ABOYNE – Famous for its beauty and inspiration, it comes as no surprise the Elora Gorge would be the subject of an art exhibition at the Wellington County Museum and Archives.
What is surprising is the pairing of turn-of-the-century photographs by John R. Connon with watercolour and oil paintings by local artist Barry McCarthy over the last 40 years.
Quiet Moments, an exploration of the Elora Gorge by McCarthy and Connon, opens on Jan. 12.
“Everyone here knows the gorge,” said curator Hailey Johnston, who combed the archives for photographs by Connon and studied McCarthy’s work to select the pieces for the exhibit.
“These two men spent a lot of time in the gorge. Barry’s work is very different from Connon’s and in this exhibit we see two different perspectives.”
Johnston said she wanted to match pieces taken from the same vantage point, but that proved difficult.
“Connon liked to take a bird’s eye view, looking down on the gorge. Barry was right down in the gorge,” she said.
“So, they are not quite side-by-side images. But there are similarities.”
This is not a series that will show how the river has changed over 100-plus years. Those changes have been more to the village of Elora itself and are out of view of these works of art.
What sings through the pairing is that while rocks have moved and trees have fallen, the gorge is as majestic as ever and continues to be a powerful attraction, officials say.
Connon (1862-1931) grew up in Elora and was drawn to the gorge as he was to photography.
He is credited with developing the earliest cameras capable of taking full, 360-degree panoramic photos using a single exposure.
None of the photos in the exhibit were taken with his invention. They show more of his talent as a photographer and his artistic eye, Johnston said.
“There is one area of the gorge that Connon and Barry were standing in the same spot. But they are looking in two different directions,” she said.
In an interview in his Centre Wellington studio, McCarthy said it’s hard not to be captivated by the Grand River as it winds and roars through Fergus and Elora.
The light is striking with one cliff or another lit up by the sun and it’s the reason he and his wife settled in Elora so many years ago.
“I work in light and shadow, yin and yang. It’s the perfect combination. And the gorge keeps calling me back,” he said.
McCarthy said he likes the vantage point of the gorge from the gorge, but it’s hard to get down there.
And even harder in summer, strangely, as there is no path along the shore.
In the winter at least the water is frozen, he said, and he did make the trek from Elora to Salem on the frozen water.
“Every time I go I find paintings down there,” he said.
McCarthy works in watercolours and oils but prefers watercolours.
He explores the gorge with his camera and works from photos back in his studio.
He starts with watercolours and some of those get recreated into oil paintings.
He retired from being a high school art teacher in 2007, but you can’t take the teacher out of McCarthy.
In an hour-long interview, he talked about teaching students to love and appreciate art and to draw out the artist in themselves.
“Van Gogh was my favourite to teach,” he said.
“He was such a character and the kids loved him. That was poignant for me. I could reach these kids.”
McCarthy continues to teach adults in his studio and he’s also a prolific artist, creating 30 paintings a year.
“Maybe six will speak to me,” he said. “They don’t all work but you have to take a chance. You have to leave room for experimentation. That’s the magic.”
McCarthy said he’s charmed by the idea of the exhibition, where the past meets the present at the Elora Gorge.
“John is at one end and I’m at the other. We’re coming full circle.
“And I like circles,” he said.
Quiet Moments runs Jan. 12 to March 12. Admission is by donation.
There will be an opening reception on Jan. 12 at the museum from 7 to 9pm.
