HARRISTON – The Minto Arts Council’s latest exhibit, Three Views of Ontario, opened on April 4, with an artists reception held April 6.
The exhibition combines photography and painting from three artists in one family: Ian, Colin and Anne Williamson.
Photographs by brothers Colin and Ian focus on the rural natural landscapes in Killarney, and Algonquin parks and southwestern Ontario. Their work is paired with watercolour and acrylic paintings of these same area landscapes by Colin’s wife Anne.
Much of Ian’s work is focused on the old style bank barns that dot the rural countryside.
Rural beauty – This photograph, entitled “Oro Barn,” by Ian Williamson is among the works in the Three Views of Ontario exhibit currently on display at the Minto Art Gallery in Harriston.
“What started it was one of my customers had a barn … it’s kind of neat because he had a cluster of buildings, not just a single barn, which I thought was interesting,” notes Ian, who operates an auto parts business in Alliston when he’s not taking photos.
“So talking to him I got unlimited access. I went in and took lot of pictures there. And that was kind of the start of it. And then I started taking more because these barns are disappearing rapidly and they’re a huge part of our history. And they’ve got much greater character than all the new pole barns that are being put up, which are probably more efficient for a lot of farmers, let’s be honest, but it all looks the same,” he explained.
The idea to put together a show, the first for all three Kitchener-based artists, started about a year ago.
“I said ‘You guys need to show your photographs, they’re great,” Anne told about 20 people on hand for the reception at the Minto Arts Gallery, located on the top floor of the Harriston Library.
“So we chewed around some names like the Three Amigos and WWW. At one point it was From Farms to Barns, but I don’t do barns, so then we finally settled on the Three Views of Ontario.”
The exhibit is open until April 28 during gallery hours: Tuesdays 6 to 8pm, Wednesdays 2 to 4pm, Thursdays 2 to 4pm and 6 to 8pm, Fridays 2 to 4pm and Saturdays 11am to 1pm.
Admission is free but donations to the Minto Arts Council are accepted.
