Chiaroscuro, the technique of painting light and shadow, is one of the techniques that has been used by realistic painters for hundreds of years. It was the topic introduced to the 20 students at Land O'Lakes Public School on February 9 at their first session of the school’s popular art club, which is now in its third year there. Headed up by grade 7/8 teacher Mr. Hull, an award-winning painter in his own right, the club is open to students from grades three through eight and this year the club attracted 20 enthusiastic young artists, many returning for another year.

Mr. Hull began the class by explaining the technique of chiaroscuro and demonstrated how artists have used it to create the illusion of three-dimensional space on a flat two-dimensional canvas. The basic idea is that light and shadow within a single artwork result from one or more imagined light sources and that the objects within the canvas are articulated three dimensionally based on where they sit in relation to that/those light sources.

Hull began by showing the students slides of various paintings, a few Rembrandt portraits and some of his own portraits of different staff members from the school. He asked the students to identify the position of the imagined light source in each work, which he explained is best done by looking at where the darkest shadows and brightest highlights fall within the painting. “Rembrandt is the classic example to use when demonstrating this technique,” Hull said, “since his paintings often depict a luminous figure in a deep sea of black. Chiaroscuro is just one element of design but it is a very important one when trying to make images appear three-dimensional.”

Following his talk Hull set up a spotlight in the classroom and invited the students to draw a number of balls set up on desks around the class. Using white and black charcoal on grey paper the students set to work and almost instantly a distinctive hum of focused creativity took over the room. As the children worked, Hull and his assistant Mr. Campbell answered questions and gave helpful suggestions to the students. Next, the students will move to the gym where they will paint still lifes that will be lit from a single light source, thereby furthering their understanding of the technique of chiaroscuro.

“Typically a lot of art work you see these days can tend to be flat and muddy but when you throw a strong light source on the subject matter and introduce the technique of chiaroscuro, the students begin to develop a much better understanding of how to make their paintings more three dimensional. In teaching this technique, I also want to open their eyes to the idea that everything they see in everyday life is a result of this idea and that they can apply this technique and paint from life using it.”

Hull is planning an art show at the school when the club wraps up in the coming months, where students, staff and the community will be invited to view the students’ finished works.

Two talented musical groups will be joining forces for the first time at a special one time concert that will take place Friday, February 20 at the Kingston Christian Fellowship Church. The concert will feature performances by the 19-member Trinity United Church choir of Verona/Harrowsmith under the direction of Annabelle Twiddy and the 40-member Kingston Community String Orchestra under the direction of Wayne Tindale.

The concert is the brain child of Rennie Hutzler, a member of the orchestra who has been a long-time loyal fan of the Trinity choir. Last summer Hutzler initiated a meeting between the groups' two conductors, who decided to put on the one-time concert.

Sing 'N Strings begins at 7:30pm and will offer up a 1 hour, 10 minute repertoire that will include offerings by both groups individually as well as a number of combined offerings, which will include the ancient chant of eucharistic devotion, “Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence” and a moving and melodic spiritual set to the tune of Dvorak's New World Symphony. The finale will definitely be a show stopper and I will not give away here; suffice to say that is sure to be especially moving and memorable. I will only hint that it is a favorite pop classic that listeners will remember from decades ago and that should leave them with a warming of their hearts and souls on what will likely be another cold February day.

Live music remains one of the more humane, friendly and universal mediums, and though it has been noted that listening to accomplished musicians will not make one's wallet bigger nor slake one's thirst or hunger, still, it has the ability to leave one with a sense of wonder and enchantment, and the feelings of hope and comfort that only accomplished singers and players coming together can bring. The concert is free of charge and listeners are invited to make a free will offering at the door.

The Kingston Christian Fellowship church is located at 2621 Road 38 just south of Harrowsmith. The church is 100% wheelchair accessible and there is plenty of parking available.  

The High Land Water Métis Council held an information and nomination meeting on January 31 at the Northbrook Lions hall, which was attended by close to 30 people. The meeting’s dual purpose was to attract new members and to nominate representatives for positions on the council.

The High Land Waters Métis Council, which has been in existence for just seven years, is one of Ontario’s 29 Métis community councils. Its members represent part of region six, one section of the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) that stretches east to Perth, west to Peterborough, south to Kingston and north to Bancroft. The 29 councils together make up the Métis Nation of Ontario, which is the organization officially recognized by the provincial and federal governments, and which through the Provisional Council of Métis of Ontario (PCMO) works with the Ontario government to discuss current issues and to implement their objectives.

Representatives on the council strive to bring Métis awareness to their communities and to let members know what services are available to them. Currently there are 500 card-holding members of the MNO in region 6.

Present at the meeting were Amanda Cox and Tracey Dale, both staff from the MNO's Bancroft office, and respectively, from its employment and health branches. Each spoke about the various services that are offered to members of the MNO but that are also made available to anyone in need. These services cover a wide range of health, employment and training programs through the MNO.

Also present at the meeting was Hank Rowlinson, manager of Community Relations with the MNO, who gave an overview of current issues facing the MNO at the provincial and national levels. Rowlinson also stressed the importance of community involvement. “This community has been working hard for the last seven years to create their own charter and what we are trying to do now is help them to sustain that charter. The best way to do that is to get more people involved,” he said. “Having a community here that is visible and practicing their culture is the best way to spread community pride.”

Rowlinson said that one of the major issues currently facing the Métis involves an upcoming 2015 hearing at the Supreme Court of Canda concerning the Daniels vs Canada case. The MNO will be seeking intervener status during the hearings in that case in the hopes of upholding a decision made previously by the Federal Court of Canada, which asserted that the Métis are the responsibility of the federal government and should be defined as “Indians” under the Canadian Constitution, thereby receiving the same rights and benefits.

Deirdre Thompson, current president of the High Land Waters Council, who lives in Northbrook, said that she hopes to see membership numbers increase as a direct result of the recent meeting in Northbrook. She said that for a long time Métis people struggled with an identity that considered them “too white to be native and too native to be white.” “We are trying to let people know that we exist and that we have rights as Aboriginal people.”

Thompson said that the long-term goal of council is to spread awareness that the Métis are a distinct Aboriginal group. “We want to have the same recognition as other native peoples.”

Included on the Métis Nation of Ontario’s website is an in depth history of the Métis in Canada, outlining their origins, which began in the late 17th and early 18th century with the establishment of the fur trade in this country. This unique group of people formed when male European settlers and Aboriginal women began forming relationships and having children. Soon after, these populations and communities began to self-identify as their own distinct communities.

The MNO website highlights the struggles the Métis went through and which continue as they try to protect their lands. It explains how they began to formally mobilize and in 1869 how the Métis National Committee was formed. Louis Riel, best known for leading the Northwest Rebellion in the mid-1880s, for which he was tried and hung, is a celebrated hero for the Métis people and his history is well documented on the site. Also highlighted are the current accomplishments and victories that the Métis people have made, many in the courts and many in the last 30 years and that include their inclusion in the charter as one of the three distinct Aboriginal peoples of Canada.

The formal nominations for the new council for 2015 wrapped up Saturday’s meeting in Northbrook. Secretary/treasurer Candace Lloyd, and youth representative Gwendalyn Lloyd were acclaimed. The councilors nominated and elected by acclamation were Terry Conners, Gertrude Conners and Thomas W. Thompson. Nominated for president were Scott Lloyd and Catherine Thompson and nominated for the position of chair were Marlon Lloyd and Benjamin Saulnier. The position for women’s representative is still open. The elections will take place at the Northbrook Lions hall on Sunday, March 8 from 9am-5pm. Voters must have their Métis Nation of Ontario citizenship card in order to cast a ballot.

photo- 2046

Empty Bowls, the quarter-century-old fundraiser that started up in Michigan as a grass roots organization, was founded with the goal of fighting hunger through the sale of hand-made pottery bowls. It has been uniting potters in communities all over the world since 1990.

Begun by Michigan teacher John Hartom and his wife Lisa Blackburn as a way to support a local food drive, the group made pottery bowls and served a soup and bread lunch in them. Following the meal, diners were invited to keep the bowl for a donation.

Since its inception the Empty Bowls event continues to take place today all across Canada and the US as well as in 12 other countries around the world. To date it has raised millions of dollars for various hunger fighting organizations.

In 2002 Perth area potter Jackie Seaton brought Empty Bowls to eastern Ontario. He is remembered here with the words he used to describe what Empty Bowls meant to him. “Food scarcity means not just a scarcity of calories but a scarcity of the life-affirming joys that good food provides. Empty Bowls reminds us all never to take food for granted but to celebrate and share what we have.”

Local potters will be carrying on the Empty Bowls tradition at this year’s Frontenac Heritage Festival at two separate locations. In Arden, potters Joanne Pickett, Aileen Merriam, Diane Nicholson and myself (Julie Druker), will have a wide variety of handmade bowls available for a $15 donation. Soup and chili will be provided by volunteers from the local community. The Arden event will take place at the Kennebec hall on Sat. Feb. 14 from 10:30am –4pm.

In Sharbot Lake, potter Johanna Jansen will be heading up the Empty Bowls event there and will be offering up bowls created by herself and Long Lake potters Tracy Bamford and Sharon Matthews of Water's Edge Pottery, and Dawn Burnham of Maberly. The Sharbot Lake Empty Bowls fundraiser will be included as part of the Frontenac Heritage Festival craft show, which takes place at St. James Major Catholic hall on Sat. Feb. 14 from 10am - 4pm and on Sunday, February 15 from noon until 4pm. All of the proceeds from both events will be donated to the North Frontenac Food Bank located in Sharbot Lake.

by Marcella Neely

Are you working on a family tree? Looking for help connecting relatives? Perhaps the Cloyne & District Historical Society can help. Genealogy can be interesting but sometimes not knowing where to start gets in the way. The Cloyne Pioneer Museum and Archives hold over 6000 entries from our coverage area, which includes Kaladar to Denbigh and Flinton to Harlowe. During the summer season museum staff can help retrieve information for you and during the off season you may ask questions online at cloynepioneermuseum.ca or send an e mail to

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Also helpful are the photos and documents on our website and on Flickr. In our files we have photos, certificates, histories of community organizations such as churches, clubs, schools and businesses. In some cases only one or two items are available and others are quite extensive. We continue to gather history in our area and are grateful for your information and photos. We are able to scan your material and return it to you, unharmed.

Amazingly talented people live among us in Eastern Ontario. One of them is Steve Boyd, a stained glass artist – and fortunately for those who are interested in acquiring the skills involved, he will be teaching classes at the MERA Schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners starting on Saturday, February 14.

In 1986, Steve started out by simply taking a course at Algonquin College. Part of the class-work involved helping out on a church restoration project – and over the next four years, he progressed from student helper to full time worker. He later opened his own studio near Westport. Then, from 2000 to 2004, he had an opportunity to work for Scotland’s National Trust, doing restoration work on Edinburgh Castle.

Now back in Westport, he currently works on a mix of new commissions and restoration projects, including restorations of the United Churches in Middleville and Hopetown.

Steve has produced an interesting format for the MERA workshops: he’ll be teaching a one-and-a-half day beginners’ workshop in which people will be introduced to the tools, materials, and procedures involved in making a stained glass panel, using the copper foil technique. That workshop will prepare people to go on to a more advanced class – to be held later in the year – where they will be able to develop more adventurous pieces.

The beginners’ workshop will be held on two Saturdays: on February 14 there will be a full-day session from 10 am to 4 pm, and on February 21, a half-day follow-up is scheduled from 10 am to 1 pm. The cost for both sessions will be $40 for MERA members ($55 for non-members) plus a $10-15 materials fee. Bring your own lunch. Coffee and tea will be provided

For further information, or to register, please call the Schoolhouse and leave a message at 278-0388 or email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.  

The Central Frontenac Volunteer Fire Department often provides bartending services for public events at the Oso Hall in Sharbot Lake. They provide a selection of two or three brands of beer, rum, vodka, rye whiskey and mixes, soft drinks, water, etc and the profits all go to the department.

Last Saturday night, Jan. 24 it was the same story, except this time there was a number of large bottles of single Malt Scotch Whiskey on the front counter; smooth, sweet Highland Glenmorangie and Singleton, and smokey, peaty Islay Laphroig Quarter Cask among them.

That, along with the preponderance of kilts and tuxedos, as well as the odd bit of Scottish brogue flowing off the tongue in some cases but clearly put on in others, testified to the fact that the celebration of Burns night was on.

The local Masonic Lodge were the hosts for the evening, which was dedicated to Keith Hawley, who became both a Freemason and a volunteer fireman in 1951, and has served both organizations with distinction for almost 64 years.

A number of Masons from further afield also attended. If everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day it seems, even those of Irish descent, as is common in Frontenac County, declared themselves Scottish for the evening.

The ceremonial start came with the arrival of the Haggis, which was piped in by Jeff Donnelly. Bill Robertson delivered Burns' “Address to a Haggis” with considerable flourish. I can't say I caught much of the meaning of the invocation, but the spectacle of the steam rising from the Haggis after it was sliced open, which was then followed by a toast and a sip of whiskey from a silver chalice, struck the chord of tradition in much the way ceremonies do in ancient cultures.

While the meal was being finalised, Ross Morton performed the famous Burns poem Tam O'Shanter, with much aplomb. Again, I cannot say what the plot was all about, nor its resolution, but I could say with some confidence that Tam O'Shanter drank a bit too much and paid the price. In fact he ends up being chased home by witches and only escapes because the witches cannot cross the River Doon - at least that’s what the Wikipedia entry on the poem says. The joy of Burns poetry comes from the rhythm and the rhyme and the sense that his poems invoke, that there is always a battle or a party - or both - around the corner.

Tam O'Shanter was followed by a roast pork dinner, served with the usual fixings as well as the haggis, of course, and then the Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra performed a set of mostly Celtic tunes as an after-dinner treat.

The toast to the Lassies was delivered by Ian Reid and the toast to the Laddies by Janet Gutowski, who delivered a poem herself in her best brogue, which sounded a bit like her imitation of Queen Elizabeth and was well received by the audience, some of whom were by then a bit into their cups of single malt.

It was all good fun for the Masons and all their guests, and with care everyone was returned home safely through a clear and cold winter's night.

If memory serves me correctly, when the foursome known as Skjelliphetti: A Conspiracy of Sound, were asked for an encore following their set, I believe it was the first time any guest band at the Center Stage Café had been asked for one.

Skjelliphetti performed a generous selection of original material at the first Center Stage Café of 2015, which took place at the Sharbot Lake Legion on January 15.

Led by 18-year-old fiddler and vocalist, Japhy Sullivan of McDonalds Corners, the band’s repertoire consists of tunes described as a mix of Celtic, funk, pop, classical and jazz. Difficult to classify, the music does not fit into any specific genre and for that reason alone the work of these young musicians is even more exceptional. Their polished and well-rehearsed sound stems from the fact that they have been playing together as a group for the past three years.

The band is comprised of Japhy Sullivan on fiddle/vocals, Noah Sullivan on bass, Phil Schleihauf on drums and Maddie Field-Green on keyboard. They recently opened for Kate Weekes at the Full-Circle Theatre in Perth.

Japhy Sullivan, who has been playing fiddle for nine years, began composing his own music after his first year playing fiddle with the Blue Skies Community Fiddle Orchestra, when the conductor, Carolyn Stewart, encouraged orchestra members to write their own songs. His tune “Sea Dog” was played by the BSCFO and was included in Thursday’s set. It started as a slow, dirge-like Celtic solo on fiddle but then quickly erupted into a faster-paced fling that with the addition of Noah Sullivan's funky bass line, continued to build along with a steady drum beat, ending right back where it started, with Japhy's soulful repetition of the lone melody line.

Japhy said that before he became a fiddle player/composer, he always made up “little ditties” of his own to sing. “I always knew that I wanted to sing as well as play fiddle”, he said, “but it took me a while to get to the point where I was comfortable doing both.”

Two original tunes at Thursday’s performance featured Japhy on both fiddle and the mic, the first titled “Of An Evening” demonstrated his wide vocal range, his earnestness and sensitivity as a singer in a soulful lament that was perfectly balanced by Maddie's subtle and accomplished piano accompaniment.

In “A Magpie”, a haunting cabaret-sounding tune that recalled 1930s Berlin, Japhy's hypnotically suspenseful solo was buoyed by Noah’s snakey bass line, a solemn marching beat on drums and an eerie tinkling of the upper notes on the keyboard. The band is almost as much fun to watch as they are to hear and it's easy to see that a successful performance depends on band members watching closely for cues of upcoming rhythm and key changes, which, thanks to Japhy, are plentiful, fast and furious. The music is complex, multi-layered and very accomplished and Japhy admitted that he composes music that “plays to his strengths”. However, he said that more recently he has been inviting the other band members to compose their own parts. In an effort to “keep things interesting”, he said he often likes to improvise on top of what the band is doing, which “keeps everyone on their toes”. Asked about his musical influences, Japhy said that they are numerous and varied but named Canadian fiddler Oliver Schorer first and foremost.

For those who missed the Sharbot Lake concert, Conspiracy of Sound is part of a double bill along with singer/songwriter Shawna Caspi and will be playing at the MERA School house on Sunday, January 25 at 2pm. Tickets for the show can be purchased at Jo's Clothes in Perth at 39 Foster Street or by calling 613-485-6434 or online at ticketsplease.ca.

Multi-media artist Elizabeth Veninga studied art at the Canberwell Art School in London, England in the 1970s and has been drawing, painting and sculpting ever since.

Veninga, who also teaches art, was showcasing her multi-media works at the MERA School house in McDonalds Corners at her opening Vernissage on January 18. The show includes works in a wide range of media and subject matter. Two that stood out immediately for me were a mixed media drawing of the former Doctor's House in Sharbot Lake, now known as the Sharbot Lake Country Inn, and the second, a charcoal drawing on canvas of an old homestead on the Burke Settlement Road. “I'm really interested in history and older settlements and environments and I came across these two buildings when I was visiting that area a while back,” Veninga said. These two works are elegant and straight forward renderings that beautifully capture times gone by.

Veninga likes to paint her buildings and landscapes on site and as a result these works possess a certain “nowness” that comes with making quick aesthetic decisions on the spot. “I love painting on site because you meet people and you learn about the history of the place, which is really interesting,” she said.

Further along one wall hang a series of three rock paintings, two in black and white, and one with added pastel colour, each depicting a single rock whose bulk takes up most of the picture plane. “I love painting rocks. There is such a history and an inherent beauty in them that I love. I like that sometimes you can see stories in them too; these paintings are not just about what you see but also what you feel.” The immense rock forms are filled with intricate details that remind one of other objects, though on completely different scales: one might be a swirling solar system; another, a microscopic peek into a single-celled organism.

Other works that stood out were Veninga's portraits. Commissioned portraits of pets, people and houses are a large part of her output. One work is a self portrait, the artist in serious reflective moment, and a second, a portrait of her deceased husband. Each is drawn minimally but with the confidence that comes with knowing very well the subject matter at hand. Her portraits of her own two cats are charming and are reminiscent of illustrations one might find in older children's books. These are simple, immediate works that suggest the quiet yet active alertness that cats possess.

The one and only sculpture in the show is a large, free standing steel work that Veninga has titled “Rock Face”. Made from pieces of metal of varying lengths that have been welded together and painted a matte black, this work was created from a photo of a rock face that the artist encountered. This work seems to come from a more abstract place and captures in three dimensions the angular lines that rock faces present to us when viewed from a single vantage point.

Veninga says that she is in no way a purist and that is demonstrated in the wide range of media and subject matter represented in her show. “For me making art is all about connecting with the environment. I am always curious and I love the natural world and I love science too and by drawing, painting and sculpting I get a chance to look really closely at things, which gives me a better understanding of them.”

Veninga's show will be on display at MERA until January 31. For show hours contact Ankaret Dean at 613-278-1203.

The Township of Central Frontenac is excited to announce that Sir John A. Macdonald himself will be participating in the 9th annual Frontenac Heritage Festival, which runs from Fri. to Mon., Feb. 13 - 16 with the official opening taking place at Railway Heritage Park in Sharbot Lake on at 6:30 pm. Members of the public are invited to come out and meet Sir John A., along with Town Crier Paddy O'Connor, and local dignitaries. A short ceremony will include a black powder salute acknowledging Sir John A's 200th birthday, and Frontenac County's 150th Anniversary. We will also celebrate our proud First Nations heritage with singing and drumming. Visitors will be able to keep warm by the bonfire and enjoy hot chocolate throughout the proceedings.

For more information visit www.frontenacheritagefestival.ca where you can

download our full event schedule and see pictures and videos from previous years. There's something for everyone and all activities are free to attend.

"I have fond memories of my travels on the K&P from Sharbot Lake to Kingston. My last trip was especially peaceful." -a quote from Sir John A. (a.k.a. Paul Dyck)