Village Squire, 1975-10, Page 9stands across Canada and got to see a good
many small towns. The show later played for
a season on Broadway.
McLaren left the show in 1922 and set up
his own advertising business. Ironically, he
says, another Jack McLaren also set up
business in advertising on the very same day
in Toronto. That Jack McLaren's company
became the large McLaren Advertising
Company. Our Jack McLaren also did
well. His business specialized more in mail
advertisements. But he kept working too at
his art. In 1927 he became a member of the
Ontario Society of Artists. He was pretty
abstract at the time he recalls. He was in the
mainstream of artistic life and for 17 years
"lunched with the Group of Seven crowd" at
his club.
He did some striking Lion cuts that so
impressed the famous photographer Karsh
when he saw one, that he invited him to come
to Ottawa to meet him. Karsh took
McLaren's portrait free (something Mr.
McLaren feels probably has been done for
few, people). McLaren returned the favour
by doing a lino cut caricature of Karsh taking
the portrait.
The McLarens began looking for a
retirement home after they sold their five acre
place in the Steeles-Leslie area of north
Toronto for flood control following the
ravages of Hurricane Hazel. A friend of theirs
has a cottage at Bayfield and they d visit him
and explore the countryside. One of those
trips took -them to Benmiller where they heard
an old house was for sale and immediately
bought it. The house was moved and a new
one built. The McLaren house which offers
an inspiring view of the Maitland as it cuts
through the hills around the little hamlet sits
on the site of one of the old industries of
Benmiller, a tannery.
It didn't take long for Mr. McLaren to
become fascinated with the history of the
village. He saw it as a perfect example of a
self-contained pioneer community and tried
to persuade the Ontario government to take
over the village and preserve it. Premier John
Robarts seemed interested, but nothing was
done. He sighs a little sadly that now this
potential has been lost because of
development of the old woolen mill and the
grist mill as hotels.
He's put his skill as an artist to work to
record the history of the community. He's
designed ,a mural he would like to make
explaining Benmiller's history. The prelimin-
ary drawings he now has are handy to carry
but the end product would be seven sheets of
plywood for a total size of 28 feet by eight
feet. He'd like to get a grant to have young
artists do the actual work from his designs.
He, you see, hasn't got the time. He's too
busy with his other works.
He's usually at his work by 8:30 in the
morning and works through to 4:30 in the
afternoon. The evenings he spends making
frames for his own works.
Presently he's busy preparing for two
'showings of his work. There will be about 40
paintings on display at the Colborne
Township Christmas Country Fair this month
and later there will be another 40 on display
in Toronto at the Arts and Letters Society
which is honouring him with a show. In
addition to all this, he's several commission-
ed works on the go.
His studio giving a view through a large
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