Village Squire, 1981-04, Page 22PEOPLE
Young
watercolorist
While Toronto may provide a much
larger market, at the moment it doesn't
provide the proper working atmosphere
nor the appropriate setting for Kincard-
ine artist Mark Fletcher.
Fletcher, whose watercolors were well
received at a show at the Studio Gallery in
Goderich in March, has lived in Kincard-
ine for the past four years, choosing to
sacrifice a wider market for small town
life.
The young artist has managed to make
his painting almost his sole means of
support though it sometimes demands he
puts in 12 and 14 hour days. He says
preparation -designing and laying out a
painting -is the most time-consuming part
of his work.
Fletcher became seriously involved in
art in 1975 when he was influenced by
printmaker David Blackwood at Trinity
College, Port Hope. While at the college
Fletcher won several awards for his art.
The early success was translated into
studies in fine art at the University of
Guelph to supplement additional courses
in geography. Fletcher believes he is
one of the more successful young artists
in the province today judging by sales
through solo and group exhibitions.
Besides prizes won in college, he has won
awards from Visual Arts Ontario and
from the Mississauga juried exhibition
for the best watercolor.
The Studio Gallery in Goderich, where
Fletcher's watercolors were on display, is
owned by professional photographerBob
Nephew.
Farming miniatures
Cecil Zurbigg of Listowel is keeping the
memory of his many years in farming
alive by constructing miniatures of
pioneer farming equipment.
His collection of replicas today include
teams of horses hitched to sleighs,
wagons, plows, dump rakes, and a one
horse stump puller, shone boat. harrows
and mower and many more. Zurbigg
works in both plastic and ceramics.
After farming near Kurtzville, the
craftsman retired to Listowel where he
has gradually developed what is now a
small museum in his home.
When Zurbigg first began his hobby he
would tote his products along with him to
farm and craft shows. Now, however, the
collection has grown so large it is
impossible to attend the shows.
His work. which he describes as "a
labor of love", is more than just
reasonably priced. He sells his crafts to
cover the cost of his materials only. If he
were to include his time. he feels, people
would not be able to afford the miniatures
He hasn't restricted his hobby to farm
machinery. and his work includes
buildings and other types of vehicles.
The craftsman, now in his seventies.
does some commission work for people
seeking Christmas and birthday gifts.
and now with the time to devote to his
hobby, he says he and his wife Mabel
have never had it so good.
Genie award
A Stratford native, Anne Pritchard, was
the recipient of a Genie award recently
for her artistic direction of the film
Atlantic City, USA.
Pritchard. who is based now in
Montreal. has worked on several
American films as well as the Canadian
productions of The Apprenticeship of
Duddy Kravitz and Who Has Seen the
Wind, adapted from the book by W.O.
Mitchell.
Pritchard was born in Stratford and
attended Falstaff Public School and
Central Secondary School.
Two other names familiar to local
audiences were associated with the film.
Kate Reid won a Genie for best
supporting actress in Atlantic City USA.
the score for which was written by John
Guare. Reid appeared in Guare's play
Bosoms and Neglect. performed at the
Stratford Festival last season.
Violinist honored
Former area resident Doreen Hall was
recently honored at the annual meeting of
the Music for Children Association of
Canada, of which she is founder and
honorary patron.
A banquet for the violinist was held at
the Park Plaza Hotel in Toronto at which a
cantata, written by Professor Jos
Wuytack of the University of Beuven.
Belgium, as a special tribute to Hall for
the occasion, was performed by con-
ference delegates.
Hall is currently a professor of music at
the University of Toronto and the director
of Orff Studies at the Summer School.
As a young musician Hall studied in
Munich for a year under Carl Orff and
Gunild Keetman, with the expressed
purpose of absorbing the principles of
Orff Schulwerk and importing the
message to Canada.
Hall is the daughter of the late Mr. and
Mrs. W.G. Hall of Listowel. Two sisters.
Norah Retzler and Alix Echlin both live in
Listowel.
New antiques
There will soon be a new antique
shop joining the Stratford business scene.
The new store, to be known as Avon
Art and Antiques, will be operated by
Johnny Kalisch and James Bisback,
Shakespeare residents and current
owners of Jonny's Antiques, along with
third partner Frank Head.
Kalisch says the new business will
offer similar items to those offered in
their Shakespeare store. The store,
however. will he open while the Stratford
Festival is operating, with customers
shopping by appointment for the remain-
der of the year.
The antique shop will be situated in the
former home of Helen Butler Antiques on
Waterloo St.
Recently published
This month Village Squire is pleased
to announce recent publishing successes
for two of our contributing writers.
London's Eileen Edwards (a VS daytrip
to Sifton bog in November) and Thelma
Coleman of Stratford (most recent contfi-
bution was an account of the Shanty John
mystery in March) will both soon have
their novels on local bookstore shelves.
Eileen's work. a children's book entitl-
ed Help, There's a Squirrel in My Tea
Cup, is to be published by Ottawa's
Borealis Press.
Thelma's hook. Land of the Wild
Hawk, is already in print. Thelma's is an
adventure story for teens set in Northern
Ontario, and is also published by Boreal-
is.
VILLAGE SQUIRE/APRIL 1981 PG. 21
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