The road to becoming a provincial park actually began way back in 1910 when the Bon Echo Inn and surrounding land was sold to Flora MacDonald Denison. She had been coming to the area for many years with her family and in the early 1900s stayed at the Bon Echo Inn. She loved the surroundings so much that she bought the property including Mazinaw Rock from Dr. and Mrs. Weston Price. She and her son, Merrill, ran the Inn until her death in 1921 when Merrill assumed ownership.

Both Merrill and his mother had a passion for this Ontario landscape as well as a vision for its preservation. Merrill once said he had become a conservationist at age 8, ever since his first sight of the ‘Bald Mountains’ (Mazinaw Lake and area). To him, “Bon Echo was one of the most spectacular natural beauty spots in Ontario - a place to which people are drawn from near and far to feast their eyes in wonderment on its majestic mass and find spiritual refreshment in communion with nature”.

Merrill ran the Inn with his wife, Muriel Goggin Denison, until 1928. The depression set in and few people were going to the Inn for the summer. For several years, Bon Echo became a meeting place for professional foresters, conservationists and other nature lovers. Unfortunately the Inn burned down in 1936. Despite this setback the property was maintained as a private estate by Merrill and his wife.

Merrill thought a lot about what would happen to the Bon Echo property once he was gone. The area should be enjoyed by everyone. For him, “It would be nothing less than a national disgrace were Bon Echo to be divided into real estate parcels and sold piecemeal for summer building lots”.

Merrill announced in 1959 that he was giving 1200 acres as a gift to the Department of Lands and Forest to be protected and used by the people of Ontario. It was the desire of the Denison family that the Bon Echo area be preserved so all could enjoy its wilderness and beauty as they themselves had done for nearly sixty years. Merrill would retain life use of some buildings including Dollywood (now the Visitor Centre) and Greystones (now the Greystones Gift and Book Shop) and approximately 8.5 acres of land immediately surrounding them.

Initial park development occurred in 1961 with the installation of 200 campsites. The park officially opened on Wednesday, July 21, 1965. Opening ceremonies were held at the amphitheatre with over 500 people in attendance. During the ceremonies, a historic plaque was unveiled commemorating Merrill and his family’s gift to the people of Ontario. It reads, “Acquired by the people of Ontario through the generosity of Mr. and Mrs. Merrill Denison. Bon Echo Provincial Park, dedicated to recreation, conservation and education, in memory of Flora MacDonald Denison and Muriel Goggin Denison.” (Muriel had passed away and Merrill had married Elizabeth (Lisa) Denison in 1957.)

When Merrill died in 1975, use of the remaining land and buildings was transferred to Lisa Denison. Upon her death in 1977, Greystones and Dollywood and the land surrounding around them were added to the park.

Visitors to the Park are encouraged to take time to read the plaque on the rock near the Narrows. It stands as a reminder to look around and be grateful for this special place thanks to Merrill Denison and his family.

Bon Echo Provincial Park will officially celebrate the 50th Anniversary on July 21st at 2:00PM at the Amphitheatre.

Long before it officially became a provincial park in 1965, the flavor of Bon Echo Park had begun to take shape decades earlier, thanks to the influence of three distinct personalities.

In a presentation titled "The Dentist, the Feminist and The Writer", local historian Margaret Axford spoke of the influence these three people had on the park, which continues to draw visitors from across the country and from all over the world.

The first was the dentist, Dr. Weston A. Price, who was born in Newburgh, Ontario, but who lived and worked in Cleveland, Ohio. Price's wife was from Brampton, Ont. and she taught in Ardoch. In 1898 Price began renting land in what is now Bon Echo in the summer months from a farmer named David Weese. In 1899 the couple acquired land in the area and Price decided to build an inn modeled on the tourist hotels of the Adirondacks. Axford stated, “He [Price] knew that the setting of the Mazinaw Rock would be a natural draw and it was the Prices who gave the name 'Bon Echo' to the area, and who gave birth to tourism in the region.”

Price, who was described by one observer at the time as a “wiry man, always rushing somewhere with a hammer in his hand” used local labor to build the inn, which consisted of the main building, five cottages, a separate staff house, a boat house, a laundry house, an ice house, numerous docks and a bridge across the Narrows. By the end of Price's second summer after purchasing the land, the Bon Echo Inn was complete. In 1901 a telephone line that originated at the Kaladar train station and ran along the old Addington Road became the first telephone line in the area.

Price hoped to attract like-minded nature lovers to the area, and because he was a teetotaler and a religious man, the inn was dry until Merrill Denison took it over decades later.

In 1901, Flora MacDonald Denison arrived on the scene at Bon Echo with her husband Howard and son Merrill, first as guests in the tower room suite of the inn. Axford said that “she would have bought the place at that time if Price had been selling it” but instead she bought a lot south of the Narrows, where she built a summer cottage. Flora and her family would spend the next nine summers there. Flora MacDonald Denison was born in 1867 in Actinolite, worked as a teacher near Actinolite, and as a dressmaker in Toronto. She later was a writer on women's rights and the suffrage movement.

It was on her annual trip to Bob Echo in 1910 that Flora learned that Dr. Price wanted to sell the inn. Differing reasons are given for Price's reason for selling. One was that his 10-year-old son Donald was ill at the time; he later died either of spinal meningitis or from a diving accident.

Flora paid Dr. Price $13,000 for the inn, Big Bear Island and numerous acres of land, and Flora's husband Howard ran the Inn from 1911-1913 until the two separated and their marriage ended. Flora then took it over and her intent was to create “a haven for artists and philosophers in an inspiring natural landscape with an incredible view of Mazinaw Rock, where visitors could renew their souls, their energies and their creative instincts.” Flora also celebrated the teachings and writings of Walt Whitman, the famed 19th century American poet. According to Axford, Flora “was caught up in his [Whitman's] democratic ideals and she saw Bon Echo as being a symbol of democratic freedom...that would always be enhanced by the spirit of Walt Whitman.”

It was Flora who had a large rock face on the lake inscribed with a dedication to “Old Walt”. As a practicing spiritualist and part of a group whose members claimed they could communicate with the dead, Flora held numerous séances at Bon Echo. One observer at the time recalled that guests at Bon Echo “often preferred a séance at midnight to a Sunday morning church service.” Under Flora's command the inn housed many notable guests, including James Thurber, Morley Callahan, Frank Lloyd Wright and the painters from the Group of Seven; the latter would often be guests when Flora's son Merrill took over ownership. Financially the inn ran at a loss, with “Flora's dreams always outstretching her financial capabilities”.

Flora died at 54 years of age on May 23, 1921 and a bronze urn holding her ashes was deposited in Mazinaw Lake just below the Whitman inscription. Her son, Merrill Denison, a writer and later a well-known radio personality, inherited the inn and its 10 square miles of property, and began some much-needed repairs. His contacts at Hart House and the Arts and Letters Club in Toronto put him in touch with many famous Canadians artists of the time, many of whom would become regular visitors to Bon Echo. Merrill's partner, Muriel Goggin, whom he would marry in 1926, ran the inn from 1923-1928 “like a general”, and it prospered during this time until the stock market crash of 1929. From then until 1934 it was closed to the public at large and became Camp Mazinaw, a boys' camp for Trinity College School in Port Hope.

In 1936 the inn burned down after being struck by lightning. A Toronto woman who was working at the inn at that time, when she was 16 years old, sadly recalled watching it burn. Though the inn was never rebuilt, Merrill and Muriel continued to spend the summers at Bon Echo after selling off some of the land. They kept less than 100 acres for themselves. Merrill's aim still was to preserve the area as “a meeting place as it was for the Alonquins, a center to which people would come to learn and discuss ideas in an inspiring natural surrounding.”

In 1959 he turned over the buildings and land to the provincial government to be used as a provincial park. The official ceremony did not take place until 1965. Merrill died in 1975 at the age of 81.

Axford ended her presentation defining the legacy that these three personalities left behind for all who continue to visit and enjoy Bon Echo Park. “The legacy they left was that the democratic spirit should prevail and the ordinary person must continue to have access to this wonderful place.” For those wanting a more detailed account of the history of Bon Echo and the personalities who helped to create it, a number of books on the subject are available at the Cloyne Pioneer Museum. They include "The Oxen and The Axe" (Brown, Brumell and Snider), "The Mazinaw Experience: Bon Echo and Beyond" (John Campbell), "Sunset of Bon Echo" (Flora MacDonald Denison), and "Bon Echo: The Denison Years" (Mary Savigny).

From early May until late October, Bon Echo Provincial Park is a magnet for visitors to the Hwy. 41 corridor and the entire Land O'Lakes tourist region. Then the tourist economy tends to fall into a deep slumber over the winter. Now, through a combined effort of the Township of Addington Highlands, the County of Lennox and Addington, the Land O'Lakes Tourist Association and MPP Randy Hillier's office, an attempt is being made to entice the decision makers at Ontario Parks to consider offering some winter programming at Bon Echo.

“We need to find out first if there is a reasonable demand before we start lobbying and putting a business case together,” said Addington Highlands Reeve Henry Hogg, who is working with the township economic development committee to promote the "Bon Echo in winter" idea.

The survey takes only a very short time to fill out, and is readily available at http://lennox-addington.on.ca/bon-echo-survey.html

The survey refers to a number of winter activities that visitors might partake in, such as “cross-county skiing, snow shoeing, dog sledding, skating, tobogganing, tubing, wildlife and bird watching, and winter camping.

Residents and potential visitors are encouraged to take the survey, which can be accessed through the web address above or by clicking on the tourism icon on the L&A County website and then scrolling to Feature Experiences on the right hand side of the page to Bon Echo Provincial Park, Winter Opportunities.

Lucas Wales, General Manager of Land O'Lakes Tourist Association, said that the Bon Echo initiative fits in well with the desires of tourist operators to promote year-round visits.

“The beauty of the Land O'Lakes is certainly something to experience in the winter, and anything we can do to provide opportunities and get the word out is a benefit for our members and the region as a whole,” he said.

There is nothing better than witnessing a talented artist selling their works at an art show. That was the case of Lisa Johnson, one of many artists who set up shop at the Art Exhibition and Sale that took place at Bon Echo Provincial Park last weekend. Johnson was busy attending to a customer when I visited her booth on Saturday afternoon. Mazinaw Lake cottage owner Christine Post was looking at a number of paintings and ended up purchasing one of Johnson's paintings titled "Rekr's Rock", which Post she said she can see from her cottage.

Johnson is no stranger to the magic of the landscape at Bon Echo. Her paintings are proof that the landscape is somehow in her blood and that might just be because she has been cottaging on Mazinaw Lake since was a wee one.

An honours graduate from the Ontario College of Art and Design in 1996, Johnson has been painting for 25 years. She returned to the Bon Echo show after a decade of absence, offering up an impressive selection of large and small oil landscapes that caught the eyes of both browsers and buyers at the show.

Johnson, who sells her work at a variety of galleries and shows in Toronto, London and Windsor, painted her Bon Echo inspired pieces en plein air (in the open air). She paints in the tradition of the Group of Seven artists who also painted this landscape decades ago. Included in her display was the paint-smeared box that accompanies her on hikes and on rides in her small motor boat where many of her creations are made.

“The en plein air process enables me to observe and capture what I see. It's a very observational way of working. Later, back in the studio I use these paintings or sketches to create larger, more abstract works that come more out of my head and have more to do with how I feel about the landscape, but that are also a direct result of that initial en plein air study process.” Her works capture both the majesty and the ever changing beauty of the landscape, which she describes as “powerful, spiritual and magical places that have been attracting artists here for centuries.”

Some of the works appear soft and flowing with layers of colour that are blended together seamlessly, like one large work of the famed Mazinaw rock painted in soft, subtly changing oranges and brown. Others of the same landscape are more hard edged and bold, painted with fat, textural and generous applications of paint that together make up the shapes that define the unique landscape. In many works Johnson is able to create a sense of movement, as in the clouds and sky in the painting "Rekr's Rock", which seem to swirl and move overhead. She said her former experience as a dancer is what informs the movement in her pieces, and which also underlies the fact she has experienced first hand for years how the landscape that surrounds her is always changing. “It's amazing how everything, the elements, the light and colour can change in an instant.”

Johnson feels very much “connected to the history of painters who came here to paint, from A.Y Jackson to Charles Comfort and Arthur Lismer.” Last year she hiked to the location where A.J. Casson painted one of his works. “ I like the idea of connecting with artists of the past but finding new ways to do it.” Johnson's aim, she said, is always to “capture the feeling of a place. Not so much the photographic image but the space, the light, the movement and the atmosphere.” Her work demonstrates the fact that it takes a talented and experienced painter to do justice to the landscape of Bon Echo and Johnson is one artist in a long line who have managed to do just that.

A selection of Johnson's work will be at the Colin Edwards Gallery located at Bon Echo Park in the latter half of August. Her work is also available at Quinn's of Tweed Fine Art Gallery. For more information visit www.lisajohnsonart.ca

It came as no surprise to find Bon Echo Provincial Park recommended as one of Ontario's premiere camping destinations in a recent article in the Globe and Mail's travel section. The park, located just north of Cloyne on Highway 41, offers campers and one day visitors all of the usual amenities. Yes, Bon Echo has that and so much more.

The park is one of a kind when it comes to unique Canadian landscapes. The famed Mazinaw Rock, which stretches 1.5 kilometres across and stands 100 metres high above Mazinaw Lake, is the same granite rock cliff that was the muse for members of the Group of Seven painters. Today the rock continues to inspire artists and campers who are lucky enough to get a glimpse of it.

Rising above one of Ontario’s deepest lakes, it is an awe-inspiring sight. It was once and perhaps still is a spiritual landscape for Aboriginal Canadians, whose pictographs can be seen on the boat cruises that are offered several times every day in the summer. The rock face is a stunning geological wonder that both humbles its onlookers and begs the question: How? Thanks to the Friends of Bon Echo, a group of over 100 volunteers who last year celebrated their 25- year anniversary, that question was answered recently. The Friends fundraise close to $50,000, which they use to provide some of the best educational programming in any of the Ontario parks. Their national heritage programs are enjoyed by over 50,000 campers annually.

On July 12 the Friends sponsored a talk at the park’s amphitheater given by Dr. David Pearson, science director of Science North and professor of ecological studies at Laurentian University in Sudbury. Pearson divided his talk into two parts. In the first he invited listeners to imagine the 1.5 km thick layer of ice that once covered the cliff site roughly 23,000 years ago. The gradual melting of the ice helped to create the glacial lakes that would later become the Mazinaw. He spoke of “glacial erratics”, namely the unique rounded boulders that dot the park, which were formed when water melting from the enormous ice sheet lubricated its lowest reaches and ground the rocks into their present day smooth, rounded forms.

Pearson also spoke of “eskers”, the long winding ridges of sand and gravel left behind from glacial melts. He also described “moulins”, which are roughly circular, vertical to nearly vertical well-like shafts within a glacier through which water enters from the surface. One such glacier covered the park’s most northern tip.

In the second half of his presentation Pearson invited listeners to travel back millions of years in time, specifically to the time of the existence of the continent of Rodinia one billion to 800 million years ago, which accounts for the unique geographical formations in the park. He spoke of the break up of Rodinia 180 million years ago into the continents we now know as North America and Africa.

Regarding the extreme depth of Mazinaw Lake, over 400 feet in some spots, Pearson related that over 25,000 years ago when the ice sheet that covered most of North America melted and retreated from the cliffs above Mazinaw Lake, huge icebergs fell off into the ground below, creating incredibly deep pot holes, which account for the lake’s extreme depth.

In his presentation Pearson shared his own personal feelings for Mazinaw Rock. “This rock dates back a long, long way and deserves enormous respect. It most definitely has a heck of a story to tell.”

For those who have yet to visit Bon Echo Park, it is more than worth the trip. Its unique and awesome landscape never fails to inspire a sense of wonder and luckily the sight remains accessible to all.

The next big event to take place at Bon Echo Park is the Friends of Bon Echo's annual Art Exhibition and Sale on July 25-27 from 10am-4pm. Don't forget to support the Friends of Bon Echo, who will be offering up a BBQ lunch and raffle tickets for three grand prizes that include one original art work and two impressive canoes. For more information about other upcoming events at the park or to become involved with the Friends of Bon Echo visit www.bonechofriends.ca

Ian Tanner, Natural Heritage Education Leader

The unique geography of Bon Echo Provincial Park makes it a great place to view our avian friends throughout the year.

Peregrine Falcons may be the most notable birds that reside in Bon Echo. Twenty years ago Peregrine Falcons were re-introduced to Mazinaw Lake by Natural Heritage Education Coordinator, Denise Wilkins. During the spring and summer months Mazinaw Lake echoes with their distinctive kak-kak-kak calls. They can be seen flying frequently along the edge of the cliff or perched high on a tree surveying the skies. The falcons at Bon Echo often prey on Blue Jays and Ring-billed Gulls, diving from high in the air and capturing their food on the wing. When the Peregrine Falcons migrate south for the winter there is a marked increase in gulls at the Narrows and the beaches.

Another bird of prey that dwells in Bon Echo is the Barred Owl. Most people who spend a night or two in the Park will hear this bird call “Who cooks for you...who cooks for you all”. Barred Owls are among the most vocal of owls and are also quite common although they are notoriously difficult to spot during the day. A unique feature about owls is a peculiarity of their feathers. The wing feathers are very soft and therefore are not efficient for flying speed. However, they produce a quieter flight reducing the chance of being heard by their prey. Another unique feature is the location of an owl’s ears. One is located higher on the owl’s head than the other, allowing them to triangulate the position of their next meal far more accurately than were their ears to be symmetrical.

If you are heading out to Joeperry Lake keep your eyes peeled for Ospreys. These hawks have a diet that consists almost entirely of fish and they will hover above the water before plunging in to grab a meal. Another bird that spends its life looking for fish is the Belted Kingfisher. These brilliant blue birds perch on branches above the water and dive for small minnows and frogs. The Common Loon is also present in Bon Echo’s waters. While they live on Mazinaw Lake, your best chance to see them will be on Joeperry, Bon Echo, or Kishkebus Lakes. These birds are uniquely adapted for pursuing fish underwater and can hold their breath for several minutes, travelling hundreds of metres while submerged.

Barn Swallows also call Mazinaw Rock home. These aerial acrobats are now a threatened species due to the decline in foraging habitat, loss of available nesting sites, and pesticide spraying reducing the number of insects needed for food. These birds however can be seen most days at the Narrows. They swoop and dive catching insects just above the surface of the water. If you watch carefully you can see them drink while airborne, gliding close to the water and scooping up a mouthful. These small birds are great builders, nesting directly on the cliff. They build their nests by carrying mud, a little at a time from nearby streams and ponds then mixing it with saliva and lining it with moss and feathers.

A number of woodpeckers can be seen among the trees at Bon Echo. The smallest is the Downy Woodpecker, a black and white bird with males sporting a tiny red patch on the head. It has a long barbed tongue and glue-like saliva which help it catch insects. The largest is the Crow sized Pileated Woodpecker which is mostly black with white flashes on the neck and a flaming red crest on its head. Woodpeckers chisel holes in trees to reach the insects and grubs living in them. Large rectangular holes are telltale signs of Pileated Woodpeckers. A woodpecker can be identified by its distinctive “swooping” flight. Woodpeckers will flap their wings once or twice then fold them in, resulting in a wave-like flight.

The Park is also home to a plethora of different warblers and songbirds including White- throated Sparrows, Common Redpolls, and occasionally Scarlet Tanagers. The Cliff Top Trail is home to the Prairie Warbler. These birds are olive-coloured above with bright yellow below and black spots and streaks along their sides. Prairie Warblers prefer hot, dry environments, nest in juniper bushes on Mazinaw Rock, and are at the northern edge of their breeding habitat. Many of these birds call the Park home throughout the summer but can be difficult to spot among the leaves and undergrowth. For this reason I recommend familiarizing yourself with a few different birdcalls, such as the calls of the Red-eyed Vireo, the American Robin, and the Wood Thrush. More may be added as you become familiar with a few..

Fall is an exciting time to look for birds in Bon Echo. With the changing weather not only are the leaves disappearing but many birds are also migrating through the Park on their way to wintering habitats. Last fall we were lucky enough to spot a Red-throated Grebe swimming in Mazinaw Lake, as well as Broad-winged Hawks, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds, and Wood Ducks.

Whether you are an avid birdwatcher or someone just curious to see how many bird species you can spot, bring along a field guide and binoculars on your next visit to Bon Echo. You’ll be rewarded by a remarkable variety of sightings and songs.

From May 17 to July 3 the Colin Edwards Memorial Art Gallery, located in Greystones Gift and Book Shop at Bon Echo park, will display and offer for the sale the work of two returning artists, Cloyne resident Carla Miedema and Chris Perry from Amherstview. Until June 19 the gift shop and gallery are open Sunday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 11 – 4 and daily from 10:30 – 6 beginning June 21.

Carla Miedema’s Expressionist Paintings

“Nature is the inspiration for my art. Wetlands and Bon Echo Park are a focus of many of my expressionist paintings. I work mainly using acrylic and mixed media incorporating elements of nature including grasses, bark, lichen, and other found objects. Although some of my work is realistic, such as my portraits and pen and ink drawings of wildflowers, many of my paintings are becoming more abstract. I love working with colour and various media, and being challenged to create a novel, interesting piece of art work with what I find in nature.

You can see my work at various shows and at my studio gallery: Studio by the Pond, 1074 Little Pond Road in Cloyne, or check out my website at: www.carlamiedema.com

Chris Perry

“My art is detailed and realistic in an effort to capture nature as I see it. Usually I begin my paintings with a detailed pencil drawing. Difficult images can take a few days to complete as well as several attempts before I am satisfied with the animal’s likeness. Once the drawing is done, I apply several layers of watercolour paint. My favourite subjects are waterfowl and raptors, but I love to paint them all. Most of the birds I paint live close by, just outside Kingston.

The most extraordinary creatures are all around us. Hopefully my art will remind viewers of the beauty we have right in front of us and help us to preserve them and their habitat before it is too late. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Mazinaw Lake with its 100 metre Rock cliff has drawn artists to its shores for hundreds of years. From the First Peoples who inscribed their pictographs at water level, to the Group of Seven in the 1920s and to the artists who still come to contemplate and paint, the magnificent Mazinaw Rock continues to inspire.

One of the goals of the Friends of Bon Echo Provincial Park is to preserve this significant heritage. The 19th annual Bon Echo Art Exhibition and Sale will be held July 25, 26, 27. Over 40 juried artists will showcase their original artwork on the theme of Canadian Nature, Wildlife and Countryside. The festive 3 day exhibition also incorporates children’s activities, live music, Sciensational Sssnakes!! and great food.

Photographer Beth Smart

For artists and art lovers who are inspired by nature the Bob Echo Art Exhibition and Sale never fails to please. Three main reasons keep both groups coming back year after year: one - the show's loyal audience of art buyers; two - the gorgeous views of towering rock faces, pristine waters and tall shady pines and last - the show offers something for everyone.

Not only was there a BBQ and fresh baked goods for sale, for the kids there was a live, interactive snake show and hands on crafts. For the adults- live country classics by local band Border Town were a nice complement to the main attraction-the art.

Chinese born and classically trained oil painter Terry Hsu summed up the event best, saying, “If you seek art you may find it in everything around you.” Terry, who moved to Canada in 1999, began painting at seven years of age in China and was trained by both Russian and Chinese painters. He has been painting for 35 years and this is his third time showing at Bon Echo. His works are vibrant colourful, realistic depictions of wild life and landscapes that he creates by mixing colours right on the canvas. What first attracts passersby to this booth are the smaller intricate works of various bird species: gold finch, starling, bluebird, and pine grosbeak displayed up front. In each a single bird is centred in the frame and is painted by layering various colours one upon the other to create a hyper real-vibrant image reminiscent of typical contemporary classical Chinese nature works.

The pieces Terry enjoys painting most are the larger landscapes, where he has the space to “magnify the beauty of what he sees before him.” His work titled Bon Echo Landscape depicts a fallen, mossy log in a autumn forest and is an example of the work he paints every year when he and his wife make the annual trip from Toronto. (To see more of Terry's work visit www.oilbyterry.com)

For local artist Beth Smart of Cloyne photography is the means she uses to capture the beauty of the Bon Echo geography and as a long-time area resident and a fourth-year vendor at the show, she is continually creating new items to keep customers returning to her booth.

Beth is a self-taught photographer who learned the art from her father. She was given her first camera at the age of nine. This year she was showing two new types of work, the first- collages. Her themes as always are landscape and wildlife. In one framed piece she collected various images of butterflies she photographed in the area. In a second she collaged together different images of Bon Echo park taken during different seasons through out the year, “In the Bon Echo collage I'm trying to show people the beauty of the park at different times of the year when visitors don't usually get a chance to see it.”

Also new are her “photo paddles”- small wooden canoe paddles covered with her images, which she applies using a special ink transfer technique. It can take 20-25 hours for a single paddle. Beth sells her work at the park's gift shop and she will also be participating in the Cloyne Showcase from August 6-8.

Multiple media artist Todd Tremeer has been doing the Bon Echo show for five years now. Todd, who hails from Bowmanville, graduated from the Ontario College of Art in Toronto in 1995 and he has been doing shows ever since. He works in watercolour, oil and printmaking and when in town for the show he often camps on crown land just north of the park where he paints small studies and sketches that he later works up into larger pieces back at his studio in Bowmanville.

“My preference is to make landscapes that are not necessarily particular to any specific place.” His small-framed etchings are done as dry points, which he etches onto plates that he carries with him into the bush then later prints and colours.

One called “Beaver Dam” and another called “Bon Echo” are indicative of the local landscape in the area and attract a lot of interest from return buyers to his booth.

His larger works are oil on canvas and pictured here is Killarney Landscape, a work from a study he did on site while camping.

Todd enjoys the annual Bon Echo show and said,

“It's a great show where I often make a few sales but I also camp out and work while I'm here, so it’s kind of a working holiday for me as well.”

Most recently Treemer has been working with war museum collections and is creating works that deal with those collections, history and how history is reconstructed through museum spaces. To see more of his work visit www.toddtremeer.com

Event organizer Harold Kaufmann, chair of the art committee at Bon Echo, was pleased with the high calibre of art in the show this year and noted that he tries to jury in at least 10 new artists each year.

Derek Maggs, executive director of the Friends of Bon Echo Park, said increased local advertising this year has helped bring out newcomers to the show and park. The Friends, whose efforts include the ongoing preservation of the natural and cultural heritage of the park, continue to offer visitors a unique art show in the midst of unique wilderness setting. For more information about the park and its Friends please visit www.mazinaw.on.ca/fobbecho

Jim and Sue Waddington pose where A..J. Casson painted one of the many works he made of Bon Echo Park

Art enthusiasts John and Sue Waddington have been following in the footsteps of Canada's most renowned landscape painters, The Group of Seven, for 30 years and on August 16 their travels landed them in Bon Echo Provincial Park. This was the couple's first ever visit to the park and its purpose was two-fold - firstly, to accept an invitation by Derek Maggs, Chair of the Friends of Bon Echo, who had invited the couple to present their power point presentation of “Following in the Footsteps of the Group of Seven”. The show is currently on display at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, ON until September 6, 2010 and it follows the couple as they have hiked, paddled and portaged their way through the Canadian wilderness, tracking down and photographing the actual views from which various well-known works by members of the Group of Seven were painted.

The presentation at Bon Echo included an overview of the various methods the couple uses to locate the views which often begins in the winter months with a search through the National Archives for paintings and sketches, the scouring of various land and contour maps, and the reading of countless books and letters written by and about the group, which often contain hints as to where the particular views are located. The hunt then begins in the summer where, armed with their findings, the couple pack up their supplies and head out into the wilderness.

Monday's presentation included the couple's first discovery in 1972 of the exact location from which A.Y. Jackson's Hills, Killarney, Ontario (Nellie Lake), was painted in 1933, over 75 years ago. The discovery came about when Sue, a long time rug hooker wanted to create a rug based on that particular painting. She and Jim, accompanied by their two young children, set out on a week-long excursion to the Killarney Park Lake, which Jim recalled “was a very hard lake to get to”, in the hopes of finding that one particular view. Funnily enough it was somewhat by chance on a family blueberry picking expedition that took them higher into the Killarney hills than they had intended, that Sue came upon the exact location. Finding the view was the couple’s first “eureka moment”, and since then they have located 200 more.

The presentation included many of their finds since then including Tom Thomson's, St Thomas Church, c. 1905, A.J. Casson's A Little Bay in La Cloche Channel, c.1958, A.Y. Jackson's Grace Lake, Algoma, c.1939 as well as works by Arthur Lismer like Bright Land, c.1938 and Little Lake, Bay Finn. c. 1932 and Twisted Pine, c.1935 and Mirror Lake, c.1929 by Franklin Carmichael.

The part of the presentation that solicited the loudest “ooh” and “aah” responses from viewers came repeatedly whenever the slide of a particular painting was juxtaposed beside one of the Waddingtons' stunning photographs, which in many cases, was an almost perfect match.

The second part of the Waddingtons’ visit to Bon Echo began the following day when they set out first by canoe and later on foot armed with 20 photos of 12 works painted by Group members at Bon Echo. When I met them the following day their expressions were triumphant and they informed me that Monday's findings represented “the most successful day we have ever had in our history of searching”. Of the 12 photographed works they brought, they had successfully located six. They shared one of the locations with me, and I followed them to the tip of a spit that juts out into Mazinaw Lake from where A.J Casson painted Bon Echo. They also found Arthur Lismer's, The Sheep's Nose, which depicts a part of the rock face now commonly known in the park as Turtle Rock.

They also located a second Lismer work depicting an old dock and canoers by discovering the remnants of the dock, from which they were able to locate the scenery behind. Most of the works they found were by A.J. Casson, which were painted further down the bay and which they located by canoe.

Jim said the work they do is like solving a puzzle. “Each one is different kind of puzzle and when the place is not mentioned in the title of the work as was the case with Bent Pine by A. Y. Jackson, we are then forced to find clues in other ways and it can be very exciting.” Sue added, 'When we find one of the views we have no trouble understanding why the painters painted them. And you have to keep in mind that the ones we tend to find are the magnificent and more obvious ones.”

The Waddingtons were greatly impressed with the beauty of Bon Echo and were thrilled to come across an artist painting the famed rock face, proving that the Bon Echo landscape still continues to inspire artists today with its magnificence and awe-inspiring views.

The Waddingtons will be presenting their latest finds at Bon Echo to the pubic at the Friends of Bon Echo annual AGM that will take place in the fall of 2011.

Next, they will be heading back to Killarney Park in October to locate a painting by A. J. Casson called Trout Lake.

To view their presentation online please visit www.groupofseven.ca

Photo: Sue and Jim Waddington receive a gift from the Friends of Bon Echo after their presentation in Cloyne

Art enthusiasts, Sue and Jim Waddington, returned to the Cloyne area this month in a continuation of their 30-year cross-country foray tracking down the sites where members of the Group of Seven painted some of the best known and best loved images of the Canadian wilderness.

Their visits here have focused on Bon Echo Provincial Park, where to date they have located the sites where 16 individual works by various Group members were painted. Part of the couple’s recent return visit included two public talks, both sponsored by the Friends of Bon Echo Park which included highlights of their popular powerpoint presentation titled “Following in the Footsteps of the Group of Seven”.

The Waddingtons’ September 3rd presentation at the Pine View Methodist church in Cloyne included an overview of the various methods the couple used to locate the views, which involve searches through the National Archives for works; the scouring of various land and contour maps; and the reading of countless books and letters written by and about the group, which often contain hints as to where the particular views are located.

Last summer the couple had great success on their first visit to Bon Echo Park, when armed with 20 photos of 12 works, they managed to track down six sites in a single day. One was at the tip of a spit that juts out into Mazinaw Lake, from where A.J Casson painted Bon Echo. They also found the location of Arthur Lismer's work titled, The Sheep's Nose, which depicts a part of the rock face now commonly known as Turtle Rock. They also located a second Lismer work depicting an old dock and canoers when they discovered the remnants of the dock, from which they were able to locate the scenery behind.

A winter visit to the park this past February enabled the Waddingtons to place three winter works painted there by A.Y. Jackson, “Winter”, “Bon Echo and Birches” and “Bon Echo”.

On their return this year Jim and Sue managed to locate a number of additional painting sites. These included the sites for the image for the 1916 magaizine cover titled “The Sunset of Bon Echo”, a 1914 magazine cover and the sites of a number of additional Casson works including “Bon Echo, Lake Mazinaw” and Lismer’s “Big Rock, Bon Echo”. Throughout their 30-year career, the Waddingtons have always counted on the help of local residents to assist them in pinpointing the more unusual and hard to locate sites. That was also the case at Saturday’s presentation when members of the audience offered their assistance in locating the specific view of Wreckers Rock depicted in two paintings by Casson, one titled “Lake Mazinaw”, and a second titled “From the Hawk’s Nest”.

To date the Waddingtons have located a total of 200 painting sites all over Canada and their work will soon be published in a book. Prior to this Bon Echo visit, they had travelled to the Yukon, where they were tracking down sites painted there by A.Y. Jackson when he was commissioned by the National Gallery to record the building of the Alaska highway. Not surprisingly, they managed to locate six sites there. Jim said they have no intention of hanging up their hiking boots and canoe paddles anytime soon, and have planned already for a number of trips this fall. “As long as we are able to hike and canoe we will continue on”, he said.

To view their presentation online visit www.groupofseven.ca