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The Brussels Post, 1973-11-14, Page 4Artist Jack McLaren works at his easel painting from a photograph of the Old Mill at Benmiller. A showing of some of Mr. McLa.ren's paintings is being held at North Street United Church, Goderich on November 15 and 16. I then did a painting based on my feelings at witnessing the surgery." 'There was no particular reason to start painting again, in the early 1950's, but I did. Perhaps I did so, in part, be cause the time was coming, for me to retire," he explains. Shortly afterwards he did retire and 10 years ago moved to Benmiller where he has lived and continued t o paint, at the rate of one painting every two days, since. From this huge collection work will come the 60 paintin which go before the public November 15 and 16. T, showing will also include fi flower studies, representative those floral paintings whi have gained Mr. McLaren in ternational renown. The remainder, for the mo part, will depict landscapes Huron County Scenes and trans Canada study. SPECIALS FROM FULLER RUS Oven Cleaner and Spray -- Reg. $1.95 Special — Both for $2.99 Floor Wax, Full-Bright orFullshine, Reg. $2.49 Special — Both for $3.99 with purchase of floor wax — 16-oz. btl. of stripper for 100 Bath Brushes, Reg $4.95 — Special $3.99 With Free shampoo Brush Various other household cleaners and waxes Assortment of Brooms and Mops On special Phone 887-6833 Mail Side Orchards STILL HAVE littkiteitglipipty PHONE 61:- 313 adist 'worked with Group of Seven - will, show in 6oderich ium cuts." "I did 'Our Great Ones' because I was interested in developing something historical and Ryerson press published the series. They wanted me to .go on and complete a whole series of prominent Canadians in this way." "I think now I may have been on to something original," he observes, "and I should have done it." The 'Great, ones' series eventually found its way to Canadian Embassies around the world and to the Canadian dele- gation offices at the United Nations. In New York the great photographer Joseph Karsh saw the work and was taken by it. As a result, at the invitation of Mr. Karsh, Mr. McLa.ren travelled to Ottawa to be photographed at Karsh's studio there and sketch the photographer. "I spent two days with him at the time," he' recalls. "I think he saw a great artistic similarity in my very black and white cuts and his style of photo- graphy." Following the visit to Ottawa the Maclean Magazine company published a story written by Jack McLaren about having your portrait done by the great Karsh. "I went into the studio and sat down but there was no one BY Ron SWy Tlitti*S-day and Friday, November 15 • and 16, the! reaidents of the Huron Comity will have one: of its two few opportunities to view the works of painter Jack McLaren .O.S.A. when the ladies auxiliary of, Alexandra Marine and General Hopsita.1 in Goderich sponsor a showing of some 60 of his paint- ings at North Street United Church. Those 60 pieces of work will represent only a sampling of Mr. McLaren's paintings. Born - at Edinburgh, Scotland in 1895 he began paint- ing at a n early age and, with the exception of 20 years betWeen 1930 and 1950 when he painted little, his work has maintained a steady . pace. Since •1950 Mr. McLaren estimates he has com- pleted one painting every two days for a total of approximately 4100 completed works. *Mr. McLaren came eto Canada in 1905 and \ took bp residence inWest Toronto where he later graudated from Humber- side Collegiate. In, 1912 he returned to his native 'Scotland and studied at the Edinburgh College of Art coming back to Canadain 1914 in time to volunteer for the Princess Pats regiment with the Canadian Army and sail back to Europe and World War .one. When that regiment went into action in France Jack Mc- Laren found himself attached to the snipers to draw maps and on completion of his first tour in the trenches he was assigned to organize concert parties and entertainment for the men in the reserve area. Mr. McLaren's entertainment company met with such success that they were soon assigned to providing entertainment on a full time basis and soon combined with the "Dumbells" to work on divisional shows. After the war the "Dumbells" played coast to coast in Canada as well as in several .American cities and eventually found itself on broadway. The "Dumbells" were to continue to be a theatrical success across North America for another 10 years but in 1922 Jack McLaren turned his back on theatre and went into business at Toronto. He opened the McLaren Advertising Agency on the same day and in the same city as another Jack McLaren opened a similar agency. The second McLaren went into advertising work for newspapers while our McLaren involved himself with the direct mail and public re- lations branch of the business. "It was really quite a coincidence," Jack recalls, "and we were forever getting each other's telephone calla." With four artists in his stable arid a staff of sales people Jack ,McLaren met with con- siderable success in the highly coMpetitive field of advertising until his retirement in 1954. His agency handled the Bir1cS Jewellers account, C.C.M.,Lori- don Life and Imperial TobaCco as Well as many other smaller accounts and did specialty work in the form Of • booklets and Posters. ThiS field of endeavor ac- tuglly began many years earlier., "The first drawing I ever Sold went to the Star weekly. for an advertiSenhent," he tee "It WAS a sketch Of a. fella* in a boat, With hiS bare feet propped lip against the On- Wale* of a row boat and a, fishing line tied around each big: toe, reading a' copy of the star Weekly., It was entitled the dPerfeet Angler',"' Dating his years in the ad teettiting trade jaCk ,MeLaten's Career took gri Interesting turn 'nd one which he new sees a'S -being a break into a truly dividual thedittit was always interested earidatured," he elepllitit-, $tand Itetibilslied a series on Ont. Canadian fathers of oonted-, erntion entitled 'Our dreatopest hiCl wits i printed from that- 17HE MUSSELS Post NovetAtaek '14, 1001 on art Jack quit painting than 20 years. "It was a Macso ,Spys, Talman Sweets, Red and Golden Delicious, 13osc 'Winter Pears. APPLE HIPIVER„ CIDER, Otis- Own Farm Fresh. Eggs VARIETIES SUCn AS — a few moments Karsh made his entrance down a long flight of sweeping stairs which led from a balcony above the studio to the main floor. What an entrance!" "I have always been painting, " he recalls. "Even when I was at the front with the Princess Pats I had paints in my haversack." Painting was always my favorite but , maybe I tool ea wrong turn, perhaps I should have stayed with the linoleum cuts," he sug- gests, "My work was published in Esquire and several large British and German graphics magazines and I was on my way." At. this time, however Jack McLaren was a close associate of the Group of Seven and perhaps that association had much to do with keeping his mind on that first love ...painting. For seven years he lunched regularly, as a member of the Toronto Arts and Letters Club, with the seven furious Canadian painters and from such close contact is in a position to make some interesting observations of Canada's most renowned painters. "There were really only three individuals in the group," he feels "Jackson, Harris and Dalt. The rest were really last Imitators." "Jackson was the man with the drive and thirst. The others had jobs but he was the complete artist and he had some pretty thin times." "There were times," Jack recalls;, "wheri you could buy a Jackson painting for $15. It was like that until the dealers got hold of them and now the 2 1/2" x 11 " paintings on board, which went for $15, are selling for $6,000 or more."' What is the difference be- tweet! the painting then and now? "The difference is in promotion by the dealers," Mr. McLaren admits, Eithey're the Same paintings." Mr. McLaren places Much of the credit for the group of Seven's genius with Toni Thempe in the room. After I waited "The group of seven, through Thompson's relationship with A.Y.Jackson, were sparked by Thompson's work and ideas. He never got the recognition however because he died before the Gfoup reached prominence." "I think Thompson was a genius," Mr. McLaren obser- ves. "He was the real start of an idea and he influ'enced Jack- son who lived on to influence the others." By 1930 Jack McLaren began to have misgivings about the Toronto Art community. "I got disgusted with the politics of art," he explains, "it was no longer what you knew, or how good you were, , but who you knew and who you I were associated with." "If a new artist came along it didn't matter how good he was but who he was. We were living in a small village really and I guess it was a reaction of jealousy and self preservation by thos,e who were beginning to succeed." "Bert Brooker and i were the first to Introduce modern feel- ing in painting at Toronto," Jack recalls. "I did a seven foot painting of the sounds I heard on the radio, static and feedbadk and that sort of thing." "It was accepted by the • Ontario Society of Art but many of the academic painters were sore about this hanging in their show." Because of these pressures McLaren almost outright for more combination of the politics in art and the feet that I was busy with my own busin— ess," he explains. Another of Jack McLaren's impressionistic paintings grew from his relationship with Dr. Frederick Batting. 1,Dr. .Banting took me to see an operation," he recalls. think it was something really quite simple but I put. on the white gown and surgical mask and went into the Operating son, theatre to Watch at cloSe range. LISTOWEL FLORIST AS CLOSE AS YOUR TELEPHONE Prompt attention to your Flower Orders Reguler detiveries to' the Dacal Mineral Moho - PHONE 291-2040 At so IRB111ESENIVD- BY WAITS', 1510Matilti BOVSSEL.q.