"At Halloween, everybody has a licence to be creative,” Tim Murton says from inside his home on Mill Street.
And for the last 11 years, the Elora artist has capitalized on that opportunity with his Twilight Zoo, a collection of wire and paper sculptures that illuminate his yard every October, much to the delight of hundreds of visitors.
“This is a universal thing. It brings out the kid in everyone,” Murton said, noting visitors to the display are from all ethnic backgrounds and age groups and range from bikers to accountants.
“It’s a Halloween display but they’re really seeing art – we trick them into seeing art.”
In 1999, when Murton first decided to build “a few ghouls” for Halloween outside his home near the intersection of Mill and Metcalfe Streets, he had no idea it would evolve into the attraction it has today.
It has grown steadily in size over the last decade, and Murton regularly hosts out of towners who came to Elora just to see the Twilight Zoo. Several years ago, when work commitments prevented him from offering the display, he had visitors from Cambridge and Waterloo wondering what happened.
“In a sense, I’ve sort of taken on a responsibility,” said Murton of the sculptures, which this year he started to work on in April, with help from “amazing volunteers” Connie and Chris Smith.
“This has been a monumental project for me.”
The first annual Monster March Parade on Oct. 24 – a non-motorized procession with mandatory costumes presented by the Elora BIA in support of the local food bank – featured some of Murton’s creations and helped draw participants and spectators to the Twilight Zoo.
And it’s not too late to enjoy the unique display, which costs $5 per person and $20 per family. It runs on Oct. 29 from 2 to 10pm, Oct. 30 from 2 to 8pm and Oct. 31 from 2 to 10pm.
As usual, the Twilight Zoo will also offer sugar-free treats from Skinny Stella’s, “Sock Hop Puppet Theatre” put on by the Smiths and, on Halloween night from 6 to 9pm, costume photographs by Sylvia Galbraith.
Murton loves working on the wire sculptures – likening it to “drawing in air” – and last month shared his passion during several workshops at the Elora Legion, which he called great successes.
“This is about individual uniqueness,” he said, adding sculptures at the workshop included a dust mite and an ear wig. “There’s no corporate presence or sponsorship at all … it’s just individuals having fun.”
Around Elora Murton may be known as “the monster guy,” but the sculptures are really just an enjoyable reprieve from his work as a fine art painter.
“I try to make my paintings timeless so you don’t tire of them and they don’t demand too much of you,” he said, noting his style ranges from impressionism to photo-realism.
“I love the countryside and I love light.”
Born in England, Murton didn’t always paint for a living. He emigrated to Canada in 1976 armed with a Bachelor of Science degree in construction technology. After a brief career in mining engineering, he changed paths and decided to enroll at the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD) in Toronto. He spent his third year in the off-campus program studying in Florence and Paris.
After graduating Murton spent 18 years in the Toronto film industry, accumulating scenic art credits on over 40 feature films in Canada, England and New Zealand, including The Piano, Billy Madison, Tommy Boy and Serendipity.
“It’s sort of like surfing with a big wave coming behind you,” Murton said of working on set designs before filming begins.
He retired from the movies business about four years ago, and jokes that he was too old to keep at it.
“I always wanted to be an artist, so instead of extending all my talent and energy for someone else, now I just do it for myself … It doesn’t pay as well, though,” he said with a laugh.
All joking aside, Murton acknowledged many artists struggle financially and noted the profession is not as easy as it may look to an outsider.
His work is on display at the McDonald Stewart Art Centre in Guelph, the Art Gallery of Windsor, the Karger Gallery in Elora and in his home studio by appointment.
He isn’t sure exactly from where he gets his artistic flair – his older brother is “a computer genius” in the United Kingdom – but Murton says his grandfather was an inventor and very artistic in his own right.
“It’s just something I’ve always done,” he said of painting. He now lives with his partner Elaine Merritt in Elora, and has no plans to leave any time soon.
“I grew up on a farm, so this area is close to my heart,” he said.
He noted Elora has a very strong artistic community, but stressed the arts need to be continually emphasized to ensure that’s always the case.
“Hopefully that will attract more artistic spirits to come here,” he said.
Murton mentioned the Elora Centre for the Arts, the Elora Festival and Sensational Elora as attractions that “extend the calendar” for visitors coming to the village.
Hoping to do his part, he plans to keep offering the Twilight Zoo, and eventually will build up an inventory of lanterns that could be shown throughout the village.
He envisions those lanterns combining with other “Monster Month” events to form a larger festival that would be aptly named “Elora Lumiere.”
For more information on Murton, the Twilight Zoo or his other artistic endeavours, visit www.twilightzoo.ca.
