Frank Johnston, The Landscape Artist We Should Have Known In Muskoka

1980's Watercolour of an evergreen forest by Frank Johnston

High Falls by Frank Johnston

Lake Muskoka by Frank Johnston

FRANK JOHNSTON, THE LANDSCAPE ARTIST WE SHOULD HAVE KNOWN

MORE THAN JUST PRETTY PICTURES - GRAVENHURST ARTIST FRAMED MUSKOKA

     IT DOESN'T TAKE VERY LONG, BROWSING THROUGH FRANK JOHNSTON'S PAINTING PORTFOLIO, TO FIGURE OUT HE WAS A COMPETENT COMMERCIAL ARTIST. HE SPECIALIZED IN ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE, AND WAS HIGHLY COMPETENT AS AN URBAN ARTIST, AS YESTERDAY'S CITYSCAPE OF TORONTO REVEALED. IN THE DISTRICT OF MUSKOKA, SPECIFICALLY HIS HOME TOWN OF GRAVENHURST, HE WAS BEST KNOWN FOR HIS SMALL-TOWN PORTRAYALS, AND STUDIES OF LOCAL HERITAGE SITES. HE HAD DONE SIMILAR WORK FOR A NUMBER OF NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL HISTORIC SITES IN THE PAST, INCLUDING THE 1600'S JESUIT MISSION OF "SAINTE MARIE AMONG THE HURONS," IN MIDLAND. IF YOU MISSED THIS BLOG, YOU CAN ARCHIVE BACK TO YESTERDAY'S COLUMN, WHERE THESE IMAGES WERE PUBLISHED.

    AS FOR COMMERCIAL ART, HE WAS WILLING TO ENTERTAIN ALMOST ANY ART AND DESIGN PROJECT, RIGHT DOWN TO THE ACTUALLY PRINTING. HE WAS EVEN COMMISSIONED TO PAINT AND PRINT PERSONAL GREETING CARDS, FOR MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT, AND FOR OWNERS OF HERITAGE BUILDINGS; THE VICTORIAN ERA, FORMER GREIG MEDICAL CLINIC, ON KIMBERLY AVENUE IN BRACEBRIDGE, COMES TO MIND. IT WAS PRINTED AS A CHRISTMAS CARD. FORMER MUSKOKA MPP (AND SHORT TERM PREMIER) FRANK MILLER, USED JOHNSTON ART-CARDS, TO SEND HIS CHRISTMAS GREETINGS. HE EVEN DID THE ART WORK FOR THE MENU COVERS, AND WINE LIST, FOR SLOAN'S RESTAURANT IN GRAVENHURST. WHAT HIS ADMIRERS WEREN'T AWARE, OR AT LEAST FULLY, WAS THE APPRECIATION OF JOHNSTON'S WIDE-RANGING CAPABILITY, OF PAINTING MUSKOKA AND REGIONAL LANDSCAPES. AS ALLURING AS THEY ARE, I STILL SEE THEM FORTUNATELY, OR I SUPPOSE, UNFORTUNATELY, AS HAVING COMMERCIAL QUALITIES BEYOND THE RANGE OF SIMPLY LANDSCAPE PAINTINGS. I'M NOT SURE THAT JOHNSTON WOULD HAVE BEEN OFFENDED, IF A COMMERCIAL ENTERPRISE, INDUSTRY OR GOVERNMENT AGENCY, ASKED PERMISSION TO USE ONE OF THESE LANDSCAPES TO ENHANCE A PUBLIC OR COMMERCIAL MESSAGE. IT WAS, AFTERALL, HIS MAINSTAY, BEING A COMMERCIAL ARTIST AND PRINTER. EVEN THE WATERCOLOR OF GRAVENHURST'S "BETHUNE HOUSE," HAS A COMMERCIAL RELEVANCE, IF FOR EXAMPLE, A NATIONAL BANK HAD SELECTED IT, TO REFLECT ON HERITAGE MATTERS, OR SMALL TOWN CHARACTER. OF COURSE, KNOWING THE EXTENT OF HIS COMMERCIAL OUTREACH, AND THE ART WORK DONE ON COMMISSION, DOES INFLUENCE THE VOYEUR'S CRITIQUE OF EVERYTHING ELSE HE PUT HIS BRUSH TO, AS GENERAL ART INTEREST. SO TO VIEW HIS LANDSCAPES, IT IS HARD TO ISOLATE HIS ADVENTURES IN CREATIVE ENTERPRISE. SUFFICE TO SAY, HOWEVER, THAT EVEN HIS MOST COMMERCIAL VEINED ART PANELS, WOULD BE AN ENHANCEMENT TO ANY ROOM, ANY DECOR, IN HOUSE, COTTAGE, BUSINESS, INDUSTRY OR GOVERNMENT OFFICE. HIS SUCCESS WAS IN HIS ABILITY TO DIVERSIFY IN SUBJECT MATERIAL, AND PROVIDE EXCELLENT RESULTS, INCLUDING ADVENTURES INTO AREAS HE HADN'T PREVIOUSLY ENTERTAINED. HE WASN'T A COWARD WHEN IT CAME TO STEPPING OUTSIDE THE BOX, AND TRYING SOMETHING NEW. BUT HE HAD TO THINK ABOUT IT, FOR AWHILE, BEFORE HE SIGNED-ON, LIKE THE TIME HE AGREED TO SKETCH EACH OF THE COLUMNISTS, (OF WHICH I WAS ONE), FOR HUGH AND MARK CLAIRMONT'S NEW PUBLICATION, "MUSKOKA TODAY." MY COLUMN WAS CALLED "HOMETOWN ADVANTAGE," A TITLE I KEPT ACTIVE FOR MANY YEARS AFTER I LEFT THE PAPER. 

     FOR MOST OF THIS WEEK, I'VE BEEN RE-PUBLISHING A SMALL NUMBER OF GRAVENHURST ARTIST, FRANK JOHNSTON'S, WELL KNOWN HERITAGE WATERCOLORS, PAINTED AND PRINTED FROM HIS HUGHSON STREET STUDIO. IN A RETROSPECTIVE OF THE LATE ARTIST'S WORK, IT'S OBVIOUS HIS REPUTATION AS A PAINTER, WAS HEAVILY WEIGHTED TO HIS STUDIES OF HISTORIC SITES, AND ARCHITECTURE, INCLUDING DEPICTIONS OF AREA MAIN STREETS. I WAS FORTUNATE TO RECEIVE A SAMPLING OF HIS PRINTS, LAST FRIDAY, FROM THE JOHNSTON FAMILY, FOR USE IN THIS BLOG. I WAS SURPRISED MYSELF, TO SEE SOME OF THIS PAINTING DIVERSITY UP CLOSE, AND TO BE ABLE TO OFFER IT TO YOU, VIA THIS BLOG.

     THE BONUS, FOR ME, WAS ACQUIRING A HALF DOZEN EXCEPTIONAL LANDSCAPES, AS YOU WILL SEE, PUBLISHED WITH TODAY'S BLOG. JOHNSTON, A PROLIFIC PAINTER, BECAME WELL KNOWN IN MUSKOKA, FOR HIS URBAN HERITAGE THEMES, AS ANY PATRON AT THE FORMER SLOAN'S RESTAURANT, IN GRAVENHURST, COULD ATTEST. IT WAS HARD TO IGNORE THE COLLECTION OF LARGE FORMAT WATERCOLORS, OF STEAMBOATS, HITCHED TOGETHER AT THE MUSKOKA WHARF, AND ON LAKE MUSKOKA, THAT WERE HANDSOMELY FRAMED OVER THE DINING BOOTHS OF THE RESTAURANT, FAMOUS TO COTTAGERS AND TOURISTS, FOR THEIR FRESH BLUEBERRY PIE. JUST AS FAMOUS, WERE JOHNSTON'S COMPANION PAINTINGS, WHICH WERE DRAMATICALY PROMOTIONAL OF OUR COMMUNITY. I DON'T KNOW WHETHER A PAST TOWN COUNCIL EVER PAID TRIBUTE TO WHAT HIS WORK DID, FOR COMMUNITY GOODWILL, AND AS A BOOST FOR THE TOURISM INDUSTRY, BUT MAYBE SOME YEAR DOWN THE ROAD, A POSTHUMUS RECOGNITION FROM THE TOWN, WOULD BE BETTER THAN LASTING INDIFFERENCE.

     THE POINT OF TODAY'S BLOG, IS TO SHOWCASE SOME OF THE LESSER KNOWN LANDSCAPE ART, UNDERTAKEN BY THE PAINTER, ESPECIALLY IN THE 1980'S AND EARLY 90'S. PICTURED ABOVE IS A LAKE SCENE, WHICH MAY BE OF LAKE MUSKOKA, A WINTER SCENE IN AN EVERGREEN FOREST, AND WHAT I BELIEVE IS A DEPICTION OF HIGH FALLS IN THE SPRING, JUST NORTH OF THE URBAN AREA OF BRACEBRIDGE. THE WATERCOLOR OF SNOW IN THE PINERY, IS ONE OF JOHNSTON'S CLASSIC HAUNTING IMAGES, WITH A FOGGY, ICE CRYSTAL BACKDROP; LIGHT AGAINST THE STARK DIVIDING DARKNESS OF THE TREES, SUGGESTING EITHER A MIST RISING UP FROM A WATERCOURSE. OR A SNOWY CANOPY HAVING JUST BEEN BLOWN FROM THE OVERHANGING BOUGHS. OR IT'S JUST A WAY JOHNSTON FOUND, FOR ADDING MYSTERY TO WHAT IS A BASIC WINTER SCENE IN A CANADIAN WOODLAND. HIS IMAGE OF THE ROCKY LAKE SHORE, IS A WELL EXECUTED PAINTING, THAT GIVES THE VOYEUR THE SENSORY PERCEPTION, THAT THERE IS A WIND BLOWING OUT ON THE LAKE, AS THE WHITE CHOP IS VISIBLE; YET THE WATER IS REFLECTIVE AND CALM IN THIS PROTECTED INLET. IT'S A SIMPLE, NO FRILLS IMAGE OF MUSKOKA, WITHOUT A CANOE OR MOORED SAILBOAT, DOCK OR COTTAGE. IT IS A SCENE, MOST OF US WHO HAVE TOURED THE LAKES, ARE FAMILIAR WITH, AND WOULD SAY, DEFINES THE ATTRACTION OF OUR REGION OF THE PROVINCE. HE COULD HAVE PLACED SWIMMERS DIVING OFF THE ROCKS, OR SIGHTSEERS ON THE UPPER RIDGE, LOOKING OUT OVER THE LAKE. INSTEAD HE SAW, AND INTERPRETED A SCENE, THAT COULD STAND ON ITS OWN, AND  REQUIRING NOTHING MORE THAN A PICTURE FRAME, TO ENHANCE ANY ROOM IT WAS COMMISSIONED TO ADORN. WE CAN SO EASILY IMAGINE THE SOFT CRUNCH OF PINE NEEDLES BENEATH OUR FEET, AS WE CLIMB THE HILL IN OUR IMAGINATION. HIGH ON THE ROCKS WOULD AFFORD AN EXCELLENT VIEW, AND THE SLOPE, ON A SUNNY DAY, WOULD HOLD THE WARMTH, SHOULD A HIKER DECIDE TO SIT AND ADMIRE THE VIEW. IT IS A MUSKOKA SCENE ON A BUDGET, AND IT IS EXACTLY WHAT THE ARTIST WANTED TO ESTABLISH; NATURE IS BEAUTIFUL ON ITS OWN.

     THE WATERCOLOR PAINTING OF HIGH FALLS, HOLDS SPECIAL MEANING FOR ME, AS IT WAS WHERE MY FAMILY USED TO RETREAT FOR TRADITIONAL SUNDAY AFTERNOON PICNICS. IT WAS CLOSE TO WHERE WE WERE LIVING IN BRACEBRIDGE, IN THE 1960'S AND 70'S, AND THERE WAS NO USER-FEE TO HAVE THE USE OF A BARBECUE PIT, OR TO ACCESS THE PARK INTERIOR, WHICH WAS THE FIRST PLACE I VISITED AFTER ARRIVAL. IN THE FAMILY PHOTO ALBUMS, THERE ARE LOTS OF PICTURES OF ME, SITTING ON THE ROCKS OF THE MUSKOKA RIVER WATERFALL, OR WANDERING THROUGH THE PINERY, ON THE SOUTH SIDE OF THE CATARACT. WE DIDN'T HAVE A LOT OF MONEY FOR EXTRAVAGANT VACATIONS, AND EVEN OUR BARBECUE, WAS ONE OF THE SMALLEST, CHEAPEST ON THE MARKET. EVEN THE CHARCOAL WAS THE BARGAIN BRAND, THAT SELDOM IGNITED PROPERLY. MY FATHER WAS THE GRILL-MASTER AND MY MOTHER ALWAYS BROUGHT A BOOK TO READ. IT WAS A BUDGET GET-AWAY, AND I DIDN'T COMPLAIN. I COULD EXPLORE THE WOODLANDS FOR HOURS, AND NEVER GET BORED. THERE WAS A NEAT LITTLE CREEK THAT USED TO RUN THROUGH THE PINERY, AND OVER THE CLIFF, TO JOIN THE FLOW OF THE MUSKOKA RIVER, AS IT WOUND ITS WAY TO WILSON'S FALLS, IN BRACEBRIDGE, AND THEN THE LARGER BRACEBRIDGE FALLS. IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL SCENE IN THE LATE SUMMER PARTICULARLY, AND I CAN REMEMBER FINDING ALL KINDS OF DRIFTWOOD ON THE BEACHFRONT, DIRECTLY BELOW THE FALLS. AS A MATTER OF FACT, NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT, MERLE AND ED ACTUALLY VARNISHED A LARGE PIECE OF DRIFTWOOD I FOUND, AND USED IT AS A DECORATION IN OUR APARTMENT LIVINGROOM. GEEZ, I WONDER WHERE THAT PIECE WENT? MERLE PROBABLY GOT TIRED OF IT, AND GAVE IT TO SOMEONE IN THE APARTMENT. I SHOULD HAVE BEEN IN LINE FOR THE PIECE, SEEING AS I FOUND IT, BUT MERLE MADE DISPERSAL DECISIONS INDEPENDENTLY, AND ACCORDING TO HER CONSCIENCE. JUST LIKE SHE GAVE AWAY ALL MY CHILDHOOD TOYS AND GAMES, AFTER I'D ONLY BEEN AT UNIVERSITY FOR A WEEK.

     THE SCENE PAINTED BY FRANK JOHNSTON WAS OBVIOUSLY WITNESSED IN MAY, DURING THE FINAL DAYS OF THE SPRING MELT. USUALLY BY THE EARLY PART OF THE SUMMER, WHEN THE PARK WAS MOST HEAVILY USED, THERE WAS ONLY A TRICKLE OF WATER COMING DOWN THE ROCK FACE. I HAVE SEEN IT, JUST AS JOHNSTON FRAMED THE SCENE, AND FROM WHERE HE STOOD TO CAPTURE THE IMAGE, HE WOULD HAVE FELT THE SPRAY, AND THE DEEP VIBRATION BENEATH HIS FEET, AS THE WATER POUNDED DOWN THE ROCK FACE. MY MOTHER NEVER LET ME FORGET, AS I GOT CLOSER AND CLOSER TO THE EDGE, AT THE VERY TOP, HOW MANY KIDS MY AGE, HAD DROWNED IN THE CHURNING WATER BELOW. WHICH WAS TRUE, OF COURSE, AS I HAD READ THE NEWSPAPER STORY ABOUT ONE SUCH LAD, TAKEN BY THE UNDERTOW BENEATH THE FALLS. BACK MORE THAN A CENTURY, THERE WERE MANY MORE CASUALTIES OF A WILD RIVER, ESPECIALLY IN THE LATE SPRING, WHEN THE WATERFLOW WAS STILL, MUCH AS FRANK JOHNSTON SAW IT ON THE DAY HE VISITED. I CAN HEAR THE WATERFALL, JUST LOOKING AT THE FRAMED SCENE. OF HIS NATURE SCENES, I LIKE THIS ONE THE MOST.

     IN TOMORROW'S BLOG, I WILL OFFER ANOTHER SELECTION OF FRANK JOHNSTON LANDSCAPES, FROM THE SMALL COLLECTION I WAS PRIVILEGED TO RECEIVE FROM THE ARTIST'S FAMILY.