CHRISTMAS IN GRAVENHURST -

THE ARTIST WE SELDOM HEAR ABOUT - AND WHY? GRAVENHURST NEEDS TO CELEBRATE THE ACCOMPLISHMENT OF ITS CITIZENS WHO HAVE CALLED THIS PLACE HOME

WHAT WE DON'T DO HERE, AS A RULE, IS MAKE A FUSS ABOUT THOSE FOLK WHO HAVE CONTRIBUTED A LOT TO OUR SENSE OF COMMUNITY. THIS ISN'T TO SAY WE DON'T HAVE REGULAR RECOGNITION EVENTS…..MANY OF WHICH ARE POORLY ADVERTISED AND EQUALLY POORLY ATTENDED, BUT THAT WE TEND TO ALLOW OUR HISTORY TO FADE, NOT JUST DUE TO DISINTEREST BUT A MUCH HIGHER REGARD FOR TODAY'S NEWS……AND MOST RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS. EVERY NOW AND AGAIN A LOCAL WHO HAS GONE ON TO GREAT ACCOMPLISHMENT, IS RECOGNIZED AT A PARTICULAR EVENT, AS A SPECIAL GUEST. BUT THERE ISN'T ANY GRAND "HOMECOMING" FUSS, IF THERE IS ANYTHING REMOTELY "FUSS MUSTERING" ABOUT IT. IT'S NOT THAT WE DON'T APPROVE OF RECOGNITION BEING APPLAUDED, AND PRESENTATIONS MADE, BUT THE REALITY IS…..WE TEND TO EXPECT SOMEONE ELSE TO HANDLE THE DETAILS OF SUCH AN EVENT. SO IT EITHER NEVER GETS DONE, OR IT IS DONE ON A SMALL SCALE, SUCH AS TO BARELY ATTRACT MEDIA ATTENTION WHATSOEVER. WHAT GRAVENHURST CITIZENS NEED, ESPECIALLY STUDENTS LOOKING FOR ROLL MODELS, IS TO KNOW MORE ABOUT THEIR HOMETOWNERS. NOT JUST ONES WHO WERE BORN HERE, BUT THAT WHILE HERE, MADE THE MOST OUT OF SOUTH MUSKOKA AND THE OPPORTUNITIES AFFORDED THEM. THERE ARE MANY SUCH CASES, AND WHETHER IT IS IN WRITING, ART, HOCKEY, BUSINESS AND POLITICS, WE JUST DON'T SPEND A LOT OF TIME THINKING ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF PUBLIC RECOGNITION…..NOT JUST AT A ONE TIME EVENT, BUT ESTABLISHED AS A SORT OF HALL OF RECOGNITION. SO WE CAN ALL LOOK BACK UPON OUR HISTORY, AND SEE WHAT THESE ACCOMPLISHED CITIZENS HAVE MEANT TO GRAVENHURST……IN WAYS WE HAVE NEVER REALLY KNOWN.

THIS IS NOT TO SUGGEST WE HAVE BEEN PURPOSELY AVOIDING THESE ISSUES, OR MAKING ANY KIND OF PUBLIC STATEMENT, THAT WE DON'T SUCCUMB TO "HERO WORSHIP." YET AT A TIME WHEN WE HAVE A LOT OF PUNDITS AND ARMCHAIR CRITICS, POUNDING THE CRAP OUT OF OUR HOMETOWN, FOR WHAT IT DOESN'T HAVE, MAYBE WHAT WE NEED TO DO, IS STOP LONG ENOUGH, TO RECOGNIZE WHAT THIS LITTLE BURG HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE WORLD IN SO MANY DIFFERENT FIELDS. IT'S SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH FOR LOCAL HISTORIANS TO KNOW THIS, AND HAVE THOSE NAMES ON FILE SOMEWHERE. IT'S NOT ENOUGH THAT THE OLDTIMERS AND FAMILY, POSSESS THIS INFORMATION…….SHOULD SOMEONE, SOME DAY, ASK THE QUESTION. THESE FOLKS ARE IMPORTANT TO THE HERITAGE OF THE COMMUNITY, AND WHILE I'M GLAD RECENT PORTRAITS OF SOME OF THESE HISTORIC FIGURES ARE ON DISPLAY AT THE NEW TOWN HALL……THE PROBLEM IS, VERY FEW OF US HEAD OVER TO TOWN HALL…..AT LEAST ON A REGULAR BASIS……IN ORDER TO SEE THE ART WORK. THEY WILL NOT SERVE THE PURPOSE INTENDED BECAUSE MOST DON'T GIVE A CRAP…….BECAUSE THEY HAVEN'T HAD THE FOLLOW-UP PRESENTATIONS, THAT HIGHLIGHT THEIR WORK, AS ROLE MODELS FOR WHAT THE CITIZENS OF THIS TOWN CAN DO. THE KIND OF SELF EXAMINATION THAT WOULD TRULY HELP THE COMMUNITY, MAKE BIGGER STRIDES TO RESPECT ITSELF AGAIN.

FRANK C. JOHNSTON IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE. HE WAS KNOWN, BY WELL ESTABLISHED CANADIAN ARTISTS, TO HAVE BEEN ONE OF THE FINEST PRINT MAKERS IN THE COUNTRY. ARTIST HAROLD TOWN, ONE OF THE GROUP OF ELEVEN ARTISTS, HAD GREAT REVERENCE FOR THE WORK OF THIS LONG-TIME GRAVENHURST ARTIST. JOHNSTON'S WATERCOLOR DEPICTIONS OF THE STEAMSHIP ERA, WHICH HUNG SO REGALLY IN SLOAN'S RESTAURANT FOR YEARS, WERE ADMIRED BY LOCALS AND VISITORS, AND BY ART CRITICS AND HISTORIANS. HIS WORK DEPICTING THOUSANDS OF HISTORIC SITES, AND COMMUNITY SCENES, IN THIS PROVINCE, IS STILL BEING REVERED AND ENJOYED…… HANGING IN MANY HOMES, BUSINESSES, PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND INSTITUTIONS. YET MOST PEOPLE NOW, IN HIS FORMER HOMETOWN, MIGHT HAVE SEEN SOME OF HIS ART WORK, IN PASSING, BUT HAVE NO IDEA WHO HE WAS…..OR WHERE HE LIVED IN OUR TOWN. HIS PAINTINGS WERE SOLD OFF TO A HUNTSVILLE INSTITUTION WITH ONLY A MINOR PROTEST……WHEN THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST SHOULD HAVE MADE EVERY ATTEMPT TO KEEP THOSE STEAMSHIP PAINTINGS HERE……..HOW GRAND THEY WOULD HAVE LOOKED, HANGING IN THE HALLS OF THE NEW RECREATION CENTRE.

This past weekend, I purchased a small, signed print by Frank Johnston (who also once sketched my portrait for Muskoka Today), of a Northlander train at the Gravenhurst station. It's a wonderful winter scene, and typical of what talent this artist possessed. The fact it is signed makes it a fabulous find, and will be a prized addition to my art collection. What I wanted to share, most of all, is some of the biographical information, Frank posted on the back of the framed print. It's what I want Gravenhurst citizens to know about…….and to feel proud we had such a wonderful association for so many years. It didn't work out as it should have, and there were hard feelings, I understand, because of the sold-off paintings. It has been bandied about that it was the reason he moved back to Picton, Ontario…..but that may be more hearsay than fact. What is important in the future, is that we accentuate the positive…….instead of dwelling in the quagmire of self-pity, just because the business community isn't humming along on all cylinders. Transitional times are like that……and there's more to come. If we look back to what we are stewards of…….we will find a wealth of stories depicting personal accomplishment, that had roots in our hometown. Here now are the nuts and bolts of a biography we should know, and celebrate.

FRANK C. JOHNSTON - WATER COLOUR ARTIST AND PRINTMAKER

"Each print is unique as it has been made entirely by the artist in his own studio. A qualified fine art lithographer producing the print from colour separations, to plates, and finally the finished product, on his large format lithographic press. For year's Frank's lithographs have taken many forms - printing and promotion for the tourist industry, private industry, historic sites of Canada, Parks Canada, Universities, Churches and prominent buildings and scenes of cities, towns and villages of Canada (Halifax, Montreal, Kingston etc.). Works for members of parliament and many individuals around Canada and the United States.

"With his lithographic techniques he has reproduced works for other prominent Canadian artists (Harold Town for one). Frank was born in Toronto where he studied and worked at art - after World War II, 1946, he came to Muskoka- moved to Picton, Ontario, for 15 years, returned to Muskoka in 1975 and is now residing in Gravenhurst. His hobby is his trade - his outdoor activity is mostly on his sailboat; his indoor activity is three cats and a dog. (Hughson Street, Gravenhurst)"

For more on Frank Johnston you can click one blog back, where there is also images of the print I recently purchased (2 blogs back).