Richard Karon Part 10

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.

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