William Wetheral – The Wood Man
May 18, 2012 | 
Author 
Just over a year ago an older gentleman and his wife popped into my shop. He was very shy and modest. He was a wood worker and wondered if I would be interested in carrying his work. His name was Bill Wetheral. He was a retired dairy farmer from Cannington, and boy was his work fabulous!
Bill has been working with his hands his entire life. Living on the farm and running a cream operation kept him pretty busy all those years. Bill’s farm has been in his family since 1917. In fact his grandfather purchased it directly from the government as crown land. After retirement Bill was finally able to pursue his life long hobby of wood working, wood turning in particular. Ten years ago he went out and purchased a 15 year old wood lathe and as they say, the rest is history.
Bill Wetheral
From looking at Bill’s work you would never imagine that he had no formal training to speak of. He says he is mainly self-taught from books and good old fashioned trial and error. He did however sign up for a one year membership with The Peterborough Turners Guild. There the wood workers would turn the pieces and then pass them on to decorative artists to paint.
When I ask Bill where this passion comes from he gives a shy little smile and replies, “I guess I am a little bent that way. Some folks paint, some enjoy music, but I work with wood.” Bill says he has tried to turn most things by now. “There is no secret or short cut. Practise and experience is all it is.” Bill, I think you are being a little too modest here. When you have experienced his work, you may feel the same way. And experience his work is what it is. When you see the beautiful grains and curves there is an instant need to touch it.
Bill is most famous for his stunning hand turned wooden bowls. They come in every shape and size imaginable, and they vary in wood from walnut, maple, elm, butternut and even cherry. Most of the wood Bill uses he has harvested from his own property. You can’t get much more local than that! Bill also turns, paints and decorates snowmen from old cedar posts. They are a big hit. Most snowmen I have seen other places have the attachments glued on. After several years of outdoor use they seem to lose their ears and nose, but not Bill’s. He screws everything on and to add a personal touch his wife, Carol hand knits the scarf around their necks.
Bill also does intricate wooden boxes with lids, fireplace bellows and decorative fence post sculptures for the garden. If it’s made out of wood chance’s are Bill can do it for you. One of my personal favourites is the benches he makes. The seat is made out of old hand hewn barn beams and then he hand turns the legs. No two are alike.
We are very honoured that Bill Wetheral’s work is available exclusively at The Dark Horse in Sunderland. Please drop in to see and feel his masterpieces. You can also custom order benches of variable lengths as well. Bill’s work can also be seen on our website if you click on the “artists” icon at www.darkhorsestudio.ca
Posted in Artists, CAPS Article | 
Tags: Bill Wetheral;William Wetheral;The Dark Horse;Sunderland;Cannington;wood work;wood turning'wooden bowls'CAPS;Eye Candy | 
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Peace of Earth Pottery – Sheila Brenchley
Sheila Brenchley of Peace of Earth Pottery has been drawn to pottery for as long as she can remember. She was particularly fascinated with teapots. Many years were spent admiring and collecting them from studio tours and galleries alike. She often spoke to potters, but at the time no one seemed to be teaching. Then she finally hooked up with Richard Hayman at Lakefield School of Fine Art in Peterborough. That is when things really started to come together for her and her passion was truly fired up. Pun intended.
Sheila tells the story of when she took a beginner course in Haliburton. Her instructor asked her what she would like to get out of the course. Sheila replied, “I want to make a teapot.” Her instructor replied, “Well – maybe not this first week”. “But, in the very next course I took, I did. I made a teapot!”
Many years and pottery workshops later, taken literally all over the world, Sheila is home and settled with her husband just outside of Dunsford on a beautiful piece of rural heaven. She also finally has a professional and functional studio right outside her backdoor. Sheila divides her time now teaching workshops and working on her own stunning collections. My particular favourite is her landscape series. She does these wonderful landscape scenes on her beautiful but also functional pieces of pottery. From a slab of clay to the wheel to the kiln, Sheila does it all. She even creates her own glazes from scratch.
Sheila lights up as she explains that the most important thing in her workshops is that she wants to teach people how to have fun. She also suggests to them that if they have been doing several workshops and really think they want to get serious with the pottery to take a one week fulltime course at Haliburton School for the Arts. “Immersing yourself for an entire week without interruptions is very fulfilling.”
Detail of Sheila's work
After meeting Sheila on The Kawartha Lakes Studio Tour in the fall of 2010 I took the leap and signed up for one of her courses right on the spot. I have taken many painting courses over the years, but never pottery. I didn’t know a thing about it, but from the very first day of Sheila’s workshop I along with two other lovely ladies’ who had never had their hands in clay either were producing vessels. I was immediately hooked. As I talked with obvious passion to many friends and acquaintances over the next several months about my wonderful new teacher many were very impressed. Most of the feedback I got was how when they had taken pottery courses there were too many people in the class and not enough wheels and instruction. I even heard stories about a line up of 12 for the one wheel in the classroom.
Sheila does not operate that way. She only takes three pupils per workshop and she has three wheels. That is how we were quickly and constantly producing “masterpieces.” I can assure you, you will never feel ignored. For information on Sheila’s pottery and workshops why not visit her website at; www.peaceofearthpottery.com. There you will find details of upcoming shows and workshops. Sheila’s work is also available as The Dark Horse, in Sunderland, www.darkhorsestudio.ca
Posted in Artists, CAPS Article | Tags: Sheila Brenchley;pottery;potter;Dunsford;CAPS;Eye Candy | Comments Closed
Book Launch – Buy My House, Please!
Please join us at The Dark Horse this Saturday, April 21st from 1 to 4 p.m. to celebrate the launch of Lynn Campbell’s book, Buy My House, Please!
Lynn will be there in person doing readings and book signings. There will be the usual frivolity as well as light refreshments. We are so proud of Lynn and thrilled that she chose us to launch her book.
It is a hilarious story of a desperate couple trying to sell their home in a desperate market. Based very loosely on Lynn and Walters own struggles to sell their Niagara house and come back home to Sunderland, Lynn has confessed to it being mostly fiction with just a touch of truth thrown in.
During the launch Lynn’s husband, artist Walter Campbell will also be in attendance to support his lovely wife. Walter has also agreed to hang some of his original paintings during the show. We are extremely honoured that Walter has allowed us this opportunity to showcase his art. Most people, me included have never seen a Walter Campbell original.
So please drop by Saturday afternoon for a chat, a laugh or two and a visit with Lynn, Walter and the rest of the gang. We hope to see you there!
Sunderland, the friendly village!
Posted in Special Events | Tags: art, artist, author, book launch, Lynn Campbell, Sunderland, The Dark Horse, Walter Campbell | Comments Closed
The Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival is this weekend!
“Spring is nature’s way of saying, Let’s Party!” Robyn Williams
It’s here. Spring that is….. and The Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival!
It’s a Rite of Spring.
It’s a Canadian Thing.
And, it’s even sweeter in Sunderland.
Please come and join in the celebrations all this weekend. When we put on a show in Sunderland, we do it all the way! The streets are closed to traffic and the sap is flowing, along with our warm country welcome in the village.
Don’t forget to check out the fine art show running both days in our beautiful Town Hall.
Featuring among others, Lynda Cunningham and Harvey Walker.
Saturday, March 31st and Sunday, April 1st.
For full details please log onto the website http://maplesyrupfestival.ca/
Posted in Uncategorized | Tags: art, art gallery, art show, maple syrup, Sunderland | Comments Closed
No Poverty Between the Sheets – St. Patrick’s Day Book Launch
Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day! And in 2012 The Dark Horse Gallery will be celebrating in style with the much anticipated launch of Pauline Kiely’s first memoir novel titled, No Poverty Between the Sheets!
When Pauline’s Granny in Dublin was asked the question, “If you were so poor why did you have ten children?” Her answer was, “To be certain, there was no poverty between the sheets!” Many of you may remember Pauline as an Advertising Sales Rep. for Brock Citizen and Kawartha Lakes This Week for Metroland Publishing.
Some of you may have heard her tell hillarious stories about her large family that is half Irish and half French Canadian. She has been chipping away writing this memoir for these past fifteen years.
As her Irish friend, and owner of The Dark Horse Gallery in Sunderland I am delighted to be hosting her book’s official launch so fittingly on March 17th – between 1pm and 4pm. Pauline will be here all day doing readings, and signing copies, plus there will be live music provided by her son Dylan and his friends, light refreshments will be served.
photo by; Sue Wright
So get your green on people, and join us because as John Kiely would say, “There are those that are Irish and those that wish they were, but everyone is Irish on Paddy’s Day!”
Posted in Special Events | Tags: author, book, book launch, Ireland, Irish, LIndsay, memoir, Pauline Kiely, Sunderland, The Dark Horse | Comments Closed
Mary Sullivan; Artist and Web Designer
It constantly fascinates me when art expands into other areas of our life. I am always getting compliments about my website. How it is a true reflection of me and my shop. It is an interesting observation considering that this month’s feature artist is also my webmaster. Like many artists, Mary kept her day job. By day she is a wonderful website designer and manager, and by night (and every spare moment) a wonderfully talented artist.
Why are Mary Sullivan’s website designs so pleasing and effective? I believe it is because she is not only a web designer, but also an artist. She has studied art for years; pottery, sculpture and painting to name a few, but her passion is sculpture and it shows. It shows both her talent and her sense of humour. Many of her creations are quite curious.
Born in Mississauga, Mary graduated from the University of Toronto with a Fine Arts Degree. She then travelled the globe and met her husband while backpacking in England, where they settled down. Mary was fortunate enough to live in a very artistically exciting part of London where she continued her studies in sculpture and casting at The Working Man’s College. There she worked with live models fine tuning her style in painting and sculpture.
After living for 14 years in England, they decided to make the move back to Canada. They have called Lindsay home for the last 11 years. It was here that Mary started to really delve into pottery. She joined the Kawartha Potters Guild in Peterborough. She speaks very highly of that organization, explaining how they hold monthly demonstrations and how everyone is very keen to share and learn together. Through this and her membership in The Lindsay Gallery, Mary has made a lot of life long friends.
When I ask Mary what her biggest challenge as an artist is I get a familiar reply. “Fitting it all in. That is my biggest challenge. Trying to find the time to get all my work done and then still have time to do my art.” Well somehow Mary makes it look easy. She brings a sampling to my shop for our visit. Adorable little penguin faces stare up at me from the box, no two alike, but all equally charming. Next come the incredible life sized paper mache crows which hang from the ceiling and look like they are in mid-flight. Some of the crows even have an eyeball in their beak. An eyeball that Mary has made while at the kiln. The next creation to surface is what appears to be a sweet little porcelain bunny sculpted by Mary. At least I think he is sweet and innocent until Mary let’s me hold him. He is very discreetly holding a can of beer. She calls him, “Good Bunny, Gone Bad”. I warned you she had a great sense of humour. Okay some would say warped, I say great!
To learn more about Mary’s web design services please check out her website at www.germars.com There you will find more details about her services and a small sampling of her artwork. Thank you Mary. Thank you for helping me through this crazy maze of computers. And thank you for the whimsical afternoon.
Posted in Artists, CAPS Article | Tags: art, artist, LIndsay, Mary Sullivan, sculpture, Sunderland | Comments Closed
Eye Candy featuring Walter Campbell
Well, we may have finished singing Santa Claus is coming to town, but we sure aren’t tired of singing Walter Campbell is back in town. That’s right, Walter Campbell and his lovely wife Lynn have moved back to Sunderland after an 8 year sojourn to Niagara on the Lake. As happy as we are to welcome them back, it appears no one is happier than they are.
Walter explains their move; “In life you often find yourself at a fork in the road. You see an opportunity but you are always seconding guessing your decision.” That is what happened when they moved to Niagara. “But we always kept our attachments and connections to Sunderland. We always came back for the Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival, for birthdays and special occasions.” Father of 4 and grandfather of six most of whom live in the area and feeling homesick they made the decision to “come home”. Walter explains there is a wonderful sense of community and an artistic spirit here in Sunderland. “One doesn’t always see that until you leave it. It became clear where we belonged. In a sense we never really left”.
Walter Campbell with one of his paintings
Walter describes his style, “I try to take my painting to the next level, to express what I want the viewer to see. My paintings tell a story. I don’t just see a house. There is usually an anecdote or reason for painting them. It is often a memory of the way it was, something that is not there anymore. I paint to express that. My kids were often inspiration, either for a skating pond or a special occasion. My paintings are always of a real place, I just embellish the story with people.”
Not every painting is successful according to Walter. Sometimes he finds a painting is not expressing what he wanted to say to the viewer. Walter has worked in many mediums over the years but his first choice is watercolours. They react for me and help me with what I want to achieve. Walter is still producing new work. “I have a lot of ideas for paintings. I don’t think that will ever go away. The struggle now is to compete with myself. There are so many paintings and so many memories. The paintings are very personal and meaningful to me. When people purchase them I am always so gratified that they enjoy them. I don’t ever want to let them down.”
Now that they have resettled, Walter’s home studio is open to the public by appointment. He also has teaching workshops starting in January. He has taught for many years. “I am not going to teach you how to paint like me. What I will do is show you some of the ways you can express yourself and how to go about it, because you are your own painter.”
Welcome home Walter! We are so thrilled to have you back. For further information on upcoming shows and events check out Walter Campbell’s website at www.artofwaltercampbell.com/
As published in the January issue of CAPS newspaper
Posted in Artists, CAPS Article | Tags: artist, Ontario, prints, Sunderland, Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival, Walter Campbell, water colour | No Comments »
Starting Out in the Afternoon
What a pleasure and delight it is to spend time with local Port Perry artist Joanna Malcolm. She is a bundle of talent, energy and optimism. Joanna had a late start in the art world. She actually only started painting seriously 10 years ago. That being the case she is a very quick study. Her talent, knowledge and skill are very apparent.
I thought the title of our article was apropos. After a twenty year career as a nurse at Port Perry Hospital, Joanna was left flapping in the wind when a major restructuring in 2005 left her without a job. A job she had loved and spent her whole life doing. A job that she felt defined part of who she was. After the initial shock and mourning, the wife and mother decided to take those lemons and turn them into lemonade. Joanna felt she had been channelled to this place for a reason and signed up for a summer of week long art courses at The Haliburton School of Fine Art. Joanna now looks back at the wreckage realising this was meant to happen. “I loved nursing but I now love what I am doing as an artist full time.” She describes what happened with her work as an awakening of sensations to see. “I was too busy to see before.”
We still are not sure how she does it all. Mother of six, some of whom are still at home and grandmother of 7 Joanna somehow manages to find time enough to paint, take courses and have two very successful shows each year at her home studio, The Studio by the Green in Nestleton. She also sells her art year round at Meta4 Gallery in Port Perry.
This is a photo of Joanna with one of her paintings
Not one to be labelled and restricted to one style, Joanna breaks all the rules of art and embraces many different styles. She says she just paints the way she feels that day. Her style varies from whimsical watercolours to big acrylic abstracts and all the way to wonderfully executed landscapes. She describes herself as an eclectic painter. Joanna says she is always evolving and trying new things. She says she never wants to stop changing and growing as an artist.
I asked Joanna how she felt about being an artist in this area. She says it is the most wonderful artistic community. She felt very strongly that she could not stand in isolation. She wanted to become part of the artistic community, to be part of something so much bigger. Joanna says it opened a whole new world when she joined The Scugog Council for the Arts and The Port Perry Artists Association.
So Joanna, what is your advice to those that are reading this with envy and struggling along their own artistic path? “Form relationships with other artists. You can learn so much from people who have already walked the walk. Above all, just keep at it and don’t be afraid to put yourself out there.”
If that isn’t enough Joanna is also slated to start teaching at Meta4 in the new year. She is also in the process of writing and illustrating a book. You can catch her 8th annual Christmas Art Show on December 2nd, 3rd and 4th, from 10 to 5 each day at her home studio. For more details and directions check out Joanna’s website at; http://www.joannamalcolm.com/
So the next time life turns you on your head, just remember what Joanna did when that happened to her. Try to see that when one door closes, another is surely opening. Thank you so much Joanna for your uplifting and brave look at life and at art.
Posted in Artists, CAPS Article | Tags: acrylic, artist, Joanna Malcolm, Nestleton, Ontario, Port Perry | No Comments »
Christmas at The Dark Horse
It’s Christmas Time and The Dark Horse is decorated and waiting to see you. This is a very exciting time of year for us. We are constantly striving to promote local artistic talent. This Christmas is no exception. Mingled in among the vintage decorations, wonderful antiques and incredible original artwork are a few really special gems.
First I would like to introduce you to the porcelain faced Father Christmas’s we have the pleasure of carrying in the shop right now. They are hand crafted right down to the wonderful Christmas robes by a local lady from Lindsay. There are several different styles, measuring in at a generous 30” for $125 each. No two are alike. These are a truly unique keepsake.
Secondly we have some wonderfully whimsical snowmen. They are all hand turned, hand painted and even the scarf is hand knit. These are incredibly put together. Nothing is glued; everything is screwed in place so as to provide many years of enjoyment. And they are safe for outdoor use. They come in three sizes priced at $30, $35 and $40 each. Again these are handmade locally by a fellow in Cannington.
It is so incredible, the local talent that exists in this neck of the woods. It is very rewarding to promote all these wonderful local artists. And remember, when you shop local you invest in your community, in your neighbours, and in yourselves. One study recently done on retail states, “The best return on investment is in local business. It is estimated that for every dollar you spend, twice as much will be reinvested in the community by a local store than a national store.”
The Four Wise Snowmen
Just a reminder that the entire village of Sunderland joins together in celebrating the arrival of Santa and all his friends on Saturday, December 10th. The Dark Horse will be open late during the evening parade, Pawsitive Style will be taking pet photo’s with Santa. Katie’s Coffee Shop will be open late, there is breakfast with Santa and a free public skate just to mention a few things going on. Please see our events page for a link to the parade route and timing or call the individual business’ for more details.
Wishing you and yours a magical Christmas Season.
The Dark Horse feature artist of the month Ken Nice
Very Nice!
Ken Nice - Mustang
Hi. My name is Ken Nice and I have a problem. I have realized I belong in AA’ Artists not so Anonymous. I have an addiction and I am powerless to give it up. I need to create. The craving starts when I wake up and doesn’t go away, even once I go to bed.
Okay, so that is me talking, not Ken, but it may as well be Ken and hundreds of other artists all over this great country of ours. I am by no means making light of a serious addiction such as alcohol. I guess I am just realizing that some artists are actually addicted to their passion. No one questions a visual artists’ desire to create. It is as acceptable as fishing, hunting or playing the piano. But once again I have come in contact with someone who is so addicted that it takes over their lives. there seems to be a recurring theme developing when I interview artists. It is a complex issue of art getting in the way of life, or is it life getting in the way of art? There are only so many hours in a day and making a living seems to eat up most of it. So where do you fit in the art?
Ken Nice is an incredible artist. He was born and raised in Toronto but has lived on his Cannington farm for several years now. His first love is sculpture but he also enjoys painting. He attended Ontario College of Art after high school and began sculpting then. He had some success and continued to grow and expand as an artist. but as a recurring theme in our monthly column, he had to find a career that would produce a more consistent income. So he reluctantly and somewhat resentfully put the art on the back burner to pursue a successful career in illustration, animation and black and white renderings. Several times Ken tried to cut the tie to “the ral job” and go back to his sculpting full time. It was a pleasure and a pain. The process of creating was pleasure, paying the bills was painful.
Through this monthly journey we are taking together, maybe somewhere along the way we can discover some secrets to becoming a successful at whatever we love to do. How do we define success? Is it the production of quality work we are proud to put our name on? Is it measured in sales dollars? Or is it something else? Is it the sheer joy of creating? Touch questions for Ken and touch questions for all of us. Tough questions and no one answer.
So let’s finish off with something I do know. I know Ken’s sculpture will expand your mind and in many cases put a smile on your face. ken works with a vast array of materials. You will find his wonderful creations in welded metal, stone, ceramic, plastic and fibreglass. Ken’s studio is open by appointment. Your journey will be both magical and fun. From the seven foot dragon in his front field welded from over 10,000 customs formed pieces of steel to the life size stag in his pasture and all the way to his large turtle fountains staggered around the beautiful pond. But I have to say of all his beautiful work, my personal favourite are the mustangs he has created out of steel. There is so much fluidity and movement in these majestic creatures. To learn more about Ken Nice you can visit his website at www.kennicesculptures.com