Gravenhurst Debt Load High; Richard Karon Part 12

GRAVENHURST DEBT LOAD - SO WHO REALLY WANTS TO INHERIT THIS BURDEN AS FUTURE COUNCILLORS?

MANY COUNCIL CANDIDATES WILL HAVE TO FACE GRIM NUMBERS FROM A BYGONE ERA

     I GREW UP HAVING THREE SQUARES A DAY, CLOTHES ON MY BACK, SHELTER, A FEW TOYS, AND FREQUENTLY, A FAMILY CAR TO DRIVE IN. I'M NOT GOING TO WRITE A BLOG ABOUT BEING POOR AS A KID, BECAUSE I'VE ALREADY DONE THAT…..NUMEROUS TIMES. NOT BECAUSE IT HAD AN ADVERSE IMPACT, OR CREATED THE MISER-ME OF THE PRESENT TENSE. I LEARNED GRADUALLY THAT I HAD TO SETTLE FOR A LITTLE LESS THAN THOSE WHO HAD MORE AFFLUENT FAMILIES. I SURVIVED. I GOT KIDDED FOR WEARING BARGAIN-BIN CLOTHES, AND SHOES THAT WEREN'T NAME BRAND, INCLUDING THE SPORTS GEAR I WORE THAT WAS HANDED DOWN TO ME BY NEIGHBORS. MY BIKE WAS GIVEN TO ME, AFTER A CHUM GOT A NEW ONE, AND SOME OF THE NEIGHBOR MOMS WOULD ROUTINELY SEND ME HOME WITH PACKAGES OF FRESH BAKING. I GUESS I MUST HAVE LOOKED DESTITUTE, BUT MY PARENTS WERE STILL ADEQUATE PROVIDERS. WE JUST BELIEVED THE CARE PACKAGES WERE THE RESULT OF GOOD AND CARING FOLKS, WHICH MEANT, WE DIDN'T HAVE TO SEND THINGS BACK BECAUSE WE FELT HUMILIATED BY CHARITABLE ACTS. MERLE NEVER ONCE LET ED KNOW ABOUT THESE PACKAGES FROM NEIGHBORS, OR HE WOULD HAVE BECOME ENRAGED. HIS PRIDE GOT IN THE WAY OF A LOT OF THINGS. MY MOTHER AND I GOT GOOD AT JUSTIFYING WHY THINGS WERE HAPPENING, SO WE DIDN'T HAVE TO DEAL WITH FEELING POORER THAN WE ACTUALLY WERE, BACK THEN. OCCASIONALLY, MERLE WOULD RESPOND-IN-KIND, WHEN PROVISIONS WERE AMPLE, AND WHIP UP SOME COOKIES OR MUFFINS TO SHARE WITH THE LOCAL KIDS.

    I LEARNED THAT BEING POOR DOESN'T HAVE TO BE AN ANCHOR, UNLESS THAT'S HOW YOU WISH TO BURDEN YOURSELF. I HAD TOO MUCH FUN IN MY YOUTH, TO HAVE SPENT MUCH TIME THINKING ABOUT ALL THE DEFICIENCIES I HAD, COMPARED TO MY CHUMS, WHO LIVED IN HOUSES. WE LIVED IN AN APARTMENT, WHERE EVERYBODY WAS JUST AS MODESTLY APPOINTED AS WE WERE….BUT WE ALL MORE THAN COMPENSATED FOR ANY PERCEIVED OR EXPERIENCED SHORTFALLS, BY BEING REALLY GOOD NEIGHBORS….AND SHARING WHATEVER WE HAD WITH OTHERS. WE COULD ALWAYS COUNT ON FAVORS BEING RETURNED. MY PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS MADE IT THROUGH TWO WARS AND A GREAT DEPRESSION, AND I APPRECIATE THE SACRIFICES THEY MADE TO BALANCE THEIR BOOKS.

     AS A FAMILY, IN MORE RECENT TIMES, WE PULLED OURSELVES OUT OF AN ECONOMIC ABYSS WE CREATED, BY OVER-INDULGING IN THE LATE 1980'S, WITH NUMEROUS REAL ESTATE TRANSACTIONS, AND ERRORS IN JUDGEMENTS WITH OUR AUTOMOBILE PURCHASES. IT WOULD MAKE ANYONE CRY, TO RECALL WHAT LIVING HELL WE WENT THROUGH, HAVING BEEN RIPPED OFF ON THREE VEHICLES IN SUCCESSION, FOR VERY MANY REASONS. I WOULD HAVE LEGALLY HAMMERED EVERY ONE OF THE DEALERSHIPS FOR WHAT WE SUFFERED, AS A RESULT OF MISREPRESENTED AUTOMOBILES, BUT I COULDN'T DUE TO MY EMPLOYMENT WITH THE COMMUNITY PRESS. EACH WAS A MAJOR ADVERTISER AND I WAS STILL ON THE EDITORIAL STAFF, AND WELL, IT WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN WELL RECEIVED WHATSOEVER, IF I HAD LAUNCHED A LEGAL ACTION. IT WAS IMPRESSED UPON EDITORIAL STAFF BACK THEN, HOW IMPORTANT IT WAS TO KEEP ADS…..BY KEEPING CLIENTS HAPPY AND WELL SERVED…..WHICH MEANT WE COULD KEEP OUR JOBS. AT THE TIME OF OUR MIND-BENDING PROBLEMS WITH FAULTY AUTOMOBILES, WE DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH MONEY IN RESERVE, TO TAKE ANY CHANCES. SO WE SUCKED IT UP, AND KEPT PAYING REPAIR BILLS UNTIL WE FINALLY GAVE THE VEHICLES AWAY…..OR SO IT SEEMED, AS WE GOT SO LITTLE RETURN FROM OUR MASSIVE INVESTMENT.

     OUR NEW HOUSE SANK IN VALUE LIKE A STONE THROWN INTO A STILL POND. WE BOUGHT AT THE TOP OF THE MARKET, AND THEN WE GOT TO EXPERIENCE WHAT LIFE WAS LIKE AT THE BOTTOM. NOT VERY NICE. IN FACT, IT AS WELL, HERALDED A DECADE OF IMPOSED FRUGALITY, WHILE PROPERTY VALUES IMPROVED. DURING THESE LEAN AND PRECARIOUS YEARS, LIKE MY YOUTH, OUR FAMILY LEARNED TO GET ALONG WITH LESS, AND NEVER, EVER TO RUN-UP CREDIT CARD BILLS AGAIN…..USING ONE CARD TO PAY THE MONTHLY BILL OF ANOTHER. IT'S NOT THAT WE WERE STUPID. WE WERE DESPERATE.

     THE REASON I'M WRITING THIS, IS DUE TO THE LOCAL MEDIA REPORT TODAY, THAT THE MUNICIPALITY OF THE TOWN OF GRAVENHURST, HAS THE MOST DEBT-LOAD OF THE SIX DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA PARTNERS. I DIDN'T READ ANYTHING I DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT BEFORE. I THINK IT'S DREADFUL, AND A BURDEN THAT WILL BE PLACED ON NUMEROUS FUTURE COUNCILS, PROBABLY TWO DECADES DOWN THE ROAD. IN OTHER WORDS, THOSE WISHING TO RUN FOR MUNICIPAL COUNCIL, IN THE NEXT REGIONAL ELECTION, IN THE FALL OF 2014, NEED TO APPRECIATE JUST HOW BAD IT IS, BEFORE THEY DECIDE TO GET INVOLVED. I DON'T CARE HOW MANY TIMES, THEY REFER TO ASSETS AS A COUNTER-BALANCE, UNLESS THOSE ASSETS ARE, OR COULD BE SOLD, THEY ARE JUST POSSESSIONS OF THE MUNICIPALITY…..USED FOR WHATEVER THEIR DESIGNATION HAPPENS TO BE. MY ASSETS INCLUDE OUR HOUSE, BUSINESS, CAR AND FURNISHINGS, BUT SEEING AS NONE OF THEM ARE FOR SALE, AND MAY NEVER BE LIQUIDATED, THEY ARE WHAT THEY ARE……"WHAT WE NEED TO LIVE COMFORTABLY." IF THE TOWN ISN'T PLANNING TO SELL THEIR STAKE IN THE WHARF DEVELOPMENT, GULL LAKE PARK, TOWN HALL, THE FIRE HALL, THE OPERA HOUSE, THE CARNEGIE CENTRE, MUSKOKA BEACH PARK, OR ANY OTHER TOWN ASSET, THEN USING IT AS A COUNTER-BALANCE IN ACCOUNTING, AS OFFSETTING WHAT WE OWE, IS WHAT MOST OF US WOULD CALL, TRYING TO PULL GOOD NEWS OUT OF A HAT, BUT ALL THAT POPS UP IS A MANGY OLD HARE.

     EVERY COUNCIL WILL PUT A POSITIVE SPIN ON BEING IN DEBT. IT'S IN THEIR BEST INTEREST, TO AVOID BEING RUN OUT OF TOWN ON A RAIL. IT'S A PROVEN FACT, THAT PROPAGANDA WORKS, TO AT LEAST BEFUDDLE THOSE WHO ARE EASILY MESMERIZED BY TALL TALES WITH HAPPY ENDINGS. AS A WORDSMITH, I KNOW WHAT THEY'RE PLAYING AT, AND HAVING WATCHED MANY COUNCILS WRESTLE WITH DEFICITS IN THE PAST, I KNOW HOW DIRE SITUATIONS CAN BE MADE TO SEEM TRIVIAL. THE CONFIDENT OVERVIEW, LIKE A BULLDOZER MOVING EARTH DOWN A SLOPE, MAKES US WONDER WHY WE EVEN ASKED THE QUESTION ABOUT DEBT-LOAD. I DON'T THINK TOWN COUNCILLORS HERE LOSE ANY SLEEP, THINKING ABOUT THE DEFICIT THEY WILL BE TURNING OVER TO A NEW COUNCIL IN JUST OVER A YEAR. I DO BELIEVE THE "ONE MUSKOKA" MOVEMENT, WILL BE VERY INTERESTED TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TRUE MEASURE OF ALL THE MUNICIPAL DEFICITS, AND THE WEAK-TEA APPROACH TO RESOLVING THE PROBLEMS. BUT EVERY ONE OF THESE COUNCILLORS KNOWS, IT CAN'T CONTINUE, OR LIKE DETROIT, WE'LL HAVE TO DECLARE OURSELVES TRULY PENNILESS.

     WE DON'T BUY ITEMS WE CAN'T AFFORD. WE PAY CASH FOR GAS WHEN THE GUAGE HITS NEAR-EMPTY. WE SHOP AROUND FOR SALE PRICES, AND EACH ONE OF US IN THIS FAMILY, BUYS SECOND HAND CLOTHING BECAUSE WE'RE FRUGAL BY NECESSITY. WE RUN OUR RESPECTIVE BUSINESSES ON AVAILABLE CASH, NOT ON BANK LOANS, AND EVEN THOUGH WE'VE GOT FINE TASTE IN ANTIQUES AND VINTAGE INSTRUMENTS, WE ONLY BUY WHAT WE CAN JUSTIFY AS A FAIR BUSINESS EXPENSE. WE TREAT OURSELVES WHEN WE HAVE THE MONEY, BUT HONESTLY, OUR HAPPINESS HAVING A BALANCED BUDGET, IS TRULY A REWARD OF SUCCESS WE CHERISH. WE'VE BEEN RECKLESS AND WE LEARNED FROM OUR MISADVENTURES.

     THOSE COUNCIL-HOPEFULS NEED TO RECKON WITH THE LIMITS THAT WILL BE PLACED ON THEIR GOVERNANCE, IN 2014 ONWARD. THEY WILL HAVE TO FACE THE GRIM REALITY OF CUT-BACKS AND REDUCED BUDGETS. THEY MAY HAVE TO LOOK AT THE OPERA HOUSE, AND MAKE THE BRUTAL DECISION TO EITHER RENT IT TO AN ENTERTAINMENT INTEREST, OR SHUT IT DOWN ENTIRELY. THERE ARE MANY SITUATIONS THIS COUNCIL DOESN'T WANT TO FACE……BUT ANOTHER COUNCIL WILL HAVE NO CHOICE BUT TO STARE IT IN THE WOBBLY JOWLS, AND EITHER DECIDE TO CONTINUE TO SPEND RECKLESSLY, (CAUSE THE OTHER GUYS DID) AND KILL US SLOWLY, OR OVERHAUL THE WHOLE BUDGETARY / ACCOUNTING PROTOCOL……..AND GIVE US THE GRIM NEWS STRAIGHT-UP….WHICH WE WOULD APPRECIATE IN TERMS OF TRANSPARENCY. HOW DO WE GET OUT OF THIS FINANCIAL TOMB? FIRST, HOW MUCH DO WE OWE? FORGET THE UNMOVABLE ASSETS, THAT ARE NOT FOR SALE, AND WILL NOT PRODUCE ANY HARD CASH, (OFF-SETTING DOLLAR FIGURE). HOW MUCH TO GET TO ZERO OWING? 

     IT'S A PICKLE. I'D BE INTERESTED IN WHAT THE "ONE MUSKOKA" MOVEMENT THINKS ABOUT THE LATEST MEDIA REVELATIONS, REGARDING REGIONAL AND MUNICIPAL DEBT-LOAD. I THINK THE TIME TO START RE-WRITING THE MUSKOKA AGREEMENT FOR REGIONAL GOVERNMENT HAS ARRIVED. I'M ONE OF THOUSANDS WHO BELIEVE THE SAME. IT WILL BE AN INTERESTING YEAR OF DEBATE I'M SURE OF THAT!

UPDATE ON RICHARD KARON BIOGRAPHY -

A FEW WORDS FROM HIS SON-

     The moment I introduced myself to the artist's son, back in January, I knew we had been destined to meet, and to work together. It was as if I had known him for years. I had even experienced visions of this eventual meeting, one day, and a hunch, there was going to be some writing involved. I write a great deal about the paranormal, in my other line of work, so trust me, this kind of stuff happens a lot. For the past five years, I've had hundreds of requests to appraise Richard Karon paintings, as an antique dealer. Primarily, it all generated from an article, I had written some years earlier, that a painting owner had posted on the internet. I only became aware of this, when I finally asked my son to do a google-search, so I could identify what article these people were quoting, that I'd written many years earlier, for the local press. Right up until the fall of 2011, I was still answering these enquiries. As I've written about before, I was getting so many requests that I finally wrote a standard email to send back, offering what little information I had…..and ball park estimates on painting values. I remember saying to my wife Suzanne, that I should write this biography, just based on the volume of people who are seeking information. Of the many artists I know about, in our region, Karon requests are a hundred times, to each of the others I know a little about. This biography was destined, in many ways, to happen.

     It began two years earlier, when Richard Sahoff Karon contacted me, asking whether I had any biographic information on his father's art career, especially in Muskoka. I knew the story of Richard Karon Sr., but most of it was based on the actuality of numerous events, exhibitions, and contact, while his studio was still operational.

     I realized as soon as we began exchanging emails, that he would benefit from my participation, because there were things I knew, and people I had talked to, shortly after the artist's death, in 1987, that would shed some light on some details, the younger Richard needed to know about. As a newspaperman during the lated 1970's and 80's, I picked up news tips wherever I happened to be…..and for Richard Karon, the artist, that came during his mid-1980's auction sale of his remaining art, and the official closing of his studio. I knew something was seriously wrong that day, and when I talked to the artist's friend, Eva Scheel, shortly after reading a notice of the artist's death, (several years later) there was no doubt in my mind, this story would turn and confront me one day……as I had long admired his landscapes, and wanted his name to remain etched in local history, in respect to his contributions to art and culture in Muskoka. When Eva told me how sad he had been to leave his studio and home, in the Township of Lake of Bays, it confirmed for me, what had happened during the auction sale……when the pall over the event seemed to affect everyone……certainly those who knew the artist.

     Auction goers generally, are very sensitive to the prevailing situation, and why the auction is being held, in the first place. I can't really explain why, but it may be in the fact, that in those days, attending auctions regularly was a social event, as it was business for many of us dealer-kind. The same people showed up at every sale, and it became like a club. There were always newbies but they soon fell in with the regulars, and word went around about the nature and circumstances of the sale. The artist was upset this day, and no one who knew him, could offer any consolation that might have made him feel better. His marriage hadn't worked out. That's not unusual. It's pretty commonplace, in fact. Richard Karon had to be close to his son. That was the bottom line. Art wasn't as important as being close to his family. Being separated was problem enough for the family. He didn't need three to four hours of traveling time between him and his wife and son. Financially it was a necessary move. Emotionally, it was a necessary move. Enduring the stress of the move, was necessary as well.

     It would take me hours to explain to the artist's son, why I knew that we would eventually connect after all these years. In the two years' lapse, between the first time he contacted me, and January of this year, we had zero time to even think about taking on any research projects. My father had a stroke and even before he passed away, we had to close-out his apartment, and make plans for his accommodations in a nursing home. He never made it to that point, and died in hospital. The coincidence here, is that a Richard Karon original hung on the wall above his favorite chair in the apartment. He had worked with the artist in the early 1970's, when he was employed as an estimator and sales manager for Building Trades Centre, in Bracebridge, and had been on his studio property many times, doing measurements for windows, doors and cupboards. I suppose he also arranged for the lumber as well. My dad always told me that I should do a story on Richard Karon one day, when I worked for the newspaper, as he thought he was not only a good artist, but an easy person to talk with. That day of the auction, I purchased a number of framed landscapes off Richard, who was still manning his studio sales desk, and Ed picked the one he wanted for over his chair. Even when they shifted apartments, three times, the Richard Karon original, was always hung above my father's chair. I remember telling him, before he got sick, that I was planning to do some work for Karon's son, at some point, and he seemed quite pleased. "Tell him I enjoyed working with his father, won't you," I recall him saying. And I have. Numerous times. Sometimes fate does stuff like this……things we just can't explain, and just do because it feels right. When Richard got back to me, after a several year hiatus, I was already signed on, before we'd shaken hands. This was a project that had to happen, and being a big believer in the afterlife, I half assumed Richard had met up with Ed in that other dimension, and thought it would be a swell idea to finish what had been a decent plan a long time ago……that I do a story on a Muskoka artist, and the artist's son act as my co-writer and research assistant. As Richard worked with my father on his art studio project, here we were then, decades later, "two sons" with a final chapter to write, as if by providential necessity, to complete some ethereal circle. I warned my associate, that we would make some interesting connections, and have many serendipitous moments throughout the research, and well into the future, that would put people into our lives we could not have anticipated from the beginning. It has already happened in part. My gut feeling is, there's something in Poland that is beckoning the young Karon, and I told him, before I wrote the first word of this biography, that he would one day, be making a pilgrimage to his father's home. He might still think this is outlandish, and impossible at this point in his life, but I'm pretty sure, as the elder Karon had always wanted to return to see his family, he will give some encouragement from the "great beyond," that his son should make the trip he was denied by illness. One day!

     The younger Richard Karon is a frequent flier, as a charter jet pilot. He was away for a number of days, and I had to move on with the biography without his concluding words. I was so happy he still wanted them published on this blog site, to wrap-up the biography of his father. As I promised earlier, and I couldn't deliver because of a computer glitch, I have included this precious photograph of his young daughter Aurora, looking through her grandfather's easel, at the Lake of Bays studio of Muskoka artist, Janet Stahle-Fraser (near Baysville). The artist was kind enough to invite Richard into her studio, to see and photograph his father's easel, that he had given her shortly after closing his own studio / gallery. It was a puzzle piece found, as the younger Richard had asked many times, where the easel had gone, and each lead he followed, had proven wrong. Richard was ecstatic after the visit, and very thankful for Janet's kindnesses bestowed. The photograph, to me, says it all, as a chapter unto itself. That despite what the biography wears, seemingly as only misfortune and displeasure, hardship and suffering, it arrives, with great positivism, at an optimistic outlook for the future; a portal onto great adventures yet to come. From the encouragement of a loving family, this young lady, will come to welcome all the possibilities of a wonderful, remarkable life……and be richer in spirit, knowing more about the grandfather she never met. Being able to feel, for a lifetime, a connection to a beautiful place on earth, a link to Muskoka; feel those enchantments of nature, her artist grandfather thrived-on, and inherit the will and courage that Richard Karon demonstrated throughout his life…..for freedom of art, and liberation of spirit. I must again, thank the Karon family, for having permitted me to work on this important biography, which hopefully will benefit researchers and painting owners for years to come. Now in the words of my associate in this project…..Richard Sahoff Karon.

I have to begin by giving my most sincere, heartfelt thanks to Ted Currie and his wife Suzanne, for their time and effort on my father’s biography.  Words cannot begin to show my immense gratitude for this gift, I have waited a lifetime for.  I would also like to thank Robert, Ted and Suzanne’s son and Dani O'Connor, for their contribution with the video.  The help from family and friends in filling in the details, and their help in furthering my research has been truly priceless.  I also would like to extend my thanks to the many people who so quickly and enthusiastically responded to Ted’s article in the newspaper, seeking any information or comments on my father’s work, including Ms. L, who so warmly invited me into her house to admire, alongside her, two of my father’s paintings. I would also like to thank Baysville artist, Janet Stahle-Fraser, who is the current user of my father’s easel, and who without hesitation offered me the easel.  

Since my father’s death 25 years ago, I have longed to keep his legacy alive in my heart and mind.  There is not a day that goes by that I don’t think of him.  The opportunity to write my father’s biography in conjunction with someone who was himself so enamoured by my father’s work and had actually met him, was something that I simply could not pass up.  The timing of this project also could not have happened at a more opportune time, as I was contacted only late last year, for the first time in my life, by my father’s family members.  They had no idea of my father’s passing or even knowledge of my existence.  I had so many questions that had built up over the years that were finally beginning to get answered.  I finally found out for example that my father was the youngest of four siblings, and the only son.  I saw a photograph of my grandmother, his mother for the first time only a few months ago.  I am now sharing with them the story of my father, a man who through so many unbelievable hardships was able to make a living at what he loved, and in such a peaceful, beautiful setting.

I have always admired my father’s work, and am so pleased to see that it is at last getting the recognition it deserves.  As Ted mentions, not only does his work capture the spirit of the beautiful locations which he painted, but his story of how he got to where he did is astounding.  I have met some people recently who are still awe struck by his paintings, and it really is wonderful to hear.  To me he was simply my father, and he was an artist who painted beautiful paintings; I didn’t think there was anything uncommon about it.  Of course to many young boys, their father is larger than life.  I am no exception to this rule, and continue to admire his work and accomplishments.  I have nearly 40 pieces of his work, many of them hanging on my walls at home.  I feel like they’re watching over me.  About 10 years ago I was given 3 of his paintings by a co-worker, Peter Freake, whom I worked with at Air Canada in Toronto.  Through conversation it was determined that he had 3 of my father’s pieces, and that I was his son.  He told me how his mother had an art gallery in Toronto, and had sold several of my father’s pieces.  I believe they knew each other, as my understanding was, that she came up to the studio in Baysville to buy them.  These particular paintings hung in Peter’s home.  When he determined my relation to the artist, he had no hesitation in giving me the paintings.  Sadly Peter passed away a few years ago, but I will never forget his generosity and cherish these paintings which now hang in my home.  He spoke of all the years those paintings hung on his wall, and the joy they brought him and his family.  

I don’t know how to begin to thank all the people involved in helping with this biography.  It has been such an amazing few months, with new discoveries and stories about my father surfacing regularly.   It is difficult to lose one’s parents at any age, but as my father’s only child, and having him pass away at such a young age, without knowing very much about his life story, it has left a huge hole in my life.  My mother tells me of how her father passed away when she was in her thirties, but that he was never there for her and she reminds me of how lucky I was to have a father who loved me so much, regardless of how little time I had with him.  I remember him as a good father, with lots of love for me, although I do remember him having a temper as well.  My mother and father’s relationship was not an easy one.  She puts a lot of blame on the events that shaped him during WWII.  Although I would say that I can see how each one of them might be difficult to live with, I cannot image the horrors my father witnessed during that time and what kind of a man he would have been if he did not go through that.  In this regard I can side with my mother, that what is now known as post traumatic stress disorder, was evident in his life and how he reacted to the world around him.  My mother also mentions that I brought great joy to his life, as since he had lost contact with his family in Poland, I was now his only blood relative.  He was very protective of me for this reason; my mother also claims in her opinion that he spoiled me.  Of course I don’t remember things that way!  Looking back, and as I learn more of his character and the events that shaped his life, I can see how he did become a very reputable artist; in fact he was able to do many things well.  I remember that he was a good cook, a skilled carpenter, he spoke several languages Polish, English and I’m quite sure French and German as well, unfortunately he never taught me.  This is beginning to be evident, I regret, with the raising of my daughter, as I speak Spanish and French and have not taught her as much as I should have, but I am trying to improve.  

Although I did not experience the hardships that my father went through, I am his son, and as I learn more about him I am beginning to see more of myself in him.  I miss him tremendously.  I hope that those of you who have his pieces continue to cherish and enjoy them.  A piece of my father is in each one.

My Kin In The War of 1812...Winners; Richard Karon Part 11

NOT SURE HOW I'M GOING TO RECOGNIZE THE ONGOING 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE  WAR OF 1812 -

I HAD FAMILY IN THE MIX - FOR THE BRITISH

     IT'S COMING UP TO THE 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF A GREAT NAVAL BATTLE, OF THE WAR OF 1812, AND I FIND MYSELF SOMEWHAT EMBARRASSED, AS A RESULT OF POOR PLANNING. I AM A DESCENDENT OF JOHN WALDEN MEYER, WHO FOUGHT IN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR, FOR THE BRITISH, AND THEN ANOTHER FAMILY MEMBER, PETER VANDERVOORT, BECAME PART OF THE HASTINGS MILITIA, AS A PRIVATE, DURING THE WAR OF 1812. THE WELL KNOWN ADVENTURER,  AND ONE OF THE FOUNDING FOLKS OF BELLEVILLE, ONTARIO, WALDEN MEYER WAS QUITE A COLORFUL CHARACTER, LIKE ME, AND THERE WAS A BOOK WRITTEN ABOUT HIM……EVEN A CHILDREN'S BOOK, REGARDING HIS EXPLOITS AS A SCOUT FOR THE BRITISH, WHO SPENT A LOT OF TIME RUNNING THROUGH THE WOODS SPYING FOR THE CROWN. EXPLAINS MY LOVE FOR THE FOREST. HE WAS AN UNITED EMPIRE LOYALIST, AND BY RIGHTS, SO AM I, AS ARE MY BOYS, SHOULD THEY DECIDE TO EXERCISE THEIR OPTIONS TO JOIN-UP WITH THE MODERN DAY LOYALISTS.

     SUZANNE, WHO LOVES DELVING INTO OUR COMBINED FAMILY ANCESTRY, FOUND MY RELATIONSHIP TO THE COLORFUL CHARACTER, JOHN WALT

DEN MEYER, WHEN RESEARCHING MY GRANDMOTHER BLANCHE'S SIDE OF THE FAMILY. MY GRANDPARENTS WERE HOMESTEADERS IN THE TRENTON AREA OF ONTARIO, BAY OF QUINTE REGION, INCLUDING BRIGHTON, ONTARIO. THAT WAS THE JACKSON SIDE. MY GRANDMOTHER CAME FROM AN ENGLISH, DUTCH AND GERMAN BACKGROUND, AND HER FAMILY WAS MADE UP OF SANDERCOCKS AND VANDERVOORTS. IT'S A LONG STORY, BUT MY DUTCH ANCESTORS WERE OF THE FOUNDING FAMILIES OF NEW YORK STATE….AND IT EXPLAINS WHY I GRAVITATE TO THE LITERARY WORKS OF WASHINGTON IRVING, AND HIS STORY, "THE LEGEND OF SLEEPY HOLLOW," WHERE MY KIN FOLK MAY HAVE EVEN DWELLED (IN STRANGE FICTION). I LOVE ALL HIS TALES OF THE HAUNTED HUDSON RIVER VALLEY, AND THE STORY OF RIP VAN WINKLE, WHO MAY HAVE BEEN MODELED AFTER ONE OF MY ANCESTORS. HE AND I HAVE A LOT IN COMMON ACCORDING TO SUZANNE. YOU NEVER KNOW. THE FUNNY THING ABOUT THIS CONNECTION WITH NEW YORK, AND THE DUTCH WHO SETTLED THERE MANY HUNDREDS OF YEARS AGO, IS THAT I KNEW NOTHING ABOUT THIS UNTIL A FEW YEARS AGO, WHEN SUZANNE STARTED TRACING OUR FAMILY TREE WITH THE HELP OF ANCESTRY.CA. I WAS HOOKED BY IRVING'S WORK, MANY YEARS EARLIER, AND IT WAS OF COURSE, ONE OF HIS BOOKS, THAT THE TOWN OF BRACEBRIDGE WAS NAMED AFTER BACK IN 1864. THE BOOK WAS "BRACEBRIDGE HALL," PART OF THE SKETCH BOOK STORIES, PUBLISHED OVER TWO BOOKS, FROM 1819 TO 1822. I PURCHASED MANY OF HIS BOOKS WHEN I WAS WORKING ON MY OWN BOOK, ABOUT THE NAMING OF BRACEBRIDGE, AND NOW, WELL, THEY'RE PART OF OUR FAMILY LEGACY…….AS IT IS LIKELY THAT IRVING WAS WRITING ABOUT FAMILIES, AT THE TIME OF HIS STORIES, LIKELY RELATED TO MY GRANDMOTHER, BLANCHE JACKSON OF THE (SANDERCOCKS AND VANDERVOORTS).

     THE POINT IS, SOME OF OUR FAMILY FOUGHT IN TWO MAJOR WARS ON THE CONTINENT, AND NOW IT'S TIME TO CELEBRATE THE ONGOING 200TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WAR OF 1812……ESPECIALLY THE PART ABOUT US WINNING. I'M STILL A ROOKIE IN THIS FAMILY HISTORY THING, AS SUZANNE IS THE PRIMARY HISTORIAN WHEN IT COMES TO REVEALING ALL THOSE WHO WE HAVE BLOOD TIES TO……..THROUGH THE CHRONICLES OF WORLD HISTORY.

     I REMEMBER MY MOTHER MERLE, TELLING ME ABOUT HER GRANDMOTHER, WHO USED TO SIT ON THE PORCH OF THE FARMHOUSE, WEARING HER TRADITIONAL DUTCH / GERMAN ATTIRE, SMOKING A CORN COB PIPE. MY KIND OF GAL. I USED TO SMOKE A PIPE AS WELL, BUT IT WASN'T MADE FROM A CORN COB.

     ANYWAY, I'LL LET YOU KNOW IF ANYTHING EXCITING HAPPENS, LIKE A SPONTANEOUS RE-ENACTMENT, OR RUNNING THROUGH THE WOODS WITH MESSAGES, IN THE DAYS OF EARLY AUGUST. I'D LOVE TO GO AND SEE THE TALL SHIPS SALUTE TO THE ANNIVERSARY, HAPPENING IN LAKE ONTARIO, IN EARLY AUGUST, BUT WE OPENED THIS ANTIQUE SHOP…..AND WELL, THERE GOES THE SUMMER PRIVILEGES OF WANDERLUST AND THE OPEN ROAD.

     HERE NOW IS ANOTHER CHAPTER OF THE RICHARD KARON BIOGRAPHY.

RICHARD KARON BIOGRAPHY - OUR CONCLUSION IS ACTUALLY OUR BEGINNING

THE LEGACY OF A MUSKOKA ARTIST -

     The cycle of life. This blog-biography has been written in journal format. Daily entries. Carrying inadvertent judgements about good or inclement weather, and how it affects my arthritic fingers. Curious activities in the neighborhood. They always inspire me to be happy or angry. Like when a chainsaw is being wielded by a neighbor, unfamiliar with the lot lines, between his property and ours. All with the burden of strange moods, like wearing a cat on my shoulders, but feeling obliged to let fate run its course. I am not an island, you see, and each day brings about new interests, and initiatives I wish to launch. I get bored easily, so I try to self-inspire by reading and walking in the woods, numerous times each day.

     I have incorporated updates on the weather, what it was like during my walks down into the boglands, here at Birch Hollow, in the Town of Gravenhurst, and included news of the recent passing of an old friend here, by the name of John Black, who worked with me when I was an editor with Muskoka Publications. I most recently learned of the passing, of another friend, and former hockey teammate, Kim Hammond of Bracebridge, and this has been within one week, while finishing up the text of this biography of Muskoka Artist Richard Karon. I awoke this morning, at 5:30 a.m., to get a head start on this final chapter, only to find one of our house cats, named Fester, on the brink of her demise, and Suzanne and I spent the final hours of her life, passing her from one lap to the other, until the end. I buried her in a level bit of ground near where the trilliums will soon burst through the soft earth, and blossom in the May sunlight. I stood out in our little woodlot, listening to the chatter of birds and squirrels in the overhead boughs, thinking about the cycle of life, and how despite the passing of one life, budding new existence is in evidence all around me. Every day that I have sat at this keyboard, I have been influenced by all kinds of events and activities in this house, on our property, and over in the calming woods, situated above The Bog, here on Segwun Boulevard. Some days I have wound up here, at this old and familiar desk, full of vim and vinegar, and sat for hours typing the Karon biography. On other days, I've had several of our other rescue cats (that had been dumped in our neighborhood), resting on my lap, or on the window sill, their gentle, non-intrusive purring, settling my impatience to get more done, at a faster pace.

    There have been other times when I felt the urgent need to wander through the woods, and experienced some unanticipated resentment, having to work all day to meet deadlines. On other occasions, with Mozart playing in the background, I felt as if I was born to write. The next day, the complete opposite. I hated being a writer. After having just buried our own bandy-legged wee beastie, we called Fester, inspired by the Addams Family, I didn't feel up to writing at all. I stared out the window, trance-like, for what must have been a half hour. All of a sudden, just before making a decision to take the day off, I had this thought about the cycle of life, and how I've written this biography in journal format…..so that I would reflect the mood of the moment…..the light and shadow of each day. This was intentional, because I wanted it to be personal. While it would seem preposterous to put news of a cat's death, into the body copy of a book, as it was unrelated to the story, it wasn't so ridiculous to include the event in this blog……at this moment. And after I'd decided to make a little tribute, to my old friend Fester, I felt better.

   Writing has always been a release for me, in this regard. Funny thing, though, that after eleven chapters of the biography, about the personal challenges of being an artist, I had just put myself in the very same position, as Mr. Karon had found himself in…….throughout his artistic career. He had to paint through the same fluctuations of inspiration and moodiness, contentment and frustration, happiness and sadness……, that I have experienced and worked through, every day of this biography, from early January. Without thinking about it before, it took the last of an old cat's nine lives, to make me realize the actuality of the creative process. What Karon faced each day, to produce his landscapes, I had been subtly etched, by precisely the same ups and downs, of too much inspiration, or not enough. I sat for a few moments pondering this epiphany. Realizing that every mood I studied, about the artist, was exactly the same enterprise, that I was utilizing to write his biography. On positive days, when I felt rested and excited about the day's work, I'd write twice as much, with a lot fewer corrections to deal with when editing. When I found myself, by circumstance, melancholy, and frustrated, I not only wrote less, but had hours of work, to correct mistakes. I thought about Karon having thrown still wet, rolled-up canvases into storage, because he was unhappy with his work that day. I often re-wrote chapters three times to make improvements. Of course, that is the forgiveness of a computer screen versus stretched canvas.

Richard Karon in the forest

     "There is serene and settled majesty in woodland scenery, that enters into the soul, and dilates and elevates it, and fills it with noble inclinations," wrote Washington Irving, in his book, "Bracebridge Hall." "They are haunted by the recollections of great spirits of past ages, who have sought for relaxation among them from the tumult of arms, or the toils of state, or have wooed the muse beneath their shade."

     For well more than a decade now, I have kept this book, by Washington Irving, on my desk, no further than my outstretched arm. I purchased it, in the late 1990's, when I was doing research regarding the official naming of the Town of Bracebridge. The name came from Irving's book, as granted by Postal Authority, William Dawson LeSueur. LeSueur of course, gave the fledgling post office its name, as a tribute to a great author of the time……and as much, a gesture of goodwill, for the future prosperity of a pioneer settlement. A name with considerable literary provenance, to one of the best known authors of the day, a parallel talent to writer Charles Dickens. LeSueur when he wasn't administering business for the federal postal department, was also making a name for himself, as a literary critic and historian. While it's been about 14 years since I started my research on Irving, and LeSueur, it's been roughly the same time, trying to convince the Town of Bracebridge they should be proud of their namesake. Hasn't happened yet. I'm not hopeful either. Point is, I found the writings of Mr. Irving to fit my own moods and outlooks, and I consult it frequently for inspiration. When I would pause to think about Richard Karon's landscapes, and about the panoramas he captured in the Township of Lake of Bays, I might find little gems like the following, that reminded me how storied our woodlands have been throughout history.

     "As the leaves of trees are said to absorb all noxious qualities of the air, and to breathe forth a purer atmosphere, so it seems to me as if they drew from us all sordid and angry passions, and breathed forth peace and philanthropy," wrote the American author, creator of the famous "Legend of Sleepy Holly," and "Rip Van Winkle."

     I wish, for the preparation of this biography, I had enjoyed the company of the painter himself. It would have been so much more insightful and complete, if I had even been able to read notes, he might have penned into a personal journal. I would have been contented to have read anything, the man had thought important enough to jot down, even hastily, on notes he made of paintings, and sizes he required for wood framing. For much of this, I have depended on the word of others. I've spent a lot of time and research, looking at the circumstances of his life, and his travels in Europe and to North America, without a shred of hard evidence, other than the papers he filed as a "displaced person" seeking refuge in Canada. While the Karon family has been very generous with all the information they possessed, and have held nothing back, that would help fulfill this biography, it is still the case, much of the story has been diminished because the artist, himself, didn't play a key role in the editorial content. The same situation, occurred for me, during the preparation of the biography for Outdoor Education Teacher / Canadian book collector, David Brown, of Hamilton. I needed Dave Brown at my side, because everything else had to come from friends and associates. He appointed me as his biography, and died before we had written the first word of chapter one. Dave didn't leave any journals behind, that would have helped me with actuality, and the personal integrity of the biography. It became my story, and the story as recalled by others. The same can be said for Richard Karon, that my regret remains, I didn't have the chance to conduct a sit-down discussion, in person, to converse candidly, about the artist's interests and objectives.

     As a matter of some irony, after twelve years, I have only just recently, received a large contribution of editorial material, regarding Dave Brown, and his Camp Comack (Haliburton) days, working as an outdoor instructor. These reminiscences came from a long time friend who contacted me recently, referencing what I had already written about our mutual friend. He hadn't been aware that Dave had passed away, in the late 1990's, as he had been in Western Canada. The information that he provided me, while late, is still very relevant to the story of this well known outdoor educator…..and will be used in biographical updates. I'm sincerely hoping this will be the case with Richard Karon, that new information will be submitted in the years to come, to infill what we presently don't know about his early years as an artist, traveling in Europe. The great advantage of composing this as an online biography, is that it can be easily updated and revised, as new information becomes available. As with Mr. Brown's book, I'm not likely to reprint it, but rather, bring it to cyberspace as well, so it to can be upgraded with newfound material when available.

     There is a dog eared letter, pasted into the scrapbook, Richard Karon kept for his cut-out press reviews, that deserves special mention. It was dated the second of November 1976, and was written by an individual who had read an article, published in the North Bay Nugget, about one of the artist's exhibitions. It may be the case, this art admirer also saw one of his paintings up close, possibly at a North Bay showing, but didn't actually approach the artist at this time. The letter is poorly written, somewhat difficult to read, and eccentric, but Karon found something important about the message within. It obviously contained something he identified with, because it is pasted side-by-side letters of thanks, from Frank Henry, former administrator of South Muskoka Memorial Hospital, recognizing the gift, of an original painting, the artist had just recently presented to the health-care facility. It begins, "Mr. Karon. Please be kind enough to read me. Sunday afternoon, again I was moved by your painting. Now to read how, you too, have been out of a job, penniless, also exiled from your country, because you have great courage; and with hard work and perseverance, you've done it. I will go on alone; the example of your life gives me the assurance that I've done well, to leave everything behind, to paint with oxygen. Well, I just want to say, I admire your courage - love your skies - thanks for being you - a person in a million, who is still able to impress me; a person (the letter writer) who has suffered, to conquer threats myself, in the beauty of the hour, leaving forever. One can be so lonely, in this field of time, to keep a vestige of a moment in color, of a deep emotion, surrounded by futility in this world of over-consumption - when the true soul is forever a foreigner. Thanks again and accept my respect."

     The Richard Karon biography has been remarkable in many ways, and very much different from others I have worked on, during the past twenty years. I was, quite frankly, unsettled, at the beginning of the project, to find out that this significant Muskoka artist, had been buried in relative obscurity, away from the District he loved so much. Without reference, at graveside, to him having been an established Canadian Artist, and a friend of Muskoka, seemed reason enough to start making amends…..for what we should have done, in his memory, much earlier than this. Even his obituary, in the local press, in March 1987, wasn't more than a few paragraphs of very few words. I have no idea now, whether I wrote anything in The Muskoka Sun, The Muskoka Advance or The Herald-Gazette, of which I was an editor at the time of his death. I can't imagine having let this event go without acknowledgement, but I long-ago, sent off my paper files for re-cycling. What should have been front page news, was relegated to the community news, and I realize how we missed an important opportunity, to celebrate a storied and accomplished life.

     I know the family is considering some type of memorial tribute, to the work of Richard Karon, in the Village of Baysville, but as of yet it hasn't been finally determined, what would be most suitable, and appropriate, to remind citizens and seasonal residents, of the landscapes he was best known.

     I would like to thank all the kind folks who helped us out, during the course of this research, with stories and images of original Karon paintings in their possession. They have helped us build a resource for the future, and it is already being sought out by those interested in the artist's life. It has been submitted, of course, to both the National Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Ontario, for their respective reference libraries…..for use by researchers in the future. I want to add special thanks to Muskoka artist Janet Stahle-Fraser, of the Township of Lake of Bays, for sharing, with the artist's son, and his daughter, Mr. Karon's original easel, which he gave to her shortly after closing his studio in the mid 1980's. The photograph with today's summation, of the Karon Biography, shows the artist's granddaughter, Aurora, peeking through the easel, still being used by the Lake of Bays artist. The background, of course, is Janet's studio setting. The meeting occurred in March, and it was certainly a highlight for Richard Sahoff Karon, as he had been searching for the elusive easel for many years.

     One art patron, who possesses several Karon originals, invited the young Karon and myself, to her house to see his father's paintings, and the hospitality we were shown, was generous and heart-warming. She asked only that her name not be used. Just having the opportunity to see how she had hung these paintings in a pine-clad Muskoka room, made us feel pretty good, about the respect his work was still garnering, years after his death. Both paintings were of waterscapes in close vicinity to Baysville.

     We had many kind notes and so many offers to visit, to see his major paintings, in homes across the district. We made this connection, in large part, thanks to the kindness of our regional newspaper, The Weekender, which published two of our requests for information on Mr. Karon. The responses were amazing, and at least half of this biography, and the available art images, came courtesy The Weekender's readership. Only hours after the first request was published, and the free Friday papers being delivered to the driveways throughout the district, we had begun receiving emails, and all kinds of offers of assistance, we couldn't have anticipated from just a Letter to the Editor. It was almost non-stop for two full weeks, and it literally gave the biography its wings.

     My son Robert and his musical partner, Dani O'Connor, of Gravenhurst, provided the music for the tribute video, which I hope you will take time to watch again. Robert did the filming and created the video. Dani provided the vocals.

     Here is a list of those friends of this biography, who offered us, on loan, images of their Richard Karon paintings; Joyce A. Medley, Beverley J. Robinson, Ches. and Betty Fulton, Shirley Bullock, Marilyn MacDougall, Kristina Campbell, Lois and Barry Swan, Ken and Cheryl Mann, Leigh Beal, Ike Kelneck, Peter Jackson, Ellen Gofforth and Rhoda Moeller and the collection of paintings owned by Richard Sahoff Karon. If we have left your name off this list we have done so inadvertently. Please let us know we have left your name off and we will make the correction.

Buying For The Rabid Home Decorators; Richard Karon Part 10

THE THRILL OF THE ANTIQUE AND COLLECTABLE BUSINESS? SEEING SOMEONE ELSE HAPPY WITH THEIR PURCHASE!

OUR MEASURE OF SUCCESS IS HOW WE ARE VIEWED AND ACCEPTED BY OTHERS

     MY FIRST CREATIVE WRITING PROFESSOR,, AT YORK UNIVERSITY, WAS A WELL ESTABLISHED AND REVERED WRITER BY THE NAME OF FRANK DAVEY. I DIDN'T HAVE HIM FOR LONG, BUT I WISH I COULD HAVE HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF HIS WORKSHOPS, DURING EVERY TERM I WAS AT THE UNIVERSITY. THAT WOULD HAVE HELPED A LOT! I HAD A LOT OF BAD HABITS TO CLEAR UP. I LEARNED MORE ABOUT WRITING FROM FRANK IN A MONTH, THAN FROM ANYONE WHO HAS EVER TRIED TO PENETRATE MY ENORMOUS EGO OVER MANY, MANY YEARS. THEY SAY I'M A TOUGH NUT TO CRACK. WELL, HE HAD ME PEGGED FIVE MINUTES INSIDE HIS INFORMAL CLASSROOM. I MAY HAVE BEEN HIS CHALLENGE FOR THE YEAR OR THE DECADE. HE WAS TO THE POINT, NEVER WASTED TIME, AND HAD A HARD-ASS OPINION OF WRITING AND WRITERS, AND DIDN'T MINCE WORDS, WHEN IT CAME TO LETTING US KNOW WHAT OUR PROSPECTS WERE….. AS BUDDING TALENTS. ZERO TO NONE FOR A GUY LIKE ME. HE EXPLAINED POIGNANTLY, IN CRITIQUING OUR WRITING ASSIGNMENTS, THAT IF WE WROTE SO PERSONALLY, THAT WE WERE THE ONLY ONES WHO KNEW WHAT THE COPY MEANT, IT WAS A FAILING THAT, FIRST OF ALL, WOULD DESTROY US, IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN; AND THE LONGER WE PERSISTED WITH THIS BAD HABIT, IT WOULD BECOME ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO OVERCOME.  IT WOULD BE THE EARLY, PREMATURE DEATH KNELL, TO BEING ACCEPTED AND MAYBE EVEN CELEBRATED AS AUTHORS. SO I TOOK HIS CRITICISM VERY PERSONALLY, BECAUSE IT WAS TRUE WHAT HE SAID. I COULDN'T EXPECT OTHERS TO KNOW WHAT I WAS THINKING, UNLESS I INCLUDED A COMPLIMENTARY EXPLANATORY NOTE WITH EVERY SHORT STORY. I HAD TO CHANGE MY STYLE DRAMATICALLY, AND HIS CRITIQUES IN GENERAL, HAVE STUCK WITH ME SINCE THE MID 1970'S. IN ANY WRITING ASSIGNMENT, I AM THE WRITER, OF COURSE, BUT I COMPOSE THE PIECE AS IF I AM ALSO THE READER.

     STRANGELY ENOUGH, THE SAME HOLDS FOR THE ANTIQUE BUSINESS. WHAT I LEARNED IN MY EARLY DAYS AS A FLEDGLING WRITER, CAN BE APPLIED TO THE ANTIQUE ENTERPRISE, AS REGARDS INVENTORY ACQUISITION. THE FIRST RULE OF SUCCESSFUL RETAIL IN ANTIQUES, AND COLLECTABLES, IS TO BUY FOR OTHERS IF YOU WANT TO STAY IN BUSINESS. I LIKE RELIGIOUS ICONS BUT THEY DON'T SELL WELL IN OUR SETTING. I LIKE PRIMITIVE PINE FURNITURE, BUT FEWER PEOPLE THESE DAYS CARE ABOUT CANADIANA AND AMERICANA, ESPECIALLY FOR HOME DECORATING. THIS IS STILL THE MARTHA STEWART ERA IN HOME DECORATING, AND TODAY, IN SALES, THE COLLECTORS ARE THE SMALLEST PERCENTAGE OF OUR CLIENTELE. NOW WE HAVE THE RABID HOME, CONDO, APARTMENT AND COTTAGE DECORATORS, WHO WANT A WIDE AREA OF VINTAGE PIECES AND NOSTALGIA. I HAVE MADE THE MISTAKE, IN THE PAST, AS A NARROW FOCUSED ANTIQUE DEALER, OF BUYING ITEMS THAT APPEALED TO ME…..AND LIKE THE SHORT STORIES I USED TO WRITE, FOR MY BENEFIT MORE THAN MY READERS, I GOT STUCK WITH A LOT OF INVENTORY NO ONE ELSE WANTED. MY ONLY SAVING GRACE WAS THAT I PURCHASED WITH A HIGH REGARD FOR QUALITY, PRVENANCE AND AUTHENTICITY, SO THAT, AS FAR AS INVESTMENT, IT WAS A GOOD FUTURE INVESTMENT. THESE SPECIALTY PIECES WILL BOUNCE BACK AT SOME POINT IN THE FUTURE, AND I WILL HAVE THEM READY TO GO. AT THIS STAGE HOWEVER, THE CUSTOMER IS DIRECTING OUR PURCHASING ACTIVITIES. I'M GOOD WITH THAT. BUT IT DOES GO BACK TO THOSE EARLY LESSONS IN WRITING. NOW I'M PURCHASING ITEMS FOR THE BENEFIT OF CUSTOMERS, INSTEAD OF TRYING TO CONVINCE THEM, TO BUY THE SAME KINDS OF ITEMS I FELT WERE NEAT. IF I DID THAT TODAY, OUR BUSINESS WOULD FAIL. NO DOUBT ABOUT IT.

     IN A FORMER SHOP, IN BRACEBRIDGE, I ONCE HAD A CONSIGNOR, BRING ME IN A BOX OF THE MOST HIDEOUS GLASS AND POTTERY UNICORNS, IN ATROCIOUS COLORATIONS. SUZANNE AND I GOT INTO A BIG FIGHT, THAT DAY, BECAUSE SHE FELT THEY WERE GOING TO MAKE US LOOK BAD, IF THEY WERE PUT ON THE SHELVES WITH OUR BETTER QUALITY COLLECTABLES. I MADE IT CLEAR, THAT WE REALLY NEEDED THIS CONSIGNOR, WHO WAS ALSO BRINGING IN LOTS OF HIGHER QUALITY ITEMS FOR US TO SELL; AND THAT BY NOT PUTTING THEM OUT, OR SENDING THEM BACK, WOULD HAVE INSULTED OUR COLLEAGUE. SO WHEN SHE WENT OUT TO GET US SOME LUNCH, I HAD THEM ALL PRICED AND ON THE SHELVES BY TIME SHE GOT BACK. WITHIN TWO HOURS, A GROUP OF LADIES FROM GREECE, HAD PURCHASED THE WHOLE LOT OF EIGHT BRIGHTLY COLORED UNICORNS. FUNNY THING, THAT IT WAS SUZANNE WHO HAD TO CHECK THEM OUT, AND SHE WAS WINCING THE WHOLE TIME SHE WAS WRAPPING THEM UP. IT WAS AN EXAMPLE WE OFTEN REFER BACK TO, EVEN TODAY, REMINDING OURSELVES THAT IT IS NOT OUR PLACE TO JUDGE THE TASTES OF OTHERS. THOSE LADIES FOUND THE UNICORNS ATTRACTIVE, AND THAT'S, AS THEY SAY, "ALL SHE WROTE!" THE TILL WAS FILLING UP, WE HIT OUR MONTHLY QUOTA EARLIER THAT YEAR, AND THE CONSIGNOR WAS ENORMOUSLY PLEASED WITH THE CHEQUE AT THE END OF EACH MONTH. AND WE CARRIED ON OUR DIVERSIFICATION, BY NEVER, EVER, NOT ONCE, DICTATING TO OUR CONSIGNOR WHAT HE SHOULD BE BUYING FOR US TO SELL. WE JUST LET HIM DO HIS THING, AND WE ALL BENEFITTED.

     THIS SUMMER SO FAR, WE HAVE SEEN THIS TREND CONTINUE TO THE EXPONENT OF TEN. IT IS STAGGERING THE DIVERSITY OF ITEMS BEING SOLD, FROM MORNING TO NIGHT, THAT WE REALLY CAN'T EXPLAIN, EXCEPT TO BOW TO THE "HOME DECORATOR" OF THIS NEW CENTURY…..AS KNOWING WHAT THEY WANT WHEN THEY SEE IT! AS FOR COLLECTORS, WE SEE SO FEW THESE DAYS, AS COMPARED TO MY EARLY DAYS IN THE INDUSTRY. THE ONLY RULE WE CONTINUE TO RESPECT WITH UNYIELDING FOCUS, IS PUTTING EMPHASIS ON "QUALITY." WE CAN BUY THOSE WILD LOOKING UNICORNS, FOR OUR HOME DECORATORS WHO LIKE VIVID COLORS, AND MYTHICAL CREATURES, BUT WE INSIST THAT THEY BE THE BEST OF THE BEST TO GET ON OUR SHELVES. IF THEY ARE A LITTLE GARISH IN APPEARANCE….THAT'S ONE THING. BUT WE WANT THEM TO BE WELL CRAFTED PIECES, WORTH THE ASKING PRICE.

     THE BIGGEST EXPERIMENT OF THE YEAR, AS I EXPLAINED EARLIER IN THIS BLOG, IS OUR INTENTION TO WHITTLE OUR PRICES DOWN ON EVERY PIECE OF INVENTORY POSSIBLE…..WITH VERY FEW EXCEPTIONS. WE WANT TO MAKE HOME DECORATING AN AFFORDABLE EXERCISE, AND ALTHOUGH WE CAN'T CUT THE PRICES OF OUR PRIMITIVES AND INVESTMENT SILVER AND GLASS, IT'S BEEN OUR MISSION TO PROVE WE CAN BE A BUDGET-WISE ANTIQUE SHOP, AND STILL MAKE A DECENT LIVING. SO FAR, SO GOOD. SUZANNE'S COOKERY NOOKERY IS OFF TO A STRONG START, AND SHE'S ALREADY MET UP WITH SOME VINTAGE COOKBOOK COLLECTORS, AND SHARED SOME NEAT STORIES ABOUT ACQUISITIONS. AFTER THE FIRST MONTH, IT'S HARD TO SAY THAT IT WILL BE A GUARANTEED SUCCESS, BUT WE SET DOWN ENOUGH OUTRIGGERS ON THIS VENTURE, TO ENSURE IT'S BALANCE RELATED TO THE ANTIQUE SHOP SALES GENERALLY. FOR A NEW VENTURE, AND A TOUGH ONE TO MASTER, SUZANNE IS PLEASED, AND ALMOST EVERY DAY IS SELLING EITHER COOKBOOKS OR COOKERY RELATED ANTIQUES AND COLLECTABLES. AGAIN, WE HAVE TO WATCH OUT THAT WE BUY AND COLLECT FOR THE BETTERMENT OF OUR BUSINESS DYNAMIC, AND NOT JUST BECAUSE WE FEEL LIKE ADDING TO OUR COLLECTION. THE WAY WE STAY IN BUSINESS, AFTER ALL, IS PLEASING OUR DIVERSE CLIENTELE. I'LL GIVE YOU AN UPDATE AT THE END OF AUGUST. SEEING AS THERE IS THE POTENTIAL, SOME READERS MAY BE GETTING READY TO START THEIR OWN BUSINESSES, BASED IN PART, ON MY OVERVIEWS OF THE INDUSTRY, PUBLISHED SINCE JANUARY. I WILL PROVIDE HONEST OVERVIEWS WITHOUT EMBELLISHMENT. I DON'T WANT SOMEONE MAKING A MISTAKE, AND STARTING A BUSINESS ON LESS THAN ACCURATE INFORMATION……ABOUT POTENTIALS AND EXPECTATIONS. IT'S BEEN A TOUGH JULY, SLOW AT THE FIRST, AND BEFUDDLING AT THE MIDDLE, BUT FINISHING OFF STRONG AND PROFITABLE. THE ANTIQUE TRADE, IN A NORMAL TOWN ECONOMY, IS FRUSTRATING. THE ANTIQUE TRADE IN A TOURIST ECONOMY IS FRUSTRATING AND PRECARIOUS, BUT IF YOU CAN THREAD THE NEEDLE, AND PULL IT OFF, THIS BUSINESS CAN BECOME ENORMOUSLY FULFILLING ON ALL LEVELS.

     JUST THOUGHT I'D GIVE MY ANTIQUE ASSOCIATES A LITTLE UPDATE, ABOUT THE SUMMER SEASON OF 2013. I'M HAPPY WITH THE SUCCESSES SO FAR, EVEN THOUGH SLIGHTLY LATENT. BUT THE REAL TEST, IS THE LAST FOUR WEEKS OF THE SUMMER……THE REAL MAKE AND BREAK OF THE BUSINESS YEAR FOR US. THE FALL SEASON IS ALWAYS STRONG FOR US ANTIQUE HUNTERS, BUT NOTHING BEATS AUGUST; THE SEASON OF THE HARVEST. DROP IN AND SAY HELLO IF YOU'RE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD.

     NOW, FOR PART TEN OF THE RICHARD KARON BIOGRAPHY.

THE BIOGRAPHIES OF ARTISTS WE SHOULD KNOW - BUT DON'T

RICHARD KARON'S BIOGRAPHY IS IMPORTANT TO FAMILY, COMMUNITY, AND CANADA

     

     "Art when really understood is the province of every human being. It is simply a question of doing things, anything well. It is not an outside extra thing…..He does not have to be a painter or a sculptor to be an artist. He can work in any medium. He simply has to find the gain in the work itself, not outside it." Robert Henri.

     As a career hunter-gatherer, in the antique and collectible trade, I've always possessed a keen interest in art. I can cross almost any boundary of art-form and period, as long as the subject piece is of high quality. It might be a painting, or carving, sculpture or multimedia composition. A life drawing, a wildlife painting, floral / still life, folk art, or heavy iron sculpture. If I can afford it, and have the space to house it safely, and feel it might be a good investment piece, for potential re-sale at some point, it will be coming to live with me. I love art and artists. I adore artisans and folk artists. I have great admiration for those who can work with their hands, their mouths, as Myron Angus and other artists have painted, (I own one of Myron's original landscapes), and all those who live creatively, whether as musicians, writers, weavers, potters, glass blowers, wood carvers and everyone else who gets up in the morning, and with enthusiasm, wishes to create something……even a poem, or even a basic observation penned in a journal, about life and work in their flourishing gardens.  They see and feel what we would all benefit from, living in this lakeland. Their creations inspire us to explore, what we have ignored.

    I have been fortunate to have lived a creative life, as well, and I am so pleased to reside in a district, in this fine province, and country, that is so well populated with creators….visionaries, adventurers, who benefit from our beautiful surroundings in this magnificent lakeland. There is an undeniable energy here, found to be so abundant and liberating, by the early painters and poets who sought refuge here, from the industry and mayhem of the urban environs……and were encouraged by associate artists, such as those writers and poets, who gathered to participate at the Muskoka Assembly, on Tobin's Island, Lake Rosseau, back in the 1920's and 30's. The Chataqua colony found something spiritual here, and it is still being sought out, and discovered.

     While they don't get the recognition, I think they deserve, the associations of Muskoka Arts and Crafts and the member artisans belonging to the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour, amongst other arts related groups in our district, are important assets to the artistic / cultural vibrancy of our region. They bring an international recognition to our district of Ontario, as a nurturing place, for the arts, and thanks to their talents and strong alliances, throughout the community, many other artists have decided to locate here, broadening the diversity and attractiveness of home-inspired creative enterprise. As for the art community's contribution to the tourism industry, I think this is a largely ignored, or under-appreciated statistic locally. Thousands of visitors to Muskoka, through the four seasons, will find the arts community alive and well. Their hospitality is legend. What an amazing opportunity it is, during the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour, for example, to be invited into the studios of participating artists, and artisans. Many other artists in the region, also open their studios to visitors. This is the kind generosity and hospitality that creates longterm goodwill, and a strong provincial, national and international reputation, as being an arts and crafts haven. I think sometimes, we forget, or at least minimize their contribution to the arts and cultural diversity going on here, that has been building steadily for decades without much fanfare or government focus. What we have here, is a rich and generous colony of creative thinkers, who are imbedded in one of the most naturally picturesque regions in Canada. They are representing us well, internationally, and we should realize this……and support them, as they have supported and brought positive recognition to our region. While Richard Karon didn't remain with the Studio Tour for long, he was part of the inaugural autumn season event in the mid 1970's.

     Having spent the past four months, working on the biography of former Muskoka artist, Richard Karon, I confess to being overwhelmed by the positive qualities of art in life. Even though the biography of Mr. Karon, is one of hardship, oppression, failings and almost impossible financial difficulties, for the young immigrant, the story is as compelling, because of its successes and the true measure, of what liberation and democracy can set free of creative enterprise……of which so many of us benefitted, owning his original paintings. The Muskoka lakeland set the artist free, to explore and celebrate his own adventures of discovery. He celebrated these opportunities, and this shows through his art work. He never gave up on Muskoka as a place of inspiration. When he finally left the region, due to a marital separation, he had retired from active painting altogether. It was not the case he couldn't have survived as a landscape artist for years to come. His illness, however, would have only allowed him several more years of active painting. Having grown-up in Nazi occupied Poland, his sense of liberation was deeply, and profoundly felt. He wanted his son to enjoy the qualities of life he had been denied as a young man. While he was not fervent about his political beliefs, and one who seldom discussed politics, he found Canada full of promise and potential, and a safe country for his family. He knew the consequences of an unsafe place to live. Muskoka was fertile ground for family and profession.

     As an art lover and collector, I always hate coming upon an art piece, appropriately signed, possibly dated, with a trace amount of provenance, but be unable to find anything out about the painter, sculptor or craftsperson. It's the first thing we do, once home after a picking adventure. We head to the internet first of all, and do an online search of the artist's name. Ninety-five percent of the time, we find nothing. Not one shred of biographical detail about the artist's life and career. Now of course, many talented artists never followed creative enterprise, as the sole source of income. They may have been like Bracebridge Artist Bob Everett, who was a career pharmacist, owning his own drug store. He painted in the after-hours and then in retirement, and became a well known landscape artist. There were other artists, such as Bill Anderson and Winifred Anderson, who were highly skilled landscape painters, but did so mostly for enjoyment, and only a little bit of profit. Bill was a barber, who used to paint at his easel, in his Manitoba Street shop……in between, or even during barbering sessions. No one cared. It was a joy to watch. He would cut hair for a few moments, make his tea, and then take a quick turn at the easel because, he spotted something he wanted to add. We were all glad to have this wonderful opportunity, to watch a painter in action.

     It bothers me, that when, for example, we do a search for information, on former Gravenhurst artist, Frank Johnston, one of the finest lithographers in Canada, we find only reference to former Group of Seven artist Frank "Franz" Johnston. For many years, Frank dominated our art scene in Gravenhurst, with his nostalgic artwork, even appearing on the menu covers of the famous Sloans Restaurant, on Muskoka Road. He had produced a number of massive watercolors, depicting Gravenhurst's historic wharf, with its legendary fleet of steamships, all for Sloans customers to enjoy. Our boys went in for our weekend lunches, mostly to admire the paintings. Here was this incredibly talented artist, living a couple of streets from the main business corridor, and few knew, or cared to know, who he was. Well, if you were to read the book, "Hot Breakfast for Sparrows," the biography of Canadian Artist, Harold Town, by Iris Nowell, you would realize that Frank Johnston was one of few print makers anywhere, good enough for Mr. Town. Town was notoriously difficult to deal with, and Johnston was trusted to turn out perfect prints. What annoys me, as an art lover and historian, is that we can so easily forget and dismiss someone of his calibre, and accomplishments, in the field of art. He painted impressions of hundreds of Canadian historic sites, that are still proudly owned by museums, and yet you won't find a Frank Johnston memorial tribute in this town. The pre-occupation with our political leaders can be nauseating at times. This is the history that gets most ink. Government. Political will. Municipal authority. Political stories in the press that aren't anything more than filler. It's wrong not to know about other history makers.  Artists like Frank Johnston gave us an arts pedigree, and a legacy to uphold, that we should have cherished in perpetuity. How nice it would be, at this time of celebration, for the upcoming anniversary of the RMS Segwun, to have our Frank Johnston originals returned….even on loan for an exhibit. They were sold and re-located to Huntsville. This was not the way it was supposed to be, and our town ended the relationship with this generous artist badly. Of course we should make amends. The first step, is by celebrating the fine art he produced while living and working in our town. If you read the first years of Muskoka Today, you would have seen the portraits of the columnists, sketched by Frank Johnston. And yes, I was one of those honored columnists.

     The point is, I have received hundreds of calls and emails over the years, asking if I knew any biographical information on Richard Karon. In fact, I have received more information requests about Mr. Karon than any other local artist. Part of this, is the fact that many of his paintings, sold in the 1970's, to an older clientele, have been dispersed by estates in the past decades. New owners, finding these art panels, at antique shops and included in estate auctions, have created new interest in the artist. At one time, several years ago, I pre-wrote a standard email, for those Karon related inquiries, offering all the information I possessed on the artist's painting career. Well, I don't need it any longer. I will soon be able to direct those painting owners to a special "Karon Blogsite," for reference, and this makes me feel pretty good. I wish more family members, like the Karons, would take a sincere interest in creating better biographical resources for their artist kin, because it is needed, and would be well used in the future. I plan, myself, to embark on a cursory investigation of Frank Johnston, to develop at the very least, an information base for future researchers and painting (and print) owners to access. I know Frank was pretty disgruntled about our town, when he moved back to Picton, Ontario, and I'd like to right some of those wrongs, by demonstrating how much his work meant to citizens and visitors over so many years. To think the town governance might one day recognize his contribution, to our cultural and historic identity, well, wouldn't that be swell. This would be the right thing to do, and I will offer my services, without cost, to advance such an important initiative.

     As I am drawing to the conclusion of the biography of Richard Karon, I want to make sure, readers and those who visit the Karon blogsite in the future, feel welcome to inter-act with us, and the artist's family, via email comments which we would love to publish, as reference, on the site. If you have a personal story, about having met with the artist, in the past, or you wish to comment on a painting you own, share a photograph of an original in your possession, or just offer a critique on the biography, out of general interest, we want you to participate, to further develop the scope and diversity of this research material. We have welcomed critical overviews and observations from other artists. No artist or original work, stands free of constructive critique. If you would like to get a message to a family member, we will eventually provide a suitable link. The artist's son, Richard Sahoff Karon, is interested in knowing more about his father, beyond what we have uncovered in this biography so far. We are interested in all new information, and particularly from Poland, where the artist was born. We are admittedly deficient in information up to the time Karon arrived in Muskoka, back in the late 1960's. As this work will be shared, and translated, at some point, for readers in Poland, we do expect new information to be forthcoming, and possibly corrections of historical detail. We will never discourage information that changes details or assumptions in this biography. This is the reason it was published online, and not in book-form, to enable us to make additions and corrections, as new information prevails upon us. We hope you will agree to be part of this biography-building, for Polish-Canadian Artist, Richard Karon.

     In tomorrow's blog, I would like to share with you, the names of many fine folks, who helped create this biography, by offering information about their contact with the artist, and family, and so generously provided images of Karon originals, in their possession. Those paintings that were not released on the blogsite, or seen in the video tribute to Mr. Karon, will be published on the official blogsite dedicated to the artist.

     The biography has been sent to both the National Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Ontario, for the use by their respective reference libraries. It has been made available, for reference and promotion, to the Polish-Canadian Association, the Township of Lake of Bays, the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce, the Huntsville Public Library, the Lake of Bays Association, and Muskoka Arts and Crafts. We hope that this biography will inspire others, to make the effort, to set down the personal records of so many other Muskoka region artists, who have contributed so much, for so long, to the development and exhibition of our cultural heritage.

      "Those who bring beauty to the heart of man shall yet stand the peer of those who bring knowledge to the mind."  Morris Gray.

      It's sunny this afternoon. The boglands here at Birch Hollow are beckoning. Bosko has enthusiastically brought me her leash. I get the message. I shall, with my friend, go for a walk. Thanks so much for joining today's blog. More to follow.

Freddie Vette and Fred Schulz Part The Clouds; Richard Karon Part 9

TWO FREDS GIVE US A GOOD NIGHT OF MUSIC ON THE BARGE - DEFY WEATHER PREDICTIONS - THE SHOW MUST GO ON

WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE IF PINE BOUGHS HAD BEEN CLEANED UP

     WHEN I ASKED A FELLOW TAXPAYER, IN CASUAL CONVERSATION, AT THE LAST MUSIC ON THE BARGE CONCERT, ABOUT HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE FOR THE TOWN TO CLEAN GULL LAKE PARK, OF THE STREWN PINE BOUGHS, HE LAUGHED, SMILED, AND SAID "THREE MONTHS!" "IF A FEW VOLUNTEERS GOT TOGETHER," I ASKED IN RETURN. HE NODDED, WINKED, AND CHUCKLED,  "AT MOST, A COUPLE OF HOURS!" NOW I'M NOT TALKING ABOUT TREE CUTTING AND REMOVAL. I'M REFERRING TO THE NUMBER OF BROKEN-OFF BOUGHS, OF VARIOUS SIZES, STILL MARRING THE LANDSCAPE FOR NO APPARENT REASON…..OTHER THAN A WORK CREW FIGURED IT LOOKED NATURAL…..IN PILES, SO WHY CLEAN IT UP?

      WHILE SOME OF THE STORM'S CAST-DOWN DEBRIS HAS BEEN CLEARED AWAY……(BUT WASN'T FOR THE LAST CONCERT), IT IS HARD TO UNDERSTAND WHY THIS BEAUTIFUL PARK WOULDN'T HAVE BEEN ADEQUATELY PICKED-UP IN THE DAYS SINCE THE BIG STORM. IN A WORK WEEK, "CLEANING UP GULL LAKE PARK" SHOULD HAVE BEEN PENCILED ONTO THE AGENDA. THIS WOULD BE BASED ON PUBLIC LIABILITY, TRIPPING OVER DEBRIS, AND ON PARK USAGE, WHICH IS HIGH THIS TIME OF YEAR.

     IF WE HAVE PARKS AND RECREATION WORK CREWS, AND THEY PRESUMABLY CLEAN-UP DEBRIS FROM "PARKS," (AND IT'S NOT LIKE THEY'RE DOING IT AS VOLUNTEERS) HOW IS IT THAT MANAGEMENT OF THESE FOLKS, DOESN'T FOLLOW-UP ON THE JOBS GIVEN. OR WAS THIS NOT A TASK FOR THE WEEK? I'VE GOT AN IDEA. WHY DON'T THE TOWN COUNCILLORS GET THE HELL DOWN TO THE PARK, AND HELP THE CREW TIDY-UP……..OR AT LEAST DIRECT THE CLEAN-UP EFFORT…..OR PUT A NOTE IN THE NEWSPAPER ASKING FOR COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS, TO LEND A HAND FOR A FEW HOURS, TO DEAL WITH A MANPOWER SHORTAGE; IF THAT'S THE PROBLEM. IF THEY DON'T BELIEVE THESE LIMBS ARE A PROBLEM, OR A VISUAL DISTRACTION FROM THE NICE PARK IT IS, WE SHOULD THEN RUN A TEST CASE. LET'S TAKE THE GATHERED BLOWN-OFF BOUGHS, AND DUMP THEM DOWN ON THE MUSKOKA WHARF PLAYING FIELD, SCATTER THEM ABOUT, AND SEE HOW LONG IT TAKES, FOR A RAPID REACTION TEAM TO CLEAN IT UP, NEAT-AS-A-WHISTLE. ALL THIS WOULD DO ANYWAY, IS TO PROVE A POINT THAT MANY LOCALS FEEL PRESENTLY……AND THAT IS, THERE IS NOTICEABLE, PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT FOR THE WHARF PROPERTY…….AND BANDAIDS FOR GULL LAKE PARK. HONESTLY, THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR THOSE BOUGHS TO BE SCATTERED ANYWHERE ACROSS GULL LAKE PARK, OR IN THE PARKING AREA BY THE TENNIS COURTS, ADJACENT TO BETHUNE DRIVE.

    A WEEK AFTER THE STORM, IT'S OBVIOUS OUR COUNCILLORS NEED TO GET OUT FOR A WALK NOW AND AGAIN….AND SEE FOR THEMSELVES THAT THEIR HISTORIC AND CENTRAL PARK IS PROPERLY MAINTAINED AND CLEANED. AND YES, WE HAVE A RIGHT TO ASK THIS OF OUR TOWN, AND WE EXPECT FOLLOW-THROUGH…….NOT THREE MONTHS LATER. WE HAVE LARGE AUDIENCES AT THE PARK THROUGH THE WEEK. NOT JUST FOR MUSIC ON THE BARGE. IT IS OUR SHOWPIECE. OUR JEWEL. AND SEEING AS WE ARE ALWAYS CRYING ABOUT MAKING THE TOURISM INDUSTRY MORE DYNAMIC AND PROFITABLE, THEN WE SHOULD STOP CUTTING CORNERS ON IMPORTANT ISSUES LIKE APPEARANCES. THIS PARK PROMOTES US AS A TOURISM DESTINATION. IT'S JUST A PARK, BUT BOY OH BOY, IS IT EVER AN IMPORTANT AMBASSADOR OF GOODWILL FOR OUR GUESTS. WE DON'T NEED A COMMISSION OR A SPECIALLY PREPARED CONSULTANT'S REPORT TO FIND THIS OUT. JUST HANG AROUND THE PARK FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS, AND OBSERVE THE USERS OF THE PROPERTY. WE SHOULD BE SHOWING THEM THE BEST PARK IN MUSKOKA. WHAT IT TAKES FROM THE TOWN IS NOTHING MORE THAN FUNDAMENTAL, NOTHING FANCY, ATTENTION TO DETAIL; AND IT WOULDN'T HURT TO SET THE BAR JUST A TAD HIGHER, FOR WHAT CAN BE DONE TO KEEP IT NEAT AND TIDY ON A DAILY BASIS…….PICKING UP NATURAL DEBRIS ON THE "AS AND WHERE FOUND" BASIS.

     AS A SIDEBAR - WHAT IN THE WORLD IS GOING ON WITH TWO HEAVY BOUGHS HANGING DOWN OVER THE SIDEWALK ON MARY STREET, JUST UP FROM THE HIGH SCHOOL? IF SOMEONE WAS TO PULL ON THOSE TREE-TO-GROUND LIMBS, AND SNAP THEM OFF AT THE TRUNK, THE WHIPLASH CREATED COULD CAUSE SERIOUS INJURY. WHAT DOES IT TAKE, FOR THE TOWN TO RECOGNIZE THEIR LIABILITY……ON THEIR (OUR) SIDEWALK. IT COULD ALSO BE SAID OF SOME ROADS IN THE TOWN, WHERE BROKEN LIMBS PROTRUDE ONTO THE ROAD. I'M GENUINELY SURPRISED THE LEGAL EAGLES WITH THE TOWN, AREN'T CONCERNED ABOUT THE "WHAT IFS" REGARDING STORM DAMAGE IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, MORE THAN A WEEK AFTER THE CRISIS. I AM TRULY MIFFED AT WHAT THIS TOWN REGARDS AS A PRIORITY THESE DAYS, BUT I'M HOPEFUL, BEFORE THE END OF THEIR TERM, THEY WILL FIGURE OUT THAT NOT ALL COUNCIL BUSINESS OCCURS AT TOWN HALL, OR AT RIBBON CUTTING EVENTS. IF THE SAME DEBRIS FIELD, WOUND UP IN ANY OF OUR COUNCILLORS' YARDS, HOW LONG WOULD IT BE IGNORED? OR WOULD IT BE DEALT WITH IMMEDIATELY. I HAVE SOME ANSWERS TO THIS, BUT I'LL LEAVE IT TO MY READERS TO ASSESS THIS ON THEIR OWN.

    POINT IS, DEAR COUNCILLORS. IF YOU WOULDN'T ACCEPT THE BOUGHS STREWN ON YOUR PROPERTY…..THINKING OF THEM AS CREATING DISORDER, AND UNSIGHTLINESS AMONGST THE SHRUBBERY, THEN HOW CAN YOU IGNORE THE CONDITION OF GULL LAKE PARK, OR ANYWHERE ELSE, IN THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, STILL COVERED WITH DEBRIS? I DON'T CARE, AT THIS POINT, WHO IS CALLING THE SHOTS AT TOWN HALL, BUT IT'S GOT TO GET BETTER REAL SOON. LEADERSHIP IS A FIRST STEP. RAKE IN HAND.

THEY BEAT THE ODDS ONE MORE TIME

     WHAT A GREAT NIGHT. I DON'T KNOW IF ANY TOWN OF GRAVENHURST COUNCILLORS WERE IN ATTENDANCE. THEY SHOULD HAVE BEEN. THEY NEED TO BE SEEN AT THIS EVENT, AND NOT JUST FOR THE SEVERAL MINUTES SPARED DURING THE INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS, AT THE FIRST CONCERT OF THE SEASON. IT'S NOT A LOT TO ASK. REALLY! THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A TOWN OFFICIAL AT LAST WEEK'S CONCERT, TO ADDRESS THE PUBLIC, REGARDING THE STORM AND THE DESTRUCTION OF THE PARK PINERY. IT'S A FUNDAMENTAL PROTOCOL OF BEING AN ELECTED FIGURE. IT DIDN'T HAVE TO BE THE MAYOR OR THE DEPUTY MAYOR……HOW ABOUT A COUNCILLOR WITH A VOICE. THAT WOULD HAVE MEANT A LOT TO SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF THE AUDIENCE, WHO HAD SUFFERED MAJOR DAMAGE TO THEIR PROPERTIES, AND WHO WERE DAYS AWAY FROM HAVING THEIR POWER RESTORED…..BUT FOUND TIME TO COME TOGETHER AS GOOD NEIGHBORS FOR A LITTLE LIGHT HEARTED ENTERTAINMENT AT A TOUGH TIME.

     IT WAS DOWN TO THE WIRE, WHETHER (WEATHER) THE HEAVENS WOULD OPEN ON THE TWO SHOW-HOSTING FREDS, (CROSSING THEIR RESPECTIVE FINGERS IN PRIVATE), OF THE WEEKLY MUSIC ON THE BARGE PERFORMANCE, AT ROTARY GULL LAKE PARK. ON ONE HAND, BARGE MANAGER FRED SCHULZ, HAD A TOUGH CALL TO MAKE…….RUNNING THE SHOW WHEN THERE WAS A GOOD CHANCE OF RAIN AND A POTENTIAL THUNDERSTORM TO CROSS THE LAKELAND. WE ALL REMEMBER THE THUNDERSTORM FROM A WEEK AGO, ESPECIALLY ALONG THIS PATH…..GULL LAKE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE. FRED, OF "FREDDY VETTE AND THE FLAMES," JUST WANTED TO PLAY THE VENUE…..ONE OF THEIR FAVORITES ON THE ONTARIO PERFORMANCE CIRCUIT. ONE FRED WORRIED ABOUT GETTING WET; THE OTHER WAS OF THE OPINION IT WOULDN'T RAIN ON A BIG MUSIC NIGHT. PERIOD. HE COULD PART THE CLOUDS WITH GOOD FUN, AND GREAT MUSIC.

    WELL SIR, THEY WERE BOTH GAMBLING MEN TONIGHT, AND IT PAID BIG DIVIDENDS. THE RAIN THREATENED, AND THE SKY LOOKED A LITTLE OMINOUS AT TIMES, BUT BY SHOW TIME, EVERYONE FOCUSED THEIR ENERGY ON CHAIR DANCING AND HAVING A GRAND TIME. NO NEED TO WORRY ABOUT INCLEMENT WEATHER, WHEN YOU'RE HAVING SO MUCH FUN. THE MANY HUNDREDS WHO HUNKERED DOWN ON THAT GRASSY SHORELINE, UP ON BALD MAN'S FRINGE, AND DOWN ON THE BEACH, AND FOR THAT MATTER, ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE SNACK BAR, WEREN'T WORRIED ABOUT GETTING WET. THEY WERE THERE TO ENJOY THE AMBIENCE OF A FINE LITTLE URBAN PARK, AND TO CELEBRATE SUMMER IN MUSKOKA, WITH WELL KNOWN ENTERTAINERS, FREDDY VETTE AND THE FLAMES, WHO ONCE AGAIN, ENTERTAINED US TO THE FULL EXTENT OF THE LAW. ANY MORE WOULD HAVE BEEN SINFUL. MOST OF THE CROWD WAS GYRATING IN THEIR LAWN CHAIRS, OR ON THE BENCHES LINING THE TOP OF THE HILL, AND EVEN THE SWIMMERS, WERE DANCING OUT ON THE GULL LAKE DOCKS. AS IF THE ARTIST STAGED A PHOTO-SHOOT, IT WAS THE PERFECT SCENE, THE PERFECT OVERVIEW, OF WHAT SUMMER IN MUSKOKA IS ALL ABOUT. FABULOUS NIGHTS OF ENTERTAINMENT LIKE THIS. AND IT DIDN'T RAIN. FRED SCHULZ PULLED ANOTHER "DRY" ONE OUT OF THE BAG, AND A REALLY BIG CROWD EXTENDS ITS HEARTFELT THANKS…….TO HIS STALWART DETERMINATION, THAT "THE SHOW MUST GO ON!"

     OUTDOOR VENUES! THEY'RE ALWAYS A RISK. BUT YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE AS PERPETUALLY LUCKY AS FRED SCHULZ, WITH A HISTORY OF SUCCESSES ABOUT SIX FEET TALL, DURING HIS BARGE TENURE, IT'S HARD NOT TO THINK OF THE MAN AS A "FOUR-LEAF-CLOVER-CARRYING," "HORSESHOE-SITTING-ON," IRISHMAN, WITH A WEE UNICORN STUFFED INTO HIS SHIRT POCKET, TO GO WITH THE RABBIT'S FOOT HANGING OFF HIS BELT. THANKS TO FREDDY VETTE AND THE FLAMES, TONIGHT'S PERFORMANCE WAS ANOTHER OF THOSE MAGIC MOMENTS IN LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT HISTORY….THAT MADE REALLY NICE MEMORIES FOR ALL OF US. THANKS FOR GIVING IT YOUR ALL FRED AND FREDDY.

     "To learn something about crafts and craftsmen is to learn about the history of the race. Each craft is the rich repository of many years of practical experimentation and knowledge by men and women whose very lives were shaped and enhanced by the work of their hands. More than wars, more even than literature or the chronicles of kings and great men, the crafts reflect our universal past. They also demonstrate with beauty and precision, how generations of creativity went into developing and refining hundreds of regional variations that are only now blending, losing their identities." John Seymour, "The Forgotten Arts & Crafts."

RICHARD KARON BIOGRAPHY -

THE BIOGRAPHER'S RELATIONSHIP WITH ART AND ARTISTS-

     "We frequently use the term creative artist, and quite rightly so. But to be truly aware of art as one of the finest and most beautiful of human activities is not as simple as it sometimes seems. There would appear to be no grounds for doubting that when you look at a painting, statue or drawing, read a poem or listen to a violin sonata, you are dealing not with natural phenomena but with the creations of the human mind, heart and hands. But a work of art is objectivised, removed from its creator and appears to us, the public, in its own independent characteristic form, which is revealed especially patently, fully and completely in the fine arts. This form is based on objects and phenomena in life, although there can be no question of identity," wrote art historian, Vladislav Zimenko, in his 1976 book, "The Humanism of Art. "Nevertheless, when we perceive a painting, sculpture or engraving we automatically and quite reasonably relate the forms we see to the forms of real-life objects, often even to the extent of forgetting that they are not identical. The joy of recognition of familiar objects tends to take precedence over the joy derived from the aesthetic reproductions and representation." He also wrote that, "Art creates a special world organized by the will and wisdom of the artist, in which we are all the time aware of refections of his artistic nature even, where he had been at great pains to hide them."

     I have known many artists. I have studied them at work, and marveled at their intuition and imagination, to create works that are alluring and provocative, inspiring and exciting….. but I am wary of the alchemy at their beck and call. I have read hundreds of books on fine arts, some dating back hundreds of years. Yet, I am no closer to understanding the arts, but suffice that I am able to appreciate them, by my own unreserved innocence.

     Every year, I am tempted by some offer, to work on a biography. Not my own. That would be pretty boring, compared to some members of our citizenry, past and present, who have had remarkable lives. It's true. All the biographies I have written, to date, are about subjects who are deceased. There was one exception. When I wrote a tribute biography for National Hockey League goaltender, Roger Crozier, working as a corporate executive, for an American bank. When I was later hired as a contributor to a larger book project, by his bank in Delaware, Roger was very sick, and before the text was completed, he had passed away. For whatever reason, the biography was shelved. "Daredevil Goalie," was the first book written on Roger, after he won the Conn Smythe Trophy, in the 1960's, and my tribute biography was the last cursory hockey biography. This was produced in the mid 1990's. Roger was so pleased with it, that he invited me to visit him in Delaware, and tour MBNA headquarters. He had a great life beyond the accomplishments of professional hockey.

     In 2011, I re-published the biography of Ada Florence Kinton, a pioneer artist, missionary, of Huntsville, both online and in a neat little publication known as "Curious; The Tourist Guide," that I've been writing for during the past decade. The Kinton story is one I've repeated three times now, for regional publications, and on the third (revised) release, I finally got word from a family member. Which was fantastic, and the fact the family appreciated the story was even better.

     In the case of Richard Karon, the fact I got involved in the story, dates back to my early days as a hobby art collector. As I've written about previously, I developed a fascination for art at a young age. As a kid, I was sick a lot. I can remember laying on the couch in our livingroom, on so many of those days, staring at the ceiling. When not looking there, I was studying the only two paintings my mother and father owned. One was a William Kranley, who had once been connected to the Ontario College of Art, and another painting by T.Looksooner. My mother had worked as a secretary for Mr. Kranley, and as a gift, he gave her a wonderful autumn landscape, probably painted in the late 1940's. Merle purchased the Looksooner painting, of ocean waves crashing against the shore, in the early 1960's, when the painter brought some panels to a neighbor's apartment, while we were living in Burlington. I wasn't surrounded by art, as a kid, but I was certainly affected by the little we had……other than cheap prints to fill wall space.

     Part of my fascination, was that these two modest paintings, could cheer me up, when I was feeling poorly. The autumn scene, while melancholy in appearance, made me feel calm and comfortable, and the ocean scene evoked a sense of "sailing away" and coolness, if I had a fever. I held great respect for artists, who could provide such tender care and gentle adventure for a sick kid. It made me want to learn how to paint. I tried. Around Birch Hollow today, you can find all kinds of attempts by the writer, to be a painter. Suffice to say, I am a painter. A house painter. My most recent accomplishment in painting, was a re-decorated bathroom. So I have spent most of a life-time collecting, and selling interesting art, satisfying myself as an admirer of the paintings, I could never excel at myself.

      I remember an occasion, when I arrived back at the antique shop, I operated with my parents, in Bracebridge, and Merle was ecstatic about a deal she had wangled with a customer. Thinking we had made thousands of dollars, she instead produced a tiny but well executed pencil sketch of the Empire State Building, in New York. Merle got it by trading a pair of old glasses, to a client in desperate need. The gentleman was an American artist who had been staying in Muskoka, who had, by some misadventure, damaged his own vintage-style spectacles. It was on a day he couldn't find anyone to make repairs, and he was driving home that afternoon. He had them taped together in a rather awkward fashion. He decided to drop in to our newly opened shop, circa 1977, before leaving town, and to his delight, he found the old pair of wire glasses I'd purchased the week before at an auction. It seems the parts could be switched, and he could unwrap the tape from his glasses. He confessed to being quite out of money, which we used to hear a lot, but he had an original pencil sketch he had in his portfolio, that he had drawn recently. Merle liked it, and thought we could double our money, at least, from what the old spectacles were priced at…..and she was right. She had made a very astute trade, and many years later the small original sketch sold for about $150.00, I believe. The glasses had been on sale for ten bucks.

     There was another case, when a local artist came into the store with ten original oil paintings, on carved pieces of half inch plywood. They were nicely sculpted around the edges, unframed, with wire hangers, but a lot of folks objected to the plywood. The art work was brilliant. Wonderful nature studies that were all very well executed, and would have looked magnificent on masonite or canvas……just not on plywood. We took them on consignment, and Merle, feeling a little sorry for the talented artist, down on his luck, bought the little paintings……and then gave them to me for my apartment, which admittedly had a few bare walls.

     I can remember the spring I graduated university in Toronto, getting a little financial windfall, and taking a portion of the money and investing it in art. At the time I didn't know too much about art as an investment, so I made a crappy decision. I sold one of the three but I gave the other originals to my parents for the bare walls in their new apartment, in the years after we closed our shop. After my parents died, several years ago, I inherited those two paintings, now sitting in my archives room, reminding me daily about the precarious art market. It's not that they aren't good paintings, just that they aren't good enough to earn any serious returns for my multi-decade investment. Merle and Ed thought they were great, and for me, that was all the icing I needed on the cake.

     As I've also mentioned previously, I grew up in a town with three prominent artists, working on the main street of town, at roughly the same time. Bob Everett was the artist / pharmacist, on Manitoba Street, Bill Anderson was the painter / barber, and my old chum (who I just chatted with recently) Ross Smith, was the artist / gas jockey at his father's Uptown Garage. All three were accomplished landscape artists. Ross still paints regularly, and of this I'm delighted. I have one of his originals he did for me, of a rustic cabin on a quiet stretch of Muskoka River. Ross was my neighbor at York University's "Winter's College," and he always had a painting on the go, or stacks of his old work, which I used to beg, and haul home in my girlfriend Gail's Volkswagon. It can be said of me, I never left a panel behind. And my girlfriend always wanted to kick my…………." She always knew, that faced with a romantic decision, between her and the art panels, I was going to have a lot of art on my walls…..but a crappy romantic life.

     This is, of course, is a round-about way of getting back to the subject of this blog-biography. As I have been a staunch supporter of the arts community, in Muskoka, and one of the "behind the scenes," negotiators, for the present Chapel Gallery, in Bracebridge (Muskoka Arts and Crafts operated site), I could very easily select another artist biography over a generous offer to write the life story of a hockey player, golfer, politician or magician. I've interviewed and promoted hundreds of local artists over the years, for news and feature publications, and I've never been disappointed by the experience or the outcomes. I've interviewed sculptors like Richard Green, one of the most colorful interviews I've ever had, (what a character) wood artisans like Don Thur, pottery artists, such as Jon Partridge, bird carvers……, Weldon Tracey was always a charming gentleman to interview; artists like Doug Dunford. I always wanted to own the original Dunford painting of the tractor known as "Minnesota Moline," but alas, I was a poor reporter, without a budget for nice art work. I have met and written about so many talented artists in this inspiring region of Ontario, which has always been as enjoyable for me, as I hope it was, a successful promotion, for the subject artist. I always enjoyed seeing their studios, and watching them work at their easels or potter's wheel. I watched, within only a few feet, as glass artist Jamie Sherman worked his magic at the furnace, in his former Bracebridge studio. I have spent a lot of time in my news career, in awe, writing about the creative work of others.

     It's the reason I had been considering work on a biography, of former Muskoka artist, Richard Karon. When I finally met the well known artist, at his Lake of Bays studio, back in the mid 1980's, he was, just then, closing his art business. Not only was he closing up his studio / gallery, and selling a large quantity of his remaining artwork, little did I appreciate, he was also giving-up painting as a profession. I was astonished, during the auction, held the same day as I finally met the artist, (who I had heard and read so much about), when the auctioneer's helpers began wading into a storage building, and dragging out rolls of paintings, some actually stuck together. They were selling these rolled up canvases together, and I remember getting three in one roll. The job was to separate them from each other. I knew when I saw this happening, it was not a typical close-out of an art studio, by the artist himself. Very few, if any professional artists, would allow their inferior work to be sold off. This work is usually destroyed, no matter how much value it might possess down the road. While it's true that estates for artists, often disregard last will directives on the disposal of sketches, and rejected studio work, the reason for it, is actually quite simple. The lesser works on the market, will affect the valuation of the better pieces held by investors. The mistake of the artists, usually, is that they often leave the task of getting-rid of unwanted panels, until it is too late. Sensing there is money to be made from even damaged or incomplete art panels, executors tend to overlook what was a sincere request by the artist before death. "Get rid of them." Which refers to the inferior work they don't wish to be made public. In the strange case of Mr. Karon, who was going through the early stages of a marital separation, he gave permission to sell this work he had previously rejected. This for an artist of his calibre, was like a magician giving up the secrets of his tricks. His failings and inconsistencies, in his own mind, as the artist, were being dumped onto the market. But there was something he hadn't really thought about, in his resignation to cease work as an artist.

     As I've written about, previously in this biography, something fascinating happened during the auction, that few patrons would have recognized as a "theme for the day." The artist was too emotionally distant and disgruntled to have appreciated what was happening in the audience. Most of the people, buying his art on that day, were folks who admired his work. They weren't bargain hunters or flea market vendors, looking to make a fast buck, by flipping these art pieces by the end of the week. In the crowd were friends, neighbors, cottagers, and art patrons who knew his talents as a painter. I may have been the only antique dealer that day, particularly interested in his art work…..but frankly, I was there as both a reporter and historian, because this was an important memory to preserve. What I saw that day, was his art work being "rescued," by people who had admiration for the painter. They weren't buying the cast-off originals for great future profit, but instead, because the art meant something to them. They knew the places he painted, and the times of day he preferred to capture his landscapes…..when the mist and light, and colors were most profoundly enchanting. It was as if he was flinging all the work he had ever invested, into the sky, and letting it fall upon the ground, as a poetic gesture of a failed career. In reality, quite the opposite held true. But what he hadn't anticipated, was the crowd of supporters, admirers, who wanted to own Richard Karon originals, no matter if they were seconds, or incomplete. As he stayed, for most of the auction, behind the counter in his gallery, selling the leftover panels still mounted on the walls, he missed seeing the show of respect for his creations. It was, for this observer, a tragic event, because it meant the end of a long and successful career. Had he known his art was being snapped up by those who respected his work, possibly it would have been a spark of optimism……that while having to sell his home / studio, it didn't mean he hadn't been a competent painter, creating desirable paintings. He couldn't separate a failed marriage from the well being of his profession, and all he could think about, following the closure of the Baysville studio, was positioning himself close to his young son, Richard Sahoff Karon, then only four years old. His long-time friend Eva Scheel, owner of the Log Cabin Gift Shop, told me during an interview, many years ago, that the painter was devastated by the break-up, and the thought of being separated from his young son, compelled him to move. In his mind, he had no choice but to re-locate, and his art became inconsequential. There is no disguising or muting the sense of tragic circumstance, he must have felt, at this time of his life. I'm afraid that by this point, no supportive editorial or heartfelt compliment, about acceptance of his work, would have changed his future. His satisfaction then, was that he was able to remain close to his son, for several more years, up to the last moments of life. His son was only seven when his father passed away. 

     I have in my possession, a number of curious art pieces, I obtained from a local second hand shop, several years ago. I was immediately attracted to them, and while vibrant, well executed abstract portraits, there was something more compelling about the panels, commanding me to bring them home. I have about twelve of this talented artist's signed originals, and some of the books he had in his art library. They had been signed by him. I remember, one morning, reading the weekly paper, and coming across an obituary for this same artist. When I happened to mention this to the manager of the store, later that same week, he was shocked to hear the news. The artist had only recently dropped the small collection of art work off at the store, to help the charity, stating then that he hoped the work could raise a few needed dollars for the organization. It was not a natural death, from what I have ascertained since. Distraught? Feeling it had been a failed career in the arts? Depression amongst artists is well documented, especially noted in the biographies of the world's best known creators. Karon was buoyed by a love for his family, his son, and knowing he was in the early stages of cancer himself, he wanted to spend as much time, as possible, with his son and namesake. Art became irrelevant, even when his wife, Irma, asked him, on numerous occasions, if he could paint a portrait of their son. Whether he outrightly refused, or just never followed-through, we don't know. But this may be the clear evidence, he had given up on art totally by this point…..which was post 1985, but not on life. In fact, strange as this may seem, he opened a small business to frame the work of other artists.

     It was because of the Karon auction, and the sadness of that day, and the circumstances that I had always been suspicious of, that did eventually, lead me to undertake his biography……which I feel, as I write this, was destiny in all its glory. The ends of the circle would meet. This is exactly what I told Richard Sahoff Karon, on the day I met with him, in January of this year, at my boys' music shop here in Gravenhurst. He was with his young daughter Aurora, and as I'm a pretty spiritual guy, it didn't take a medium to tell me, something positive was going to happen. The artist and the writer were going to come together once again, to complete the circle, for his son and granddaughter, and for subsequent generations of the Karon family. What was important to his son, had become imminently so for me, and work began immediately following our meeting. One might assume then, by the biography so far, that this is a markedly sad story. I find, myself, that the opposite holds true. It is an uplifting story, by the reality, the truth has prevailed, and what may have been perceived as irreparable, has in instead, been presented as opportunity for healing. 

     Join me tomorrow for the conclusion of the Richard Karon biography.