As the second of this summer's Blue Jeans Classical music series, MERA is presented the master pianist, Michel Szezesniak on Sunday, June 7th at 2:00 PM at the MERA Schoolhouse in McDonald's Corners.  Many music lovers will recall his memorable performance at MERA as part of the Woodwinds and Piano recital in November, 2014.

Entitled "Fascinating Miniatures", the concert will feature piano gems by Beethoven, Scriabin, Gershwin, Satie and compositions by the pianist himself.  The common thread will be that all of the composers of these charming piano pieces are themselves pianists.  Along with playing these pieces, Michel will use his considerable wit and wisdom to entertain the audience about the music and the composers.

Michel moved to Canada from the United States in 1983, and since then has as a soloist and part of chamber recitals on CBC Radio, with five major symphony orchestras across Canada, and his compositions and playing has been featured on two recordings.

He has been based in Kingston since 1989 where he is a piano instructor at Queen's University School of Music, pianist for the Kingston Chamber players and accompanist for the Cantabile Choirs of Kingston.

The third in the Blue Jeans series will be held at 2:00 PM  on Sunday, July 12th, featuring the dynamic duo of Keenan Reimer-Watts, piano, and Emily Kennedy, cello.

Tickets for these concerts are available for $25 plus administration fee at Ticketsplease.ca, by telephone at 613-485-6434 or in person at Jo's Clothes, 39 Foster Street, Perth.  Children accompanied by an adult are free.

Painting trees is one way that artist Gwen Frankton believes she can actively take on stand on the environment and conservation, and judging by the turnout at her new show at the MERA school house, she is definitely succeeding in bringing that conversation forward. The show titled “Every Green Tree”, on display until April 28, puts trees front and centre and for those adverse to the term “tree huggers”, her paintings go a long way in making their case.

Frankton, who calls both Ottawa and Maitland, Nova Scotia home, has been painting ever since she acquired a BFA at the University of Windsor decades ago. Now retired and a full time artist, it is her love of nature and particularly trees that inspired this show, which she chose to hold at MERA, a first for her, because as she said, “It just felt like the right kind of place to display this type of work”.

Her mostly acrylic works are lush and vibrant depictions of what she sees when venturing out in the woods of both Nova Scotia and eastern Ontario. The strength of these works is their freshness and frank honesty and the artist's refusal to follow any prescribed formula. She fittingly refers to each of these works as a “portrait”. With a botanist for a father, her childhood was filled with nature and botany so it is no wonder that this kind of subject matter, in her own words “really speaks to me.” Each of her trees is captured as she finds it in the real world, depicted in its own unique and intimate space, in various shapes and forms, and in differing states of light and shade, which gives each painting its own unique composition, color and style. “I think of how I paint trees as portraiture and I treat each tree as an individual entity like you would a person,” she said when we spoke at her vernissage, which took place at MERA on April 12.

One large work titled “Ash Tree by The River”, focuses on one tree that bears a thick, rough, undulating bark surface, which Frankton captured by applying thick, three-dimensional layers of paint that rise from the canvas and invite the viewer's caress. Up close the work is an abstract collection of large swaths of color: blues, purples and mauves on its shady sides; browns, pinks and tans on its front face, and it is unlike any other painting in the show.

Similarly, in “Birch 2, Nova Scotia”, a three trunked birch tree appears lusher than the birches from this area and Frankton explains that this is the case since this particular east coast birch grows near a water logged dyke. Unlike the ash tree, the trunks of this tree are velvety smooth, their finely blended colors slowly transitioning one to the next and with imposing splotches of lichen greens showing the lushness of this tree's wetter surrounds. This work demonstrates Frankton's new tendency to look at trees “particularly where they meet the ground, which is something that has really started to interest me.”

One series of four long thin works titled "Trees 1 through 4" focuses on four different trees at their mid-trunk and each is again a careful and unique color study. Some have a purple-blue glow and others are painted in brighter daylight and boast lively blotches of reds, purples and oranges that define each tree's special and very individual birth marks.

For those who tend to take trees for granted, Frankton's works offer viewers a chance to reconsider that position, and will likely turn those who have yet to really see trees in all their glory into ardent huggers. For more information visit www.gwenfrankton.com.

Irish Ulster baskets were the focus at a special basket making workshop that took place at the MERA schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners on March 7. Veteran basket maker, Maike Polano, who lives in Brooke Valley headed up the workshop where six enthusiastic participants learned how to make Irish Ulster potato baskets, shallow circular willow baskets that were used by potato farmers in Ireland to wash and strain potatoes and sometimes also used to serve cooked potatoes in.

Polano, who has been making baskets since 2009, began by showing the participants how to make the initial hoop or rim of the basket, onto which they then secured a number of ribs that were woven into place. Individual strands of willow were then woven through the ribs and the baskets quickly began to take shape.

Polano said that the tricky part of making these baskets is their tendency to want to take their own shape. “Keeping that in mind, you have to work hard to maintain the shape that you are after and you have to work with your hands to keep a nice tight weave, since the basket always wants to do its own thing.”

Many of the participants were first time basket makers and Polano said that she was very impressed with their abilities.

The willow used for these baskets was the last crop of willow harvested from MERA's famed willow labyrinth, which is now no more. Ankaret Dean, who was participating in the workshop, said the willow came from one “mad Irishman”, who 20 years ago brought one such basket to the area from Ireland. He then proceeded to take it apart and planted the willow. Some of the cuttings from his basket made their way into MERA's labyrinth, which makes these particular workshop baskets unique, with an authentic Irish/ MERA history all their own.

The Irish willow is a variety known as “salix purpurea”. It is particularly long and straight and Ankaret said it is the perfect willow to use for these types of baskets. She added that the original Irish willow that was planted in the MERA labyrinth could have easily cross-pollinated with other types of willow that were also planted there.

The MERA willow labyrinth was originally planted in 1999 as part of the MERA's millennium celebrations and was inaugurated at a big party soon after its planting. It was designed with four-foot-wide walkways so that a wheelchair could easily move through it but as the willows grew over the years, the pathways slowly closed in. For that reason and the fact that it had “had its day”, it was dismantled, making more space available for the regular farmers' market, which will start up again at MERA in May. Polano brought with her to the workshop a number of her own large finished baskets, which I have included in the photo. She sometimes sells her baskets at local shows in and around Perth. Asked if she will be planning another workshop anytime soon, she said that if she has enough material she would consider putting on another workshop at MERA.

Over 30 local growers attended the 4th annual McDonalds Corners Seed Swap, which took place at the MERA schoolhouse on March 7. The event invites local growers to share the bounty of their cumulative efforts to grow and save their own seeds, many of which are heirloom and heritage varieties that they have been experimenting with for years. Set up inside the MERA schoolhouse were tables offering up a wide variety of vegetable, flower and shrub seeds.

Kristine Swaren is one of a small group of local growers who founded the annual event, and she owns and operates Blue Chicory Garden, where she and her husband produce honey and grow a wide variety of produce that they sell at the Perth Farmers' Market.

Swaren said the annual seed swap began not only as a way to help local growers share seeds but also to help them inform each other about what they have been growing and experimenting with, many with the goal of acclimatizing specific varieties to the local area.

Swaren is currently in the process of setting up a seed savers' network and guests who attended the event were invited to sign up to be a part of it. One benefit of the new network, Swaren said, is that it will encourage local growers to grow specific plants that need to be grown in isolation from other varieties to prevent cross-pollination.

“Take squash for example, which needs to be grown in isolation. The network will enable growers to plant and harvest one type of squash each year while other growers can plant and harvest other types. Then, at the end of the season we will be able to share the seeds and plants and swap them at the end of the year without the possibility of cross-pollination.”

Swaren was excited about a number of seeds that she acquired at the event, including the Doe Hill sweet pepper, a variety that has a very short growing season and survives in colder weather. She was also excited about a number of soup bean varieties, which she said “are very easy to collect seed from and a great plant to start with if you are new to seed collecting.” Hollow Crown Parsnip seeds that local grower Linda Harvey has been collecting were also on hand and in abundance and is one species no longer available in seed catalogues. “One of the goals of the seed network is to also save seeds from older varieties of plants like the Hollow Crown parsnip that are no longer commercially available.”

Swaren said that these days seeds are becoming more readily available from local growers and she gave the example of the Mountain Grove Seed Company located near Parham, where local grower Dawn Morden has been selling a wide variety of local historic and heirloom seeds.

Swaren said the annual seed swap is growing every year and in addition to its regulars, who keep coming back year after year, there are always new faces in the crowd. Growers who missed the Seed Swap at MERA and who want to join the seed network can email Kristine at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

by Kristine Swaren

The best remedy for winter blues is to think spring! And that's best done in a convivial group, so come join us to swap seeds and garden stories. It's the fourth annual Seed Swap hosted by the McDonalds

Corners Farmers' Market on Saturday, March 7, at the MERA Schoolhouse. Bring seeds - the ones you saved from last year's garden or the left-overs (commercial or saved) that you didn't plant. Bring containers (small bottles or envelopes, plus labels and markers) for the new-to-you seeds that you'll take home. Bring friends to share the fun!

The seeds are all priceless, as we try to live the principle of free seed supply. On the sale tables will be garden accessories such as books and utility aprons, plus farmers' market jams, eggs and other

goodies. If you have garden-related items that you would like to sell, please contact Kristine Swaren at 613-278-1226 at least a week ahead.

Although it's a drop-in, any time between 10 am and 2 pm, be warned - you will want to stay for a while to share gardening tips as well as seeds! The Steady Way (Sean and Aynsley) will be providing café service with yummy treats. For more information on when and where, please visit the McDonalds Corners Farmers' Market page on Facebook, or the MERA website at www.meraschoolhouse.org

Contact: 613-278-1226, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

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.  

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.

On November 29, holiday shoppers at the annual Christmas Fair at the MERA Schoolhouse in McDonalds Corners, which draws buyers from near and far, enjoyed a fine array of crafts, fine art and comestibles courtesy of a number of local vendors. Felted, knit, sewn and woven wearables and seasonal decorative items were in abundance, as were fine chocolates, beeswax candles, body products, jewelry and much more.

Hand crafted pottery is always a much appreciated gift at any time of the year and Fallbrook potter Jane Conley could not keep up with the demand for her newly designed cups. Conley has been making both wheel-thrown and hand-built pottery at her home-based studio in Fallbrook for six years under the business name Conley Pots. She has studied with renowned Brooke Valley potter Anne Chambers in Ottawa and at St. Lawrence College in Brockville with Darlene Keefer. Conley said that hand made pottery has always appealed to her much more than the commercially produced dishes that she and many others find cluttering up their kitchen cupboards. “People, especially those who live in the country, seem to like more rustic dishes to use every day and I started making pottery when I began to appreciate the appeal of hand-made pottery.”

Conley creates a wide range of red and white cone six stoneware items including bowls, pitchers, casseroles, serving dishes, plates, platters, tea pots, vases and butter dishes. Much of her work is decorated with single tone celadon type glazes, raspberry, blues and greens. Some of her surfaces are decorated with a white slip application and others are dipped in various glazes that create a multi-coloured surface.

Rustic coloured glazes are a new approach that Conley has been working with and her powder blue and beige cups sold out at this year's show. Conley has also been exploring altering her wheel-thrown forms. Her tall, totemic styled pitchers are a new design that she has been exploring and she uses a serrated rib tool to create their highly textured, lined surfaces.

Like many crafts people, Conley said the process of pottery making is full of surprises, some more welcome than others. She said, “It is always the kiln that has the final say in the end.” For that reason Conley likes the phrase “What you see is what you get”. She prefers to not take special orders of her work since the firing process adds an uncontrolled element into the process. What Conley loves about the process is designing new forms and thinking up new ideas. To make an appointment to visit her home studio in Fallbrook call 613-267-7679.

Michael Neelin is no stranger to McDonalds Corners. Neelin's family has owned a cottage in the area for almost 50 years and his love of both heritage architecture and natural landscape was one of the reasons why in April 2014 he moved from Pontiac, Quebec, where he had lived and worked for over 20 years, to McDonalds Corners. He moved into a new home in McDonalds Corners, which he designed and had built.

With a degree in architectural history and trained as an architectural technologist, Neelin makes his living designing timber-frame homes, and he operates his own business called Riversong Design. While he loves his work and the fact that it has paid the bills for years, he admits that there is also an artist in him. In fact he started drawing and sketching long before he became a designer of homes. “It was a trip I took to France with my parents as a teenager that ignited my love for sketching and drawing historic architecture and the natural world, and it is a fascination that has never left me”, he said at the opening of his show, titled “Fenceline and Shoreline”, at the MERA schoolhouse.

The show is comprised of numerous drawings, mainly done in graphite. Included are meticulous drawings of old, leaning barns and sprawling heritage farms in their natural surroundings. One of the best of these are of the barns at Clontarf, which are long aged but also maintain their unique architectural integrity. Neelin’s drawing technique is often so precise and fine that the textural beauty of the barn board stands front and centre and is matched by the grace with which he composes the subject in the frame.

His works also draw him to urban heritage architecture like the old Almonte Post office, Confederation Square and Parliament Hill in Ottawa, and a beautiful brick building that he depicts in a work titled “Hollywood Parade”, where the front of the building is masterfully and painstakingly represented.

Some of the architectural drawings can also lean towards the cartoonish side, as in “Breen's store in Clontarf” which appears more like a quaint drawing for a children’s book. However, these also have their own special charms.

The natural world is also one of Neelin's muses and he explained that he never tires of the way “beauty occurs so spontaneously in the natural world” - like the two downed trees that sprawl on a river bank or the tall, thick cedar trees that spring from a rocky river bed in another work. It takes a master draftsman to be able to put graphite to paper and bring one’s subject to life and Neelin is a talented artist who puts his heart and soul into every pencil line that he makes.

He was pleased with the close to 50 people who turned out for the opening of the show, which will remain on display at MERA for the month of November. Neelin said that he is grateful to not only to have a place to show his artworks but also to have such a fine source of art education and entertainment available locally at MERA.

Ball and Chain is the cheeky band name for the irrepressible singer/songwriter/guitarist Jody Benjamin and her fiddle player and singer husband, Michael Ball. Ball and Chain mix two great musical loves in their music, country dance music and contemporary Cajun music.

They have released four albums containing original tunes sprinkled in with songs by Hank Williams, Webb Pierce and contemporaries like Julie Miller and Steve Earl, as well as an album of Cajun tunes, "Louisiana Love Bug".

The sixth release from Ball and Chain "Surrender" is their first to include all original songs. This is how the album is described on the website cdbaby: “Their love of hard core Honky Tonk is evident but here they feature songs with a wide range of styles. There is a love song for the prairie skies of Jody Benjamin's home province of Saskatchewan, a simple classic country waltz, a rockin' murder story song and a couple of Cajun-style fiddle tunes. The title track is a philosophical advice song for control freaks.

“The instrumentation varies as well. Some songs are simple guitar, fiddle, bass and drums while others feature electric guitar, pedal steel, Wurlitzer, Hammond organ and there's even a jaw harp intro to one of the fiddle tunes. This band always keeps the dancer in mind and their live performances always have full dance floors.”

They will be bringing the music from Surrender, and much more to the Agricultural Hall in McDonalds Corners on November 15. Accompanied by their band, the Wreckers, they will conduct Cajun 2 step and waltz lessons starting at 8pm. The band starts up at 9pm. There will be a cash bar to benefit the McDonalds Corners Agricultural Society. Admission is $15.