THE WORST OF TIMES

 

Desert Scene                       Digital Art                 2020              E.A. Somers

Dickens' A Tale Of Two Cities begins with," It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, ..." It might be argued that certain aspects of this statement may have been true for this year, 2020, but no doubt most everyone of you would agree. that this year was certainly not the best of times. With COVID-19 lurking around every corner just about every aspect of our lives was affected bringing about change, some permanent.

Amongst the changes going forward will be our approach to visual art, and the way that it is promoted. I predict that actual art galleries will become obsolete, and that a trip to the gallery will become a virtual experience. Whereas most art galleries and museums devoted to art are located in large crowded cities, it makes economical sense to reach out virtually to those that appreciate art and who are unable to make the journey to enjoy a physical experience.

I, being old in years, have seen much change, from the development of the ebook to online exhibitions through the rapid development of technology. Unlike many I've never been afraid of the change brought about by technology, indeed I've looked forward to it happening. I'm one of the vanguard that embraced the pdf file and the digital camera way back in 1999. I recall, when I introduced my first pdf art book being told by publishers that no one would ever read a book online. Most, are now out of business.

Virtual reality is here to stay, and the way in which we create art and exhibit our efforts will, just as the ebook has become a viable method to publish, soon to become the norm. To quote the Borg of the Star Trek television series, "Resistance is futile."

As mentioned I'm "old in years', so I still hold on to some of the old ways. I still do thumbnail sketches, and work in watercolour, but in keeping with the changing times I exhibit virtually.....

 Old Woman Bay   Lake Superior Provincial Park
 Ongoing watercolour from onsite sketch.

It's going to be a long winter, so hopefully, some of the thumbnails will be turned into paintings. In the meantime I wish everyone all the best for the New Year with the added wish that the use of vaccines will help to win the war against this terrible plague, Covid-19.

FRIENDS

FRIENDS

Over the years as I worked at becoming an artist, and a naturalist, I became involved with many groups concerned about protecting and preserving our natural heritage. Since that time concern has grown for action to protect and preserve the entire planet against the threat of global warming,...and then along came the virus, a pandemic, that has thrown a wrench into ongoing efforts. People, and rightfully so, have become more interested in their own survival, than the survival of the planet. A bit ironic when you think about it, as our survival depends upon the survival of the planet more than the survival of the individual.The pandemic and our individual survival aside, we must continue our efforts to preserve and protect our natural heritages important to the survival of everyone.

As I mentioned, over the years I became involved with the efforts of many groups, but in recent years I became very involved with the group known as The Friends Of Killarney Park, a non profit group that raises funds to help to run art and nature programs designed to promote the awareness of park visitors of the importance of their efforts to preserve and protect our natural heritage. With the pandemic raging it's been difficult to run programs, and raise monies for future programs. So, I've decided to help out a bit and seek your support. Now I'm not asking, although it would be nice, for you to simply write a cheque, I'm suggesting that you visit the Friends online gift shop and make a purchase. Your purchase would be much like a donation as the profit on all items goes towards park programs.

https://www.friendsofkillarneypark.com/#/

There are many items for sale, but I'm going to steer you to two items that I helped to make possible, an art print, and an art book that I wrote and illustrated introducing park visitors to the park's history and its many hiking trails and pristine lakes. Just so you know, both items were gratuitous projects on my part, and also involved the donation of some 200 sketches and paintings many of which were used in the production of the book, sold to assist with publication costs.

Art Print - View From The Crack

Now you won't get a tax receipt for your purchase, but on the plus side you'll get an art collection for something less than $40.00, as well as the knowledge that you're helping to preserve and protect our natural heritage.

Thank you for your support.