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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes-Advocate, 1982-01-27, Page 17Paintings now in London Local woman artist finds _• tion in art • • "It was then that I became serious about my painting." She graduated in 1978 and went immediately to Western to enroll in visual arts. As for graduate school, she says she must eventually choose among Concordia, York and Windsor, but she doesn't quite know yet. "The times have really changed for me, because my role in life has changed from being a wife 'and mother to that of an artist. I sometimes wonder if all this could have happened if I had stayed in Holland," she said thoughtfully. She and her husband John, a secondary school teacher in London, have raised two sons and two daughters, of whom only one still lives at home. She uses an empty bedroom as her winter studio, and moves her easel out to the adjoining patio in the summer. She also found space in the basement to convert into a simple darkroom where she develops and prints her films. Art has also been her in- troduction to feminism. She said she cannot do painting and cooking on the same day or her thoughts start to conflict and block each other. In more practical terms, she will be teaching painting to a women's art club in London in the spring. She also enjoys giving slide presentations and lectures Mary's on art history and art ap- preciation, which she has • studied in her own time. She m u s n gs once taught women painters in her home, too.By Mary Alderson "The fine arts are not lucrative. I can't make a living on it; no one can," she said. She has been a teacher at Fanshawe College since 1977 on a part-time basis to help defray the costs of travelling and supplies. For a Grand Bend woman, "Some people say it must being a recognized painter be wonderful to have this and amateur photographer kind of talent, but they don't has been a satisfactory know that art is frustrating outlet for her creative because of the lack of time to energies and a means to self- enjoy it. For many years, I tultillment. couldn't paint so I couldn't Puck Merkies of Lakeview be true to myself," she said Street in Southcott Pines has to explain her, feelings as an been seriously painting since artist. 1974 and doing photography Twenty-four of her for the past year. Her In- watercolours are currently terest in art is such that she on public display in the Roth - will graduate with an man's Building lobby in 'honours degree in visual arts London, where they will from the University of remain until March 25. All Western Ontario in April, were, done last June while after which she may take she was on Monhegan Island graduate courses. off the coast of Maine, a tiny Merkies said she has been speck of rock where many drawing or painting for as artists go to relax and paint long as she can remember, local landscapes and scenes. beginning in her childhood in "The island is really an art Groningen, a major city in colony, and that's the beauty North Holland.. After acting of it, It's inhabited by 40 on the advice of a fashion lobster fishermen who live illustrator instructor to take there year-round," she said. up fine arts, she began Her sojourn last summer painting and established her was her fourth in four years, reputation by 16, although and the high cost of currency she knew her parents would exchange and travelling never approve that she base may make it her last for her career on it. some time, she admitted. The issue did not disap- Her life in Canada pear when she became a nourished her talent thanks school teacher, though; her to a supportive husband and colleagues admired her the expertise at the Beal Art talent and urged her to be an School in London, where she artist, and it was not until studied part-time for four she came to Canada that she years. "The teachers and realised this- long-standing level of instruction were goal. excellent," she said firmly. My beloved Be�yflet me down. Betsy, you know, is my baby blue Mustang. She's never let me down before, in our two and a half year relationship. But the other morning, when weathermen were ex- pounding about the record low temperatures, she refused to start. Gently, I brushed all the snow from her, and tried her again. Only a moan. I tried coaxing her. I reminded her of that day last summer when her temperature gauge had moved towards the H, and I feared she would overheat in the heavy traffic on Grand Bend's main street under the scorching summer sun. But even those thoughts didn't warm her up. She could only moan, and those moans were getting weaker. My husband once made a rule which Betsy and I are supposed to obey in winter. He decided that it would be best for Betsy and me land him, too!) if Betsy was backed into the driveway during the cold, snowy weather. There are two reasons for this rule: one - it is best to have Betsy heading out in the morning, to give her extra thrust through the snow drifts, and two - it's best to have her headed out so that if she needs a boost, one can be given readily. You see, if she is headed into the driveway, her hood is surrounded on three sides by high snow banks. Unfortunately, on this occasion, Betsy and i hadn't abided by the rule. We were soon to see the folly of our ways. Here was poor Betsy, cold and dying, nosed tightly into a snow bank. There was not even room for someone to reach under her hood, let alone get a foot hold to give 'her a push back to a more - favourable location. My husband stumbled from his sick bed, where he had just barely recovered from a bout with the flu. Ile firmly suggested, in so litany words, that from now on, i adhere to the rule, and see to it that Betsy is backed into the driveway. He also suggested, again in rather firm tones, that i quit trying to start her - because soon she wouldn't even be able to moan. Who was i to argue'. 1 took his car and left for work. Now it wasn't as if I had left him completely in the Lurch. 1 knew he was resourceful, and would think of a way to get Betsy in action. (1 knew she .,would eventually start for him, even though he doesn't talk to her nicely and call her by name.) He took the dipstick heater out of the tractor, and with the aid of a long extension cord, put it under Betsy's hood. Soon her motor was; warmed up, and even though 1 had flooded her with my attempts to start her, she eventually ran. A dipstick heater is an amazing little device - something like a curling iron, only longer and skin- nier. You shove it in the hole where you are supposed to check your oil, if you ever remember to do that. It warms up the oil, which, I guess, eventually warms up the entire motor. And yes, you read right - we do have a tractor. It's an aging Ferguson, complete with rust spots and a blade, which is on loan from my father t k9ep our driveway free of chow In winter. Now for some reason, the Ferguson sits inside the cosy garage, warmed by a dip- stick heater, while our cars sit outside in the coldest of weather. But don't ask me why - as you know, I don't make the rules around here. s • s PULPILIJD MIR AMBITION — Showing talent as o pointer from her youth, Puck Merkies has been a serious artist since the completion of her courses at the Beal Art School in 1974. She will graduate in fine arts in the spring from the University of Western Ontario. Firehall stalled by cost concerns Grand Bend's new firehall will be taken to tender shortly but controversy still brews on the design to be used. Grand Bend and the townships of Stephen and Bosanquet agree that the present firehall is too small for the department's needs, but they are divided on whether they want to pay for a one -or two-storey replacement. "We are hoping to put up a suitable building for less money, maybe $50,000 to $55,000, said Stephen township deputy reeve Allan Walper. "We can't spend money on something the firemen don't even want," referring to the wish ex- pressed by the village's firefighters to have a one - storey Firehall. Stephen township has also WORK CARRIES ON — With the scheduled opening dote set for May, workmen have not stopped building the village's post office of 81 Crescent. The site foreman soid the will be new landscaping the last job. been arguing that the building be smaller than the one laid out in the con- sultant's design. Grand Bend deputy fire chief Prosper Van Bruaene supported Walper's feelings, saying "all we have ever wanted was a good building to put our equipment in, that's all. It's irrelevant whether it's one or two storeys,,r he said firmly. The department currently has one pumper and one tanker unit and a chief's van. Consensus to go to tender was finally reached last Tuesday, and Grand Bend reeve Bob Sharen is hopeful it can be built for less than the projected cost of between $94,000 and $100,000 due to the scarcity of building contracts and the poor state of the economy. The three municipalities have also agreed that the lowest tender would not necessarily be accepted. In the engineer's design, the second storey would hold training facilities, a chief's office and washrooms. Sharen has maintained it is more economical to build a second storey than to expand the building at a later date. Bosanquet reeve Charlie Srokosz said his township is willing to pay tl}IrQlfird of the cost "if the design is satisfactory to all acid the total cost is under $90,000. We would also like to see something functional for the firemen and which could handle any expansion of their equipment," he said 'VP Times -Advocate, January 27, 1982 Pogo 17 Heritage museum may acquire Iocal schoolhouse Americans from Michigan in the summer. Oil Museum curator Claire Bridges said the ministry of transportation and com- munication had notified him that it was expecting rent of $:10 per sign per year for two signs advertising his museum. The signs stand 135 feet from the road, however, and should be exempt of any such charge. Bridges said, because they stand on private property. He was asked by the committee to clarify this situation with the ministry. With the help of a $2,000 Wintario grant, the Lambton County Heritage Museum may be getting three historical buildings added to its outdoor display area, one of which could be the disused Kinnaird schoolhouse in Bosanquet township. Museum director Bob Tre- main suggested the idea to the county museum com- mittee at their January meeting with a diagram il- lustrating how they could be arranged behind the museum. His plan called for the schoolhouse, a Victorian frame house and a blacksmith shop. He said last year's budget set aside $16,000 for this purpose, but was not spent. The com- mittee agreed to send Tre- main and chairman Harold Green to examine the schoolhouse and to get an es- timate from a mover. The committee also read a recently -passed county by- law defining a -collection policy for the Heritage and Oil Museums. Oil museum curator Claire Bridges reported to the com- mittee that he had obtained three estimates on propane conversion as requested at the December meeting. One unclarified point, however, was the cost of laying pipeline from the storage tank to the furnace. Bridges was asked to pinpoint the cost of this step to complete the total cost estimate for conversion. Also stemming from the previous meeting, the com- mittee decided to accept. with the family's permis- sion. the Massey 22 tractor and plow owned by Gerry Ferguson. a farmer who had lived in the area. The family will be consulted before the tractor is moved to the Heritage Museum. Some members said they would prefer to have'it at the Oil Museum because it is closer to where the owner lived and farmed. In his report, Heritage Museum director Bob Tre- main noted that attendance for 1981 was up seven per- cent to 21,800, thanks to some successful special event days. Fred Walden again mentioned the need to aggressively publicize the museum to tourists coming through the area and groups within the county. Chairman Harold Green suggested placing an ad in the , Southwestern Ontario Tourist Association booklet for wider exposure. The problem of the Heritage Museum's poor visibility from highway 21 was discussed. Better signs were suggested. as welt as placing key artifacts on the roadside to draw motorist's attention. Members felt that many potential visitors miss the museum because it is set back far from the road, which is heavily travelled by COMPu IWO INCOME TAX RETURNS -ANY SIZE - INVESTMENTS IN LEADING TRUST COMPANIES - RBST RATES - REST SECURITY • NO CMARGE BOOKKEEPING FIN. STATEMENTS CANFARM Aunt _ pt,.t Call N. oN4.t(.w - ,YIOro9 N iOpposite brewers Retail - Hwy 21) ORCAU ART READ GRAND BEND, ONTARIO (519) 238-2388 "MO,! Ias / Ou uTRY CLI al UNISEX HAIRSTYLING i Custom Perms Wash 'n' Cuts III - Hi Lights Braiding , Beard Trims Tints Hennas --- Ear --Ear Piercing 237-3778 Mt. 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