Painting on historical slate
Canoe lake in summer
approx 11"x16" oil on slate
approx 11"x16" oil on slate
I have had many opportunities to paint on many different surfaces. Most i turn down on account of it being a bit tacky, or very tacky. For example, I simply will not paint on a mug or plate, etc, etc.
This week I was presented a surface like non other. A contractor/client/friend working on a 110+ year old Rosedale, Toronto home, presented me with two well worn slate shingles from the old house roof. Some are in the process of being replaced. He suggested I might like to render a painting on them. I have to admit that my first reaction was to shrug it off, but the more I thought about it the more the idea appealed to me.
Here was two pieces of old Toronto from the turn of the century. From an area of the city populated with the most stately of old Toronto homes. The saying goes, "if these stones could talk, the stories they'd tell". That is the sentiment I am enjoying as I painted this first one.
1890 to 1910 is the era from which these roofing shingles come from and if my math is correct, this was about the time when the one and only Tom Thompson, and other members of the Group of seven would have been getting together at the Arts and Letters Club between trips up north by train and by canoe. So here in my hands are materials which would have been on the roof of one of the stately old homes that Tom Thompson, A.J. Casson, Lawren Harris and others very likely would have passed by on their travels up Yonge Street through the Rosedale area.
I will not have many of these shingles, perhaps four or five more. I will certainly keep a few of them, after painted, in my private collection. But some, like this one shown here are available for sale. Please contact me should you have an interest in collecting this piece of Toronto history.
RM
This week I was presented a surface like non other. A contractor/client/friend working on a 110+ year old Rosedale, Toronto home, presented me with two well worn slate shingles from the old house roof. Some are in the process of being replaced. He suggested I might like to render a painting on them. I have to admit that my first reaction was to shrug it off, but the more I thought about it the more the idea appealed to me.
Here was two pieces of old Toronto from the turn of the century. From an area of the city populated with the most stately of old Toronto homes. The saying goes, "if these stones could talk, the stories they'd tell". That is the sentiment I am enjoying as I painted this first one.
1890 to 1910 is the era from which these roofing shingles come from and if my math is correct, this was about the time when the one and only Tom Thompson, and other members of the Group of seven would have been getting together at the Arts and Letters Club between trips up north by train and by canoe. So here in my hands are materials which would have been on the roof of one of the stately old homes that Tom Thompson, A.J. Casson, Lawren Harris and others very likely would have passed by on their travels up Yonge Street through the Rosedale area.
I will not have many of these shingles, perhaps four or five more. I will certainly keep a few of them, after painted, in my private collection. But some, like this one shown here are available for sale. Please contact me should you have an interest in collecting this piece of Toronto history.
RM
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