Michelle (Basic) Hendry - Fine Artist & Author

Artist and Author - Landscapes and Ruins

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Happy Easter & More on the Church

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Small Painting
Early Spring Twilight, 5×7 © 2009 Michelle Basic Hendry

I missed last week’s small painting post due to my trip to Toronto, so I am finally getting back on track…! I have been a little under the weather this week and the spring storm that dropped a foot of snow on our mostly melted lawn was no help!

I have been continuing to follow up on the Uffington Church and contacting as many people as I can find to see how to prevent this from happening again. Thanks to the Muskoka Heritage Foundation, I discovered that the Architectural Conservancy of Ontario has a Muskoka chapter.  I was vaguely aware of their existence due to their operation of the Door’s Open program up here, but I had seen little else. I look forward to getting to know the members and seeing if there is more that can be done to protect buildings at risk on the fringes of the region. I have also gotten myself a casual invite to the Gravenhurst Heritage Committee’s meeting next week. They are a brand new committee and it may be some time before the wheels hit the ground, so to speak.

Along that line, I have had “Evanescence” professionally photographed by Paul Bennett up in Raymond and I am preparing to have prints made. When I can figure out which organization is in the best position to use funds for active preservation, I intend to license that group to sell giclée prints for that purpose. I will donate 100% of the profits, which could be up to $4000 or more, to go directly to preservation efforts. With the economy in the state that it is in, and my family having been so directly affected by the downturn with so many others, I know fundraising will be difficult. I am hoping that someone will take me up on this before another building slips away unnecessarily.

As for the original painting, I am looking forward to saving just a bit of the wood from the Church to frame it.

Uffington Church Painting
Evanescence, St. Paul’s Uffington, 16×24 © 2009 Michelle Basic Hendry

In the meantime, I reflect on my last visit to that place – being torn down as we speak. I can hear the sound of echoing creaks in the floorboards, and nothing else but peaceful, gentle, silence…

Happy Easter, everyone…

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Comments

  1. That’s a great idea–to frame the painting in the wood of the church, if you can. Brilliant! Best of luck in your preservation efforts!

  2. using some wood from the church to frame this is a really nice touch 😀 keeps a piece of the church alive and really ties the painting to the church.

  3. Happy Easter, Michelle,
    Loved your idea of framing the picture in wood from the church. Wonderful idea to sell prints of such a historic building to raise money for the preservation of history. You are right, money is scarce these days. So sorry to hear that your family has been adversely affected by the economy. It seems everyone has been and will be affected for some time to come. We all need to help and support each other.

  5. congratulations and support on your activism Michelle..
    it speaks volumes about who you are..

    When nothing is said silence speaks.

    proverb

    cheers
    e

  6. Early Spring Twilight is lovely…again the sky is amazing it makes the painting for me!!!

    So many families have been affected by the economy, I’m sorry yours is one!

    Such a grand gesture…donating funds for the preservation of tired old buildings!

    I love the idea of using boards from the Church as a frame for Evanescence…this will make the painting that much more special!

    Hope you are feeling better…I agree we had a nasty little snow storm last week…enough is enough!

    Happy Easter to you and yours!
    Cheers

  7. Thanks, everyone!
    As for activism – Hmmmm – a tough word! I think that every so often, art can have value beyond its own sake. Our history is as important as our current culture. After all – if you don’t know where you have been, how do you know where you are going??

  8. Your twilight painting is beautiful. You pack a lot into a small painting. And yes, I just have to add that I too am impressed by your activism. Of course you deserve credit for that, but your modesty is very becoming also.

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