKED IN THESE CAMPS, PLAYING THE GREAT PINE BEAST.

     THE NEW ADDITION TO OUR DULCIMER COLLECTION, CAME FROM A COLLECTOR OF MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS, WHO HAD PURCHASED IT FROM AN ANTIQUE SHOP IN TORONTO, SEVERAL YEARS AGO, AND NOT MUCH WAS KNOWN ABOUT IT THEN. WE THINK THAT BELOW THE DUST OF THE AGES, THE BOTTOM AND TOP ARE MADE OF CURLY MAPLE. IT HAS HOLES FOR TWO SMALL LEGS, AND ONE THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN USED TO PROP IT UP ON AN ANGLE, FOR EASIER PLAYING. IT IS ALSO FROM THE LATE 1800'S, IF YOU LOOK AT ITS CONSTRUCTION. ANDREW PURCHASED TWO OTHER VINTAGE INSTRUMENTS, INCLUDING A 1930'S BANJO-UKE, AND A UKELINE FROM THE 1920'S. BUT IT'S HARD TO MASK OUR JOINT EXCITEMENT ABOUT THE HAMMERED DULCIMER, BECAUSE IT HAS BEEN A TEN YEAR STRUGGLE TO HAVE IT PROPERLY IDENTIFIED. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THE IMAGE ABOVE, THIS IS NOT AN EASY INSTRUMENT TO STRING, AND IT WAS SUGGESTED BY EXPERTS, THAT IT WOULD HAVE ORIGINALLY USED PIANO WIRE INSTEAD OF STRINGS. ANDREW TELLS ME THAT IT HAS PIANO WIRE ON IT NOW, WHICH IS JUST CRAZY LUCK, BECAUSE WE COULD NEVER HAVE FIGURED IT OUT THE NOTES OTHERWISE; AND I MIGHT HAVE HAD TO MAKE A TABLE OUT OF IT AFTER ALL. IT'S HOW FAST THE MOOD CAN CHANGE IN A SHOP, THAT TODAY, HAD BEEN QUIET FOR MOST OF THE DAY. THEN BINGO, BANGO, BONGO, YOU GET THIS REALLY NEAT COLLECTION OF VINTAGE INSTRUMENTS, THAT CAME TO US VIA NORTH BAY. AS EVERYONE IN OUR FAMILY, ARE HARD CORE TREASURE HUNTERS, AND ARE MOST DEFINITELY INFLUENCED BY THE NEXT BIGGEST FIND, WE HAVE ONCE AGAIN AGREED, BY MUTUAL WINKS, THAT THE ANTIQUE BUSINESS IS THE PERFECT PROFESSION FOR US.

     THIS PAST SUNDAY, SUZANNE WAS WORKING ALL OVER THE HOUSE, ON A SPRING CLEANING MISSION, AND I WAS DISPATCHED TO THE STORE, (FOR CONVENIENCE) WHERE THE BOYS WERE RECORDING A SONG, WRITTEN AND PERFORMED BY A LOCAL MUSICIAN. I FINISHED WRITING MY BLOG, AND GRABBED A COUPLE OF PRIMITIVE INSTRUMENTS OFF A CHAIR BESIDE, AND STARTED STRUMMING THE WIRE STRINGS. I THOUGHT BACK TO THE WAY OUR INTEREST IN MUSIC GENERATED, AND ALL THE AUCTIONS AND ESTATE SALES WE TRAVELLED TO, LOOKING FOR THE MOST PRIMITIVE AND UNUSUAL PIECES WE COULD FIND. STRANGE, AFTER ALL THESE YEARS, THE MOST VINTAGE OF INSTRUMENTS ARE STILL FINDING US; AND OF THIS WE ARE SO PLEASED. THERE'S SUCH A NICE PATINA ATTACHED, AND I'M NOT JUST NOTING THIS OF THE BEAUTIFUL WOOD FINISH. THERE'S A MUSICAL HERITAGE BEGGING TO BE RELEASED, AND THE ONLY WAY TO DO THAT, IS TO START PLAYING EACH OF THEM, JUST AS I DID THE OTHER DAY; ON MY OWN, SETTLED COMFORTABLY IN THE LARGE STUDIO ROOM. WHERE MY NOISE WASN'T GOING TO BOTHER ANYONE ELSE. PLEASE EXCUSE ME IF I GET ALL BUBBLY, BECAUSE IT'S WHAT THE ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE BUSINESS CAN DO TO YOU, WHEN YOU LEAST EXPECT IT; BUT THEN I'M LIEING, BECAUSE WE ALWAYS ANTICIPATE TREASURE IS LURKING OUT THERE SOME WHERE, AND WILL CATCH OUR ATTENTION BECAUSE, WELL, IT'S ESSENTIAL TO MAINTAIN OUR MOJO. IT'S NOT A BUSINESS FOR THE FAINT OF HEART. SOME THINGS THAT COME IN COULD STOP YOUR HEART, LIKE A SHRUNKEN HEAD, OR HUMAN SKULL IN A CEREMONIAL BOX. OR, BY THE FACT, YOU HAVE JUST COME FACE TO FACE WITH THE HOLY GRAIL, AND MONTY PYTHON IS NOWHERE TO BE FOUND.

     AS ANTIQUE DEALERS, WHAT ARE OUR FAVORITE TELEVISION SHOWS? RERUNS OF "THE GHOST WHISPERER," PLUS EVERY EPISODE OF "GRIMM," "ONCE UPON A TIME," AND "THE BIG BANG THEORY." WE ALSO LIKE COMIC BOOKS, STAR WARS AND STAR TREK!

     I WAS JUST TALKING WITH SON ROBERT, WHO WAS NICELY, AND POLITELY, TRYING TO KICK ME OUT OF HIS STUDIO, (A LESSON WAS ABOUT TO ARRIVE), AND HAD JUST MENTIONED, IN PASSING, HE'D LIKE TO HAVE A BAG-FULL OF THE CENT CANDY, HE AND HIS BROTHER USED TO BUY, AT BRACEBRIDGE AND GRAVENHURST CORNER STORES. SO I HAD TO IMPOSE ON HIM, A FEW SUNDRY TALES, ABOUT MY OWN OLDEN DAYS, WHICH IS AN HOUR LONG DISCERTATION, EVEN WHEN I'M TRYING TO HURRY. BLACK BALLS, AT A DOZEN FOR TEN CENTS, MEANT THAT I COULD LAST A WHOLE WEEKEND, FOR FIFTY CENTS WORTH. THE JUJUBES, JAW BREAKERS, OPECHEE PACKETS OF HOCKEY AND BASEBALL CARDS, WITH THE ROCK HARD SHEET OF GUM, POP IN REAL GLASS BOTTLES, CHIPS AND POPCORN WITH PRIZES IN THE BOXES. GADS, DO I EVER HAVE SOME GREAT RECOLLECTIONS OF MY YOUTH SPENT, HUNKERED DOWN, TRADING PRIZES FOR EMPTIES, ON THE ROTTING STEPS OF THE LOCAL CORNER STORES, UP ON TORONTO STREET, IN BRACEBRIDGE. ISN'T IT A BUMMER, WHEN A PARENT LOOKS UP, WHILE AWAITING A CHUCKLE OR TWO, AND SEES THAT THE YOUNGER GENERATION HAS JUST THEN, BUGGERED OFF, BECAUSE THE STORY WAS ONCE AGAIN TOO BLOODY LONG, FOR A SOBER PERSON TO STAY TUNED. I SHOULD BE USED TO THIS BY NOW. BACK IN MY DAYS WITH THE COMMUNITY PRESS, I COULD REGALE AN AUDIENCE, OF MY PEERS, WITH THESE SENTIMENTAL ANECDOTES, OF BEING A CORNER STORE GROUPIE. IN ALL FAIRNESS, I WAS KNOWN AS THE GREAT ROOM-CLEARER. IN THE MUSIC STUDIO, I'M LIMITED TO ONE STORY A DAY, AND ALREADY THIS WEEK, I'VE EXCEEDED THIS CEILING THREE-FOLD. GEEZ, I'VE BEEN ALL NOSTALGIC AS OF LATE, THINKING BACK TO THE DAYS OF THE COLD WAR, WHEN WE HALF-EXPECTED AN INCOMING MISSILE TO END OUR RECREATION. SO IF WE HAD TO PERISH, WE MIGHT AS WELL GO WITH CANDY BREATH.

A LITTLE NOTE OF CLARIFICATION

     ANDREW AND ROBERT HAVE LIVED UNDER PUBLIC SCRUTINY SINCE BEFORE THEY WERE BORN. I'M NOT SURE IF THIS HAS CAUSED EMOTIONAL SCARRING OR NOT. I'M SORRY IF IT HAS. AS THEY HAVE APPEARED IN PRINT, VIA MY FEATURE STORIES, AND COLUMNS, EVEN MONTHS BEFORE EACH WAS BORN, THEY TEND TO ATTRACT SOME ATTENTION WHEN THEY DO SOMETHING OFF-SCRIPT. WE'VE BEEN A MEDIA FAMILY BY THE REALITY THEIR MOTHER, SUZANNE, MARRIED A WRITER, WHO HAS ALWAYS FOUND HIS FAMILY TO BE INTERESTING SUBJECTS FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION. "FOR PUBLIC HUMILIATION," SUZANNE QUIPS, FROM AN ARMCHAIR, WHERE SHE IS PRESENTLY KNITTING A BEARD-GUARD FOR ME. ONE THAT WILL CATCH THE FOOD THAT MISSES MY MOUTH AT DINNER. YES, I WAS EVEN AT BEDSIDE, WHEN DR. LYNCH DELIVERED THE LADS, AND EACH GOT THEIR OWN SPECIAL COLUMN, THAT WEEK, UNDER THE HEADLINE, "FROM THE BLEACHERS." I'VE GOT READERS ONBOARD, WHO BEGAN READING MY COLUMNS IN THE EARLY 1980'S, IN MUSKOKA PUBLICATION NEWSPAPERS, AND HAVE BEEN FOLLOWING IN VARIOUS MAGAZINES (AND ONLINE) EVER SINCE. THE BOYS ARE SPECIAL TO US, OF COURSE, BUT BECAUSE OF ALL THE MEDIA MILEAGE, THEIR ACTIONS ARE SCRUTINIZED VERY CLOSELY. IT'S OKAY SOME TIMES, BUT A DRAG AT OTHER TIMES. HERE'S WHY!

     YOU WOULDN'T BELIEVE SOME OF THE RUMORS THAT HAVE BEEN SPREADING RECENTLY, IN GRAVENHURST AND AREA, ABOUT ANDREW'S UNEXPECTED RETIREMENT FROM HIS SOUND TECHNICIAN RESPONSIBILITIES, AT SEVERAL MUSKOKA ENTERTAINMENT VENUES. EVERY SPIN AND SLANT OF SCUTTLEBUT, INCLUDING TALL, TALL TALES, THAT "ANDREW HAS LEFT THE AREA," AND "CLOSED HIS BUSINESS," TO HAVING JUST HOOKED-UP WITH A TRAVELLING BAND, AS THE PERMANENT SOUND STAFF. JUST SHORT OF CLAIMS HE JOINED THE "FRENCH FOREIGN LEGION," TO ASSUME A NEW IDENTITY; TO WORKING THE ENTERTAINMENT CIRCUIT, AS A BARKER, FOR A TRAVELLING CARNIVAL. LAST TIME I LOOKED, HE WAS SITTING ON THE COUCH, BESIDE ME, HAVING JUST LOST HALF OF HIS DONUT, WITH AN AWKWARD DUNK INTO HIS COFFEE CUP. HE'S NOT WEARING A PITH HELMET, SO HE'S NOT HEADED TO MEET DR. LIVINGSTONE, IN THE DEEPEST, DARKEST JUNGLE (I PRESUME), AND SEEING AS HE'S BOOKED IN, WITH BROTHER ROBERT, TO TRAVEL TO THE BIG SMOKE NEXT WEEK, TO MEET-UP WITH HIS MUSICAL MATES, OBVIOUSLY, SOME OF THE RUMORS ARE UNFOUNDED. SOME ARE TRUE. THE SOFT LIFE IS GIVING HIM A LITTLE POT BELLY, AND HE DOES RECLINE ON THE SOFA HERE, IN BETWEEN CUSTOMERS. I THINK HIS MOTHER AND I WOULD KNOW, IF HE HAD BEEN ARRESTED FOR MUSICAL MISCHIEF, OR HAD BECOME THE NEW OWNER OF THE TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS. GADS, PLEASE DON'T DO THAT, SON! SO IT'S JUST A LITTLE BIT OF SPECULATION, THAT ANDREW LEFT SOUND TECHNICIAN CONTRACTING, FOR SOMETHING QUITE EXOTIC. MAYBE IT'S EXOTIC FOR HIM, BECAUSE HE WILL HAVE A LITTLE LESS HUSTLE AND BUSTLE IN HIS WORK WEEK. WITH SUCH A HISTORY OF INK IN HIS BLOOD, COURTESY HIS OLD DAD, HE AND ROBERT, HAVE JUST LEARNED TO LIVE WITH THE HYPE, AND UNWANTED ATTENTION, AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT OF FOLKS INADVERTENTLY SENTENCED TO A LIFE OF PUBLIC SCRUTINY; OF WHICH THEY HAVE NO CONTROL. BUT THEN THEY'VE NEVER ASKED ME TO CHANGE THE WAY I WRITE, OR WHAT I FIND FASCINATING, ABOUT THEIR ACTIVITIES, TO OFFER READERS. VERY FEW PEOPLE CAN CLAIM TO HAVE APPEARED IN PRINT, AS MANY TIMES AS THEY HAVE, SINCE THE MID 1980'S, WHEN SUZANNE AND I WERE FAMILY PLANNING. LOTS OF PHOTOGRAPHS AS WELL. SO THIS IS A MINOR EXPLANATION, FOR WHY RUMORS TEND TO FLARE UP, WHEN ONE OF THE BOYS DOESN'T SHOW UP, WHERE THEY ARE EXPECTED, AS A MATTER OF TRADITION.

THE APPROVED VERSION OF EVENTS

     THESE DAYS, I FEEL MUCH MORE CONFIDENT, WHEN WRITING ABOUT THE BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP WITH OUR SONS, WHEN I GIVE THEM AN OPPORTUNITY TO APPROVE EDITORIAL COPY BEFORE IT IS PUBLISHED. THE INTRODUCTION ABOVE WASN'T APPROVED, AS THE OFFICIAL VERSION, BUT THE MATERIAL BELOW WAS CLEARED. THEY'LL CRAB ABOUT IT, UNTIL I EXPLAIN, THAT I WROTE IT AS "DAD," AND NOT AS THE WRITER IN RESIDENCE. THAT'LL COVER MY ASS, IN CASE OF A LAW SUIT.

     

     THE GRAVENHURST GRAPEVINE HAS BEEN SMOKING HOT, FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS, AT LEAST FOR SON ANDREW, WHO HAS BEEN GETTING ALL KINDS OF CURIOUS E-MAILS AND MESSAGES, ABOUT HIS RECENT DEPARTURE FROM A LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT VENUE. SOME OF HIS FRIENDS HAVE BEEN COUNTING TOO; NOTING THAT HE'S COINCIDENTALLY OR NOT, RETIRED FROM TWO LOCAL VENUES IN THE PAST EIGHT MONTHS. HE HAD BEEN A LONG-TIME OPERA HOUSE TECHNICIAN, ALONGSIDE HIS BROTHER ROBERT, WHO, HOWEVER, HAD ONLY MANAGED A YEAR UNDER HIS BELT, WHEN IT BECAME TOO MUCH OF A COMPROMISE TO THEIR OWN MUSIC BUSINESS, TO CONTINUE OUTSIDE CONTRACTING. AS WE ALSO RENT-OUT OUR SOUND EQUIPMENT, KNOWN AS "BACK-LINE," AND OPERATE THEM FOR ENTERTAINMENT VENUES, THE WORK-LOAD WAS CUTTING TOO DEEPLY, INTO THE WAY WE WERE ABLE TO STAFF THE SHOP SIX DAYS A WEEK. WHAT MANY FOLKS, WHO KNOW THE BOYS, DON'T REALIZE, IS THAT THEY HAVE A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF MUSIC STUDENTS THROUGH THE WEEK; AS WELL AS RECORDING SESSIONS, FOR LOCAL AND EVEN NATIONAL MUSICIANS. LATE NIGHTS, PLUS THE ADDED STRESSES OF RUNNING A MAINSTREET BUSINESS, DURING THE DAY, WORKING LATE INTO THE NIGHTS, AND KEEPING EVERYONE HAPPY WITH THE BALANCE OF ATTENTION THEY WERE GETTING, (INCLUDING THE MUSICIANS), WAS PLAYING HAVOC ON DAY TO DAY NAVIGATION. AS WITH ANY FAMILY BUSINESS, YOU TRY TO PLUG HOLES WHEN YOU CAN, BUT SUZANNE AND I DON'T HAVE THE QUALIFICATIONS TO INFILL TOO MUCH, FOR ROBERT AND ANDREW, WHEN IT COMES TO OUTSIDE TECHNICAL WORK. I HELP TOTE EQUIPMENT, AND SUZANNE DOES ALL THE ACCOUNTING, BUT THAT'S PRETTY MUCH THE EXTENT OF IT....AND THAT WAS JUST NOT ENOUGH, TO GIVE THE LADS A BREAK. ON A COUPLE OF OCCASIONS RECENTLY, THEY HAD TO MAKE IMMEDIATE CHOICES ABOUT THEIR SCHEDULE, AND IT CAUSED SOME CHAGRIN WITH OUR PARTNERS. WE UNDERSTOOD THIS, AS A BUSINESS ASSOCIATE, BUT WHEN IT CAME RIGHT DOWN TO THE NITTY GRITTY OF OUR GAME PLAN, AS SET OUT A DECADE AGO, IT CLEARLY DEMONSTRATED THAT THERE COULDN'T BE DIVIDED LOYALITIES ANY LONGER. WE KNEW THE CROSSROADS WAS JUST AHEAD, BUT WE DIDN'T EXPECT TO ARRIVE THERE QUITE SO SPEEDILY.

     BOTH BOYS ARE STILL AVAILABLE FOR SOUND GIGS, AT THEIR DISCRETION, AND ARE ALWAYS AVAILABLE FOR SOUND SYSTEM CONSULTING; BUT WITH OUR ONGOING BUSINESS EXPANSION, AND A BUSY SPRING SEASON FOR RECORDING, COMING UP, LEAVING THE HEAVY SCHEDULE OF TECH. RESPONSIBILITIES, HAS MADE LIFE A LITTLE MORE COMFORTABLE AT THE HOME STUDIO. ANDREW WAS JUST TELLING ME HOW NICE IT IS, TO HAVE THE DAY TO DAY USE OF THE SOUND EQUIPMENT, THAT WE USED TO RENT OUT, AS BACK-LINE, THAT COULDN'T BE FULLY UTILIZED IN THE STUDIO, BECAUSE IT WAS USUALLY STATIONED AT SOME OTHER VENUE, FOR AN UPCOMING SHOW. AS WE HAVE LOTS OF MUSICIANS VISITING, AND PLANNING RECORDING SESSIONS, IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF MONTHS, THE EXTRA EQUIPMENT IS GOING TO COME IN HANDY; AND WE HOPE IT WILL ADD TO THE ADVANTAGES OF WORKING AND PLAYING HERE, ON THE MAIN STREET OF GRAVENHURST.

     THERE HAVE BEEN SOME WONKY STORIES GOING AROUND, AS TO WHY WE DECIDED TO PULL IN THE PROVERBIAL HORNS, AT THIS POINT. WE'VE HEARD SOME REALLY STRANGE SCENARIOS ABOUT THIS DEPARTURE, AND IT'S WHY WE FEEL COMPELLED TO INFILL SOME INFORMATION. IF YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE A SOUND TECHNICIAN, WELL SIR, ANDREW AFTER TEN YEARS AT THE GRAVENHURST OPERA HOUSE, COULD WRITE A BOOK ABOUT IT.....ESPECIALLY WORKING WITH SOME OF THE GREAT TALENTS THAT HAVE BEEN ON THAT BEAUTIFUL STAGE. ANDREW HAS WORKED WITH SOME HUGE ACTS OVER THE YEARS, AND WITH BROTHER ROBERT, ENJOYED MIXING-IT-UP WITH THE PARADE OF TALENTED, INTERNATIONALLY RECOGNIZED PERFORMERS; MANY OF THEM ENTERTAINING ON "THE BARGE," DURING THE SUMMER SEASON OF CONCERTS, AT GULL LAKE PARK. WE ENCOURAGED BOTH BOYS TO GET INVOLVED WITH CIVIC PROGRAMS, AT A YOUNG AGE, AND THEY EVEN PRODUCED ABOUT A DOZEN CONCERT NIGHTS, ON BOTH THE BARGE AND AT THE OPERA HOUSE.    BUT TRUTHFULLY THEY WERE BACK-BREAKING EVENTS, AND KEEPING THE PERFORMERS PLEASED WITH THEIR SOUND QUALITY, WAS A PAINSTAKING SITUATION THAT COULD NEVER BE TAKEN LIGHTLY. THERE WERE TOO MANY STAKEHOLDERS WHO STOOD TO LOSE, IF ANDREW, OR ROBERT, DROPPED THE BALL, SO TO SPEAK. IF WE DO THIS AT OUR STUDIO, WE CAN FIRE EACH OTHER....FOR AN HOUR OR SO. WHEN A MUSICIAN, OR BAND, WEIGHS THEIR OUTPUT, AS RELATES TO THEIR REPUTATION, AND LEGACY, BY GOLLY, IT WOULD BE THE WORSE CASE SCENARIO, (NOW MULTIPLY THAT BY TEN) IF THE SOUND TECHNICIAN SCREWED UP, AND PROVIDED A LESSER QUALITY SOUND. BOTH LADS KNOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE SCOLDED, LECTURED, CRITIQUED, YELLED-AT, SCORNED, AND OVER-RULED. ON THE OTHER SIDE, THEY'VE BOTH HAD THE SUDDEN JOY, AFTER A TOUGH GIG, OF BEING CONGRATULATED, AND INFORMED "THE SOUND WAS PERFECT." KEEPING THE MUSICIANS, THE PAYING CUSTOMERS, AND THE VENUE MANAGEMENT HAPPY, IS A FAR GREATER CHALLENGE THAN MANY CASUAL OBSERVERS MIGHT APPRECIATE. AS THEY BOTH HAVE TAKEN THEIR JOBS, AND RESPONSIBILITIES SERIOUSLY, AS PART OF THEIR OWN STORE-FRONT BUSINESS, THEY HAVE ALWAYS TREATED THEIR SOUND GIGS AS AN EXTENSION OF WHAT THEY HAVE TO PERFORM DAILY IN THE SHOP. IN PLAIN TERMS, THEY APPLY THEIR SIGNATURES TO THE JOB, AND IF IT IS SUBSTANDARD, THEY TAKE IT PERSONALLY. I'VE SEEN IT MANIFEST, AND BOTH GENTS GO SLEEPLESS AS A RESULT. SUZANNE HAS WORRIED IT WOULD GIVE THEM ULCERS. I CONCUR. THERE JUST ISN'T ENOUGH OF THEM TO GO AROUND ANY MORE. IT WORKED ONCE, BECAUSE THE STORE WASN'T TOO BUSY. SO I SUPPOSE, IN REGARDS TO THE SOUND AND TECHNICAL COMPONENT, ONE SIDE OF THEIR BUSINESS PLAN HAS SUCCUMBED TO THE SUCCESS OF RETAIL, MUSIC INSTRUCTION AND STUDIO WORK. THAT DOESN'T MEAN TO SUGGEST, ANDREW PARTICULARLY, ISN'T DISAPPOINTED ABOUT THE TURN OF EVENTS, THAT FORCED HIM TO CHOSE ONE OVER THE OTHER. BOTH OF THEM LOVE WORKING UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH MUSICIANS, IN PERFORMANCE SETTINGS. DESPITE KNOWING THE RISKS, OF BEING RUN HARD, THROUGH THE MILL, OVER MATTERS OF DEMANDED SOUND QUALITY, THEY'RE STILL DOING THE SAME THING IN THE STUDIO. SOUND QUALITY IS JOB ONE. SO THEY EXPECT FEEDBACK FROM ASSOCIATE MUSICIANS IF IT'S NOT UP TO SNUFF.

    THEY'VE MADE QUITE A NUMBER OF FRIENDS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY DURING THE PAST DECADE, WORKING THE LOCAL VENUES, AND I'M SURE YOU CAN APPRECIATE, IT WILL TAKE AWHILE TO GET USED TO BEING ANCHORED IN ONE LOCATION; TO INSTEAD MEET UP WITH MUSIC MATES ON HOME TURF.

EARLIER THIS WINTER, WE HAD TO RE-WORK OUR MUSIC "SESSIONS" EVENTS, AT THE SHOP, DUE TO THE POTENTIAL THAT WE MIGHT (ONE DAY) VIOLATE FIRE REGULATIONS, SHOULD OUR NUMBER OF GUESTS SURPASS THIRTY. WELL, ALTHOUGH WE HAD SAFELY STAYED UNDER THIS NUMBER, WE KNEW SOME OF OUR UPCOMIING FEATURE ENTERTAINERS, WERE GOING TO DRAW MANY MORE PATRONS; AND THE WORK AND EXPENSE TO MEET THE FIRE SAFETY REQUIREMENTS, FOR SUCH A MEETING PLACE, COULDN'T BE JUSTIFIED; TO STILL ALLOW US TO MEET ALL OUR OTHER LONG-PLANNED PROJECTS, INCLUDING THE CREATION OF A BETTER QUALITY RECORDING STUDIO. HEY, THAT'S LIFE. SOMETIMES YOU DON'T GET YOUR WAY. OF COURSE, WE'RE DISAPPOINTED BUT WE ADAPT QUICKLY. YET SINCE THE MIDDLE OF FEBRUARY, THEIR FREE TIME HAS BEEN SWALLOWED UP; LIKE THE OOZE OF QUICKSAND, THAT MIGHT CONSUME A BIG FELLOW LIKE ME. THEY WONDER ALOUD HOW THEY USED TO FIT ALL THIS OTHER ACTIVITY IN, AND STILL RUN THE STORE.

     I WAS THE ONE, THE GAME CHANGER, I SUPPOSE, WHO SUGGESTED TO ANDREW, MOST RECENTLY, THAT HIS FREELANCE WORK AS A SOUND TECHNICIAN, WAS CARRYING TOO MANY BURDENS, THAT WERE TAKING AWAY FROM DAY TO DAY BUSINESS. WE ALWAYS NEW THE DAY WOULD COME, WHEN IT WOULD COME DOWN TO THE CHOICE, OF EITHER MAKING OUR STOREFRONT MORE DIVERSIFIED, AND EXPANDING OUR SERVICES IN-HOUSE, OR ADDING MANPOWER TO MAINTAIN OUR SOUND CONTRACTING. I'VE ALWAYS BEEN A KEEN WATCHER OF OUR LADS, WHILE TRYING NOT TO OVERBURDEN THEM WITH ATTENTION. NOTICING HOW THEY COPE WITH STRESS IN BUSINESS, PREPARES US FOR ADJUSTMENTS IN TIME MANAGEMENT. MOM FINDS MONEY TO SEND THEM ON A LITTLE HOLIDAY. SO WE BREAK REGULARLY, AND THEY TAKE-OFF SOMEPLACE THEY FIND RESTORATIVE AND INSPIRATIONAL. YES, IT ALWAYS HAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH MUSIC. IT WAS GETTING TO A POINT THAT ANDREW WAS NOT ENJOYING HIS OUTSIDE WORK, AND IN ORDER TO GET AHEAD OF A BIGGER PROBLEM, I SUGGESTED ONE EVENING, AFTER A BAD DAY, THAT IT WAS FINALLY THE TIME TO LET GO OF SOME OF THE OUTRIGGERS, HE HAD EMPLOYED FROM THE EARLY DAYS OF HIS BUSINESS PLAN. WE HAD ALWAYS KNOWN THAT THERE WOULD BE A TIME, WHEN WE'D HAVE TO CUT SOME OF OUR OUTSIDE WORK, BECAUSE THE DEMANDS OF THE STORE-FRONT HAD GROWN. IT JUST ARRIVED A LITTLE SOONER, THAN WAS EXPECTED. SOME TIMES IT'S JUST BETTER THAT WAY. SO NO, HE WASN'T SHOT FROM A CANON TO ANOTHER MUNICIPALITY, OR STRANDED ON GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, JUST IN CASE YOU HEARD ONE OF THOSE STRANGE RUMORS.

     I'M STILL ALLOWED TO WORK FROM A CHAIR, IN THE CORNER OF THE STUDIO, AND THROUGHOUT THE WEEK, BY HAPPENSTANCE OF A VISIT, FROM A TRAVELLING MUSICIAN, I GET THE OPPORTUNITY TO SIT-IN ON SOME AMAZING CONVERSATIONS; AND A LITTLE INFORMAL MUSICAL INTERLUDE IF I'M LUCKY. IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO AVOID BEING INSPIRED BY THE ACTIONS AND REACTIONS OF OTHERS, WHO PASS THIS WAY. THE BOYS ARE FAR MORE RELAXED, AND THEY ARE PRESENTLY USING NINETY PERCENT OF THE EQUIPMENT, THEY USED TO RENT OUT EVERY MONTH. THEY TELL ME IT'S A MUCH BETTER SITUATION FOR RECORDING, AND PRACTICE, INCLUDING THE NEWEST STUDIO SET UP, IN THE BACK ROOM, THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY USED FOR OUR SESSIONS EVENTS. I THINK BOTH LADS ARE CATCHING UP ON SOME RECREATION TIME, AND ENJOYING THE SHOP ENIVIRONS EVEN MORE, NOW THAT THEY DON'T HAVE TO RUN HERE AND THERE, TO MEET THE DEMANDS OF OTHERS. NOW THEY'RE TRULY WORKING FOR THEMSELVES, WHICH IS THE FIRST TIME IN OVER A DECADE. THE TUG AND PULL OF BEING A FREE LANCE SOUND TECHNICIAN, IS A REALITY OF THEIR MUSIC PAST; A COUPLE OF CHAPTERS IN THE BOOK THEY WANT ME TO WRITE. HEY, THEY'VE WRITTEN SONGS TO ACCOMPANY MY PROJECTS. IT'S THE LEAST I CAN DO. AS SUZANNE WANTS TO KEEP ME FROM CLOGGING UP THE SHOP, WITH MY MUDDLING-ABOUT, I CAN INSTEAD, CONTENT MYSELF AT THIS KEYBOARD, WRITING ABOUT THEM GOOD OLD DAYS. AND THEY WERE. BUT I'M JUST AS EXCITED WAITING FOR THE NEXT WILD MUSIC-RELATED WHIRLWIND, THAT WILL BLOW THROUGH THIS BUILDING; WHICH SO FAR, HAS MADE MY STINT IN THE NEWSROOM, OF THE FORMER HERALD-GAZETTE, SEEM LIKE AN EXTENDED RESPITE. IT'S HARD TO DESCRIBE THE DYNAMIC OF A MUSIC STUDIO, INSIDE A FORMER MOVIE THEATRE, WITH A CONTINUOUS PARADE OF MUSICIANS; BUT COMPARED TO A BUNCH OF POLITICIANS AND BUSINESS EXECUTIVES, WHO FILLED USED TO FILL MY NEWSROOM, GOSH, I'M IN HEAVEN HERE, IN THESE FINAL DAYS OF AUTHORDOM FOR AN OLD HACK.....NOT DOWN ON HIS LUCK. THIS IS THE BEST FORTUNE I'VE EVER HAD!

IN QUEST OF TOM THOMSON - THE CONCLUSION, AS WRITTEN BY ARTIST ALBERT H. ROBINSON, CIRCA 1937

A BOOK ON THOMSON I JUST COULDN'T LIVE WITHOUT -

WHAT AN AMAZINGLY BRIGHT AND CHEERFUL LATE WINTER DAY, HERE IN SOUTH MUSKOKA. I HAVE JUST TAKEN A LITTLE JAUNT THROUGH THE WOODLANDS ABOVE THE BOG, AND THE SUNLIGHT IS DAZZLING ON THE NEW SNOW, SCULPTED AROUND THE TRUNKS OF HARDWOODS AND VENERABLE OLD PINES, FROM THE WEEKEND'S STORM. THE PATH IS ICE-COVERED ALREADY, THE SLIDING WORK OF MANY FEET OVER THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS. IT IS LIKE WALKING INTO A TOM THOMSON PAINTING, WITHOUT CAUSING ANY DAMAGE. THE PLAY OF LIGHT AND SHADOW OF HARDWOOD AND EVERGREEN, IS SPECTACULAR, AND FROM SO MANY VANTAGE POINTS, I CAN FRAME A HALF DOZEN PAINTINGS I'D LOVE TO OWN…..DEPICTING THE PLACE I LOVE TO ESCAPE. I HAVE BEEN WRITING ALL MORNING, TRYING TO GET A START ON THE BIOGRAPHY OF MUSKOKA ARTIST, RICHARD KARON, AND CAN ADMIT HAPPILY, I HAVE GOTTEN PAST THAT FIRST HURDLE MOST WRITERS DREAD……"CHAPTER ONE." IT WILL TAKE A FEW WEEKS YET TO COMPOSE THE "ON-LINE" BIOGRAPHY, I INTEND TO PRESENT ON THIS BLOG-SITE, LATER IN MARCH. ADMITTEDLY I WAS THINKING ABOUT MR. KARON, WHILE WALKING THROUGH THESE SUNLIT WOODS, WONDERING HOW HE MIGHT HAVE PAINTED THIS GRANDLY ILLUMINATED SCENE. I WAS ALSO THINKING ABOUT TOM THOMSON, THE NEXT PROJECT FOR ME, AFTER RETURNING HOME TO BIRCH HOLLOW. IT IS THE CONTINUATION OF THE REVIEW OF MY NEWLY ACQUIRED, ALBERT ROBINSON BOOK, (ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN 1937), WHICH IS A BRIEF BUT HIGHLY REGARDED THOMSON BIOGRAPHY…..A BOOK I NEEDED MANY YEARS AGO, BUT EITHER COULDN'T AFFORD, WHEN I DID FIND A COPY, OR ONE THAT WAS MISSING PAGES OR EVEN THE FULL COLOR IMAGES IN THE BACK. I FOUND A FINE CONDITION COPY THAT HAS ALL OF ITS PAGES, AND A NICE CLEAN GREEN CLOTH WRAPPING ON PERFECT BOARDS (COVER STOCK). NOT ONE DOG EARRED PAGE IN THE BOOK. AS AN ENTHUSIASTIC THOMSON RESEARCHER, AND COLLECTOR OF RELATED MOMENTOS (CAN'T AFFORD HIS ORIGINAL ART), IT WAS THE FIND OF 2012. IT'S LOOKING LIKE A GOOD YEAR OUT ON THE ANTIQUE HUSTINGS.

WHILE THE PICTURES HE PRODUCED BETWEEN 1913 AND 1917 REPRESENT HIS MAJOR CONTRIBUTION, THE BACKGROUND AND TRAINING FOR THIS MAGNIFICENT OUTPOURING EXPLAINS TO SOME EXTENT THE QUALITY OF HIS WORK. THOMSON LIVED AS A BOY IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF GEORGIAN BAY, AND HERE HIS INBORN LOVE OF THE LAKES, WOODS AND STREAMS WAS NOURISHED THROUGHOUT HIS CHILDHOOD. HE WAS PASSIONATELY FOND OF FISHING, AND IN LATER YEARS ATTAINED AN ENVIABLE REPUTATION AS AN ANGLER EVEN AMONG THE PROFESSIONAL GUIDES OF THE (ALGONQUIN) PARK. IN THE EARLY SPRING, BEFORE THE ICE BROKE FROM THE STREAMS AND RIVERS, HE MADE HIS OWN TACKLE FROM BEADS, FEATHERS AND PIECES OF METAL, WITH THE LOVING HANDS OF A TRUE ENTHUSIAST."

The above passage was written by Canadian Artist, Albert H. Robinson, in a 1937 "Canadian Artist Series" booklet, entitled simply "Tom Thomson." Robinson had known Thomson from the graphic arts business in Toronto. He was a friend and traveling companion of painter A.Y. Jackson, and he was familiar with the other artists of the Group of Seven. It is a small but important book in the study of the early life and work of this Canadian landscape painter. The book, which has evaded me for about a dozen years, was found in the used books offered by the Gravenhurst Book Store, located on Muskoka Road. I am grateful to the book shop proprietor, for offering this wonderful piece of Canadiana. Thanks to them, I have now acquired this missing component of Thomson biography. In reality, I've been trying to acquire a "fine condition" copy of the Robinson book, but most of the books I found, in the past five years, were badly damaged, and seriously over-priced. I've been rustling-up Thomson reference material, since the mid 1990's. My personal "Thomson archives," built-up one book, one article, one document at a time, has been used extensively in four previous feature series, which have run in regional publications, primarily in the examination of the artist's mysterious death in July 1917, while traversing Algonquin Park's Canoe Lake. The little booklet was published by The Ryerson Press, of Toronto, and designed and printed by one of the best known graphics company, in Canada at the time…….Rous & Mann Limited, where many of Canada's painters got their start in the art profession. Both Thomson and Robinson came to work for Rous & Mann by 1912, leaving the Grip Co.

In 1937 when Robertson published the brief biographical text, on Thomson, accompanied by full color reproductions of the artist's best known creations, there had only been a few books and articles written about his life and art, following his sudden death. Only several months after Thomson's death, his biggest supporter, Dr. J.M. McCallum had contributed an article on his friend, to the Canadian Magazine, dated October 1917. F.B. Housser made mention of Thomson in his book, Canadian Art Movement, in 1926. In 1927, O.J. Stevenson wrote about Thomson in a text entitled "A People's Best," and in the same year, Newton MacTavish mentioned him in the book, "The Fine Arts in Canada." Blodwen Davies came next, with one of two pieces on Thomson, the first being "Paddle and Palette," in 1930, and then "Tom Thomson," in 1935. Robinson had begun the Canadian Landscape Painters in 1932. I'm still missing several of these early Thomson references, but I'm forever hopeful I can fill these in before the 100th anniversary of his death, in July 2017, when I hope to launch another series of articles on his art career in Canada.

"My first meeting with Thomson was about 1908. A tall, lanky young man in a dark blue serge suit and gray flannel shirt applied for a position in the art department of Grip Limited, where I was art director. He was clean cut, almost classical in features, with a mop of black hair combed down over his right forehead. There was something intriguing about Thomson, a quiet reserve, a reticence almost approaching bashfulness. There was no bombast or assertiveness as he handed me a bundle of his work and asked if there was an opening in the art department."

Robinson writes, "His samples consisted mostly of lettering and decorative designs applied to booklet covers and some labels. A quick glance at his drawings revealed something more than mechanical and technical proficiency; there was feeling for spacing and arrangement, an over-tone of intellectual as well as aesthetic approach to his work, and we quickly closed arrangements for him to join the staff. Shortly after hiring him, I received a gratuitous and unsolicited telephone call from his previous employer, belittling Thomson as an erratic and difficult man in a department. This was as absurd as it was untrue. Thomson was a most diligent, reliable and capable craftsman. Nothing seemed to disturb the even tenor of his way. Only once did I see him lose his temper and that was in 1912. A man under the influence of liquor got into the studio and made himself as objectionable as possible. Tom tried to continue his work, but when the visitor became personally abusive, Tom's slow temper finally rose. He took off his coat and threw the visitor out of the building. The noise of overturning chairs and tables attracted my attention, but by the time I got there, Tom was brushing imaginary dust off his hands and settling back in to finish his drawing."

"Tom Thomson possessed a complete and satisfactory world within himself." wrote Albert Robinson, adding, "He apparently did not feel any great need for human companionship, and so made friends slowly. When he joined "Grip" (graphic company in Toronto), it was some time before he found common interests with other members of the art staff. Among his fellow workers in the department, were such men as J.E.H. MacDonald, F. Horsman Varley, Frank Carmichael, Arthur Lismer, William Broadhead, Frank (Franz) Johnston, T.W. McLean, Ben Jackson, Ivor Lewis and many others. These men sketched and painted in their spare time and during their holidays. Ben Jackson was an enthusiastic fisherman who arranged his sketching trips with angling opportunities. Thomson and Jackson were soon planning trips together, lunge fishing in Scugog Lake, or trout fishing in some favorite stream known to Tom. Jackson took his paints along as a mild diversion from fishing, and on one of these trips made a sketch of Tom which now hangs in the National Gallery, Ottawa. Jackson who had fished the streams of New Brunswick, with crack fishermen from the New England states, said that he never saw anyone who could cast a fly with the ease and precision of Thomson. On some of these trips Tom began making the casual sketch, and occasionally joined other members of the staff on their sketching trips round Toronto."

There is a well known black and white photograph of Thomson fly fishing below the Tea Lake Dam, just west of Tea Lake, and Canoe Lake where Thomson resided when not on a fishing or sketching trip. Our family always stopped in at the Tea Lake dam, on our camping or day trips to the park. We have stood on those same rocks as Thomson did, in the early 1900's, and where he anchored himself, to sketch the original dam. It is a beautiful and quiet little place, that afforded him a perfect campsite to both fish and paint.

Robinson points out that, "William Broadhead, a brilliant young English artist, after listening all winter to McLean's stories of canoeing and camping in the wilds, was fired with a desire to see the country himself, and in the summer of 1911, Broadhead and Thomson set out on a canoe trip through the Mississauga Reserve, leaving the rails at Biscotasing. This was, I believe, Thomson's first experience on an extended camping trip in the north. It was also Thomson's first serious sketching trip. He brought back a number of sketches although he lost some in a canoe upset. These sketches were timid and self conscious in execution, but had caught the real northern character. I recall one in particular of drowned land which impressed me as having the weird loneliness of the country. It was on this trip also, that Thomson met Grey Owl, (before he was exposed as englishman, Archie Belaney) now known in America and Europe as author and lecturer, who visited him in Toronto the following winter."

The artist Robinson, writes of his friend Thomson, by noting a change in employment status in the Ontario printing industry. "In 1912 I became associated with Rous & Mann Limited, and several of the artists, including Thomson, followed to the new art department, where he worked until the spring of 1914. In the summer of 1912, Thomson took his first extended vacation in Algonquin Park, and brought back a series of sketches which showed a tremendous advance in technical power and purity of color. Strolling up from the station (in Toronto) in his woodsman outfit and carrying the bundle of sketches, he reported his return to work and left the sketches for inspection. We urged him to paint one of his sketches upon a large canvas. So 'A Northern Lake' came into being in 1913, his first attempt on a large canvas. It attracted the admiration of his fellow artists, and to his astonishment was purchased by the Government of Canada."

"J.E.H. MacDonald told Dr. J.M. McCallum of Toronto, about Thomson's north country sketches. The genial doctor soon looked him up and persuaded him to devote his entire time to painting. His art training had been and continued to be the association with competent painters. The few remaining years of his life he devoted whole-heartedly to painting, sketching in the spring, summer and fall, and returning to his studio "Shack" on Severn Street to work on large canvases during the winter months." wrote Robinson, adding, "The basic knowledge of design obtained through his commercial art training explains the decorative beauty of composition and arrangement which so marks his painting. In this respect, there is a common bond between Thomson and J.E.H. MacDonald. Both were eminent and capable designers, and both approached the problem of landscape painting with a finely discriminating knowledge of form and arrangement. MacDonald, however, felt the appeal of a greater variety of subject matter, while Thomson concentrated with intensity on the Northern Ontario wilderness which claimed his whole devotion. Both of these men made important contributions to Canadian painting, evolving technics which were personal and adequate and unclouded either by convention or tradition. The work of each was alive with charm of design and beauty of color."

Robinson suggested that "From year to year Thomson grew in ability to summarize, in the beauty of his color arrangements, in confidence, and brilliancy of technique. His paintings are frank and beautiful statements of the moods and inner meanings of the scenes freed of all extraneous and distracting detail. His sense of design and color wove enchantment into a sketch, never cluttering or confusing it, but rather adding a richer and more subtle significance. Thomson left probably more than four hundred sketches, perhaps twenty important canvases, with as many slighter or experimental pictures. His tragic and untimely death on Canoe Lake robbed our Dominion of a great interpreter of the Canadian wilderness - a faithful student whose sincerity, unresting passion for true and swift insight into the heart of all that was beautiful, gave him skill and power to isolate essentials, which lifted his landscapes from the purely representative to the realms of personal creative art."

It was Thomson's friend, J.E.H. MacDonald, who penned the inscription, on the plaque of the memorial cairn, on Canoe Lake's Hayhurst Point, that reads, "To the memory of Tom Thomson, artist, woodsman, and guide, who was drowned in Canoe Lake, July 8th, 1917. He lived humbly but passionately with the wild. It made him brother to all untamed things in nature. It drew him apart and revealed itself wonderfully to him. It sent him out from the woods only to show these revelations and it too him to itself at last."

For a wee bit more on Tom Thomson, please join me for tomorrow's blog. Thanks for visiting today.