Village Squire, 1976-02, Page 16A G NES MOON:
A gift of oil
paints turns
into a
long-time
pleasure.
BY ELAINE TOWNSHEND
Agnes Moon, who now lives east of
Clinton, remembers well the first day she
painted with oils in 1954. She didn't create a
masterpiece, and she didn't realize her initial
attempts would lead to an intriguing hobby.
The day stands out in her mind, because
Hurricane Hazel pelted rain and wind outside
while she and. a friend dabbled with paints
inside a house in Londesboro.
She was a friend of the late Ann
Fairservice, who is remembered in this area
as a talented artist and designer. Ann had
been ill and had received oil paints as a get
well gift. She'invited Agnes to help her try
them out.
Agnes soon discovered, "Once you get into
14, VILLAGE SQUIRE/FEBRUARY 1976
painting, you can't quit."
After that day, she and Ann often painted
together. She learned a great deal from Ann;
although their styles differed. Through the
years, she also studied books and attended
several classes of the Goderich Art Club. In
addition, she received guidance from Joseph
Derenters of the Rockwood Academy in
Guelph.
Last summer Agnes spent a week at Edna
Johnson's Art School in Southampton. One of
the instructors, who greatly impressed her,
was John Mattar. He taught her how to use
complementary colours to bring out the main
colours in a scene.
While in Southampton, she painted a view
of the Lighthouse on Chantry Island. She
won't take all the credit, though, because Mr.
. Mattar helped her complete the rocks in the
foreground.
When she is asked to describe her style,
she laughs, "I didn't really know what I was
doing, but most of the instructors and the
other painters I've talked to tell me my style
is strong and good. I like contrast."
Although she paints some still-lifes, she
prefers landscapes. She's always on the
look -out for striking scenes, which she can
capture on canvas. She has discovered she
doesn't have to travel far to find picturesque
views. Colborne, Hullett and West Wawa -
nosh Townships are her favourite haunts; she
isn't as familiar with Goderich Township.
Township. •
The old, unused roads are the best ones for
her to. follow, because the naturalness still
abounds. Most of the trails lead nowhere and
sometimes she's glad to return to the main
roads, but she always gathers ideas for more
paintings. A painter can't always set up her
palette and sit out wherever she finds a good
view. Instead she carries a camera. Later she
paints the picture using the snapshots and
her memory as guides.
During the past 20 years, Agnes has
created hundreds of beautiful paintings. She
gives away many of them. When each of her
nieces and nephews are married, she
presents them with •a much appreciated
painting. Her art is also in demand at the
Psychiatric Hospital, where she works in the
occupational therapy department. The staff
often requests one of her paintings to give to
someone who is sick or who is leaving.
For several years, she. has 'participated in
Clinton's Potpourri and in the Carlow
Christmas Fair. For a while, she also
attended the Art Mart in Goderich, but now
she's too busy. She explains that self-disci-
pline is needed when a painter becomes
involved with a group, such as Potpourri. She
is obligated to prepare paintings for the
show; otherwise she might become lazy.
But she adds, "It's only the getting at it
that's hard. Once I get started, I don't want to
stop."
Last year she sold most of her entries at
Potpourri in August. Then she scurried to
prepare more for the Christmas Fair in
October. By the time the summer had ended,
she had painted between 18 and 20
canvasses.
Her display at the fair illustrated her
appreciation of local scenery. One landscape
featured the Maitland Valley; another showed
the river at Summerhill; and a third depicted
the rustic Benmiller grist mill before the
renovations began to transform it into a hotel
She interpreted the svmbolisni ,he employed
in her painting of Hutton"s Mill The old mill
was located on Highway #4 at Londesboro.
She painted the picture shortly before the
building was torn down, and she used a
sunset to depict the end of an era for the old
mill.
"That's what I was thinking when I painted
it," she explains. "A painter puts in what you
want people to see. Even if you don't get your
message across, you get satisfaction from
expressing yourself."
A painter never runs out bf ideas, and
Agnes now has seven projects in mind. One of
her plans is to paint a landscape in West
Wawanosh Township in which evergreens, a
brook and a rail fence are prominent. Rail
fences are difficult to paint because of the
curves of the wood and the shadows. Agnes is
determined to tackle the challenge, however.
She painted the Little Lakes in Colborne
Township using the summer shades of green.
Recently she returned to take photos of the
same scene with its autumn colours. She
contends all the seasons are beautiful, but
autumn is the easiest to paint because the
colours are definite.
When an ordinary person glances at a
distant bush, she sees some yellow leaves
among the dark green. But a painter sees
much more; she detects mauve shades among
the shadows. When she paints, she uses
mauve to complement the yellow.
That's one'of the lessons Agnes learned at
the Art School in Southampton. She echoes
the advice of her instructor, John Mattar, "A
painter looks and looks and keeps on looking.
When you look at a scene a colour may not be
there. But, if you know it could be or should
be there, keep looking until you see it."
Agnes Moon has studied painting and
experimented with oils from more than 20
years. She has turned out hundreds of
beautiful oil paintings. Nevertheless she feels
as though she has only begun. She learns
something from every picture.
"Painting is a demanding hobby," she
concludes, "but it's intriguing. It gives
relaxation and great satisfaction because you
become totally involved."