Friday, January 1, 2016

There Dwells a Spirit


Within every block of wood and stone, there dwells a spirit, waiting to be released. Direct carving is a way of freeing the spirit - my own and that of the stone or wood. ~ Hap Hagood

Early in December, I accompanied my friend, Allyson to the town of Haliburton where she was interested in possibly attending their School of the Arts. She had a tour and appointment booked at the school, in this town where I had almost settled a few years ago. Good company and a lovely destination – I didn't need my arm twisted.

The day was rather dull and dreary but my camera doesn't seem to care about that sort of thing. It flung itself over my shoulder like it always does when it hears the words "road trip!"


Haliburton train
We knew we were on the right track, so to speak, when we saw this classic Haliburton landmark. Engine 2616 is something of an impostor, which you can read about here if you're at all interested.





Haliburton diner
The timing was such that we took a quick look around to locate the school and then headed off to have lunch. I selected the diner - a place where I'd eaten once before, and we were both pleased with the meals.





Haliburton just desserts
Allyson enjoyed this dessert.





Haliburton colourful house
Getting closer to our destination, this colourful home caught my eye.






loom weaver
While waiting for the tour (which consisted of the two of us, a teen and her mom) to begin, we chatted with this young weaver. She brought to mind my namesake at Crazy as a Loom  and Theresa over at Camp Runamuck - two very fine weavers and even better people.





a beautiful mess
The tour took us through several creative spaces. This beautiful mess was begging to be photographed.





fabrication
Lots of fabric for those who know how to express their creativity through stitches.





Pottery wheel
Over in pottery, the wheel was having a bit of a rest...





hands
But a potter was busy shaping handles for the mugs she was making. And this, of course, made me think of Gary - an artist of whimsical creations over at his Pottery Blog.




lop earred
One of the students or visitors was carrying this little sweetie around – a young lop-earred bunny.





Haliburton Kennisis Horse and Rider
Once the tour and interview was over, we were encouraged to have a wander around the grounds to see the sculpture garden. We had actually seen this one near the front entrance on our way in. It's called Kennisis – Horse and Rider by William Lishman. It's a celebration of muscle and leg power and was inspired in part by Terry Fox.





A Walk in the Woods in Haliburton
This limestone sculpture with a bronze maple leaf by Mary Ellen Farrow is called A Walk in the Woods.





Fire and Ice - A Really Big Shoe
Somebody wore the wrong shoes for trail walking. The artist, Charles O'Neil calls his work Fire and Ice: A Really Big Shoe.






Dreaming Stones
This "mystical totem" called Dreaming Stones was created by Kevin Lockau. Its granite boulders are from around the area and include a sleeping coyote at the base, topped off by an owl.





Moose Scraps
Moose Scraps is made from retired vintage farm and other hardware by artist, Leo Sepa.







Conspiracy of Ravens
After seeing this Conspiracy of Ravens made of bronze and steel by John McKinnon, we took it as our cue that it was time to fly home.


Happy New Year to all of my wonderful blogging buddies, and to family and friends who continue to peek in from time to time. May 2016 bring you nothing but happiness.

52 comments:

Barb said...

What great photos of the town and the school! Those sculptures are great - I love the totem and the walk in the woods. It looks like a lot of creating is going on in that place. Happy 2016, Hilary!

Marie Smith said...

What lovely work. I love all, especially the totem.

Author R. Mac Wheeler said...

I need to introduce a bunny to our family. I'm sure Sissy would love to play with it. Not so sure about my Rottie.

Bob Bushell said...

What a beautiful tour, and the photos, they are stunning. Happy new year un 2016 Hilary.

William Kendall said...

Beautiful shots...particularly the sculptures. The bunny is a cutie!

Linda said...

What an amazing school to visit and to be able to attend would be a dream come true for a lot of people. We have photos of us on the iconic Halliburton train taken many years ago. It is a wonderful place to visit.

Tabor said...

Happy New Year to you as well. An artistic community is so freeing and so exciting and I always wonder why I am not creating more!!

TexWisGirl said...

some really neat works and working spaces, too. :)

Ruth Hiebert said...

WOW! This set of pictures is fascinating.Some people are so creative.That's good to see. Happy New Year to you.

Glo said...

A road trip that made your camera and readers happy! So much creativity inside the school and out ~ wonderful to see it all. I will now refer to the contents on my table as a 'beautiful mess', rather than a chaotic pile of stuff! Happy New Year!!

The Furry Gnome said...

A very creative place! We spent a week there three years ago, both doing different courses. They opened new creative directions for both of us, that's for sure. I remember all those sculptures except the moose, which i don't think was there. I photographed them all.

Hilary said...

Loved these pictures.......what an interesting place!!!!

Red said...

I really like the sculpture featured outdoors. Have a great 2016.

yaya said...

I'm glad your camera came for the trip because you've captured all the sites beautifully! I love that little blue house with the lizards! It looks like it should be in Arizona, not the great north! Beautiful sculpture garden. It reminds me of a home near us where the artist who lives there has these wonderful, unusual sculptures all over the property. I just might have to take my camera for a trip and a nice blog post! Happy New Year Hilary! The best to you!

Kat said...

Fabulous photos! I love that little blue house! It is quite eye catching. And I love the mystical totem (I'm owl obsessed) and the maple leaf sculpture. There is just something about the last one that makes me catch my breath.

Ruby said...

very beautiful photos! Interesting sculptures.

Linda at To Behold The Beauty said...

Love that totem!

Unknown said...

A colorful and eclectic collection of photos and places. Happy New Year, Hilary! :)

Dawning Inspiration said...

Fun tour - The last photo of the birds - reminds me of that story...and the horrible English class I had in high school where we were forced to read it and write about it. Such talent so many people have.... reminds me to get online and find me a class for pottery!!
Happy New Year!

Cloudia said...

Delightful road trip: locomotive, lunch room chairs, familiar gecko on the house, wonderful art.....Wishing you a sweet year ahead, friend

ellen abbott said...

Oh, I love the little rotund figure with the leaf! And the totem of course.

Mandy said...

What a lovely road trip! I especially love the beautiful mess in the school of arts and the sculptures. Your camera is better behaved then mine - mine only comes out for sunshine!

Gary's third pottery blog said...

Hey, that was me, thanks for the mention :)

Laura~Pretty Pix said...

What a fabulous school, overflowing with talent.
Thanks for the tour!

Theresa said...

Holy Cow! Those are some really spectacular sculptures. I love outdoor art and some of those are so beautiful and surprising. Hard to pick a favorite although the one I'm not in love with is the shoe. The rest seem more organic with the setting. Oh thank you for bringing this to us. And what a cute bunny! Glad that camera is frequent rider!

Out on the prairie said...

What a lovely area.Made me think of my daughters studio full of a million ideas.Going to a selfie exhibition this weekend.

sage said...

Sounds like a delightful visit to an interesting school. I read about the locomotive and the town being served by "Mixed-trains." The only time I've ridden a mix-train (passengers and freight) was in Northern Ontario, coming back from a canoe trip to the James Bay. There used to be lots of such trains in both the US and Canada, but most stopped running in the 40s and early 50s.

Musings of a Creative Writer said...

Beautiful pictures! Looks like a fabulous road trip and like you had so much fun. Thank you for sharing with us. :)

Anvilcloud said...

It looks like you had a full tour and a full day.

Jackie said...

Loved the stone sculptures!
What a fabulous day for you and your friend.
Thank you for sharing your amazing talent.

Karen said...

Bill Lishman is one of my favorite artists. He lives just off in Scugog, west of Lindsay.
I've never visited the HSFA....might have to think about that for next spring when DD and I go on a tour to visit my son.

Kaye Waller said...

What great photos to start off a new year! I especially like the color composition in the one of the potter's wheel. Have a great year ahead--I'm already looking forward to all the works of art YOU'LL create for us!

Rita said...

OMGosh! This was fascinating from start to finish! What a display of artistic talent there. I hope your feiend got in. :)

Leah J. Utas said...

What a lovely visit and walk. I would happily eat at that diner. It looked so inviting.

messymimi said...

Beautiful! Love the Owl Totem.

Rosaria Williams said...

Wow, what a refreshing place to visit and ponder. Makes one want a second chance at life, a chance to create and appreciate all that imagination expressed around us.
Happy New Year, H.

Sally G said...

Happy New Year Hilary. Thank you for exposing me to places I'd one day love to see myself. I hope your friend's interview went well ... Sally

Linda said...

I like the sculpture! Hope your new year is starting off perfectly.

Shammickite said...

Lovely road trip. I'd love to take some courses at the Art School in Haliburton. There's a sculpture of a goat by Bill Lishman outside the former library here in S'ville, picture here
http://www.ex-shammickite.blogspot.ca/2008/10/goat.html

DJan said...

Wow, Hilary, as usual your pictures knock my socks off. I love them all but especially the beautiful blue horse and rider, as well as the totem. What a wonderful place! :-)

Indrani said...

All sights are so interesting. Talented people behind these incredible work. I liked the blue house a lot.
Happy New Year Hilary! :)

Anonymous said...

I'm so glad your camera insisted on tagging along despite the gray skies. What a wonderful place. But weren't there any photography displays? I love that totem pole.

Daryl said...

Ms Farrow's A Walk in the Woods reminds me of the work of artist Joy Brown ...

Phyllis E said...

Did you save some of that decadent dessert for me, Cuzzie?

Kathleen's Blog said...

Lovely photos--I especially love the moose!

Linda said...

A belated Happy New Year to you, too, Hilary! Does that sculpture called "a walk in the woods" remind you a little of the pillsbury dough boy? Sorry, I couldn't help it.

Jenn Jilks said...

So cool! We've driven up to it, but it was closed. I'm so happy you went there. Long day today, more later! CT Scan went well, though. The fasting sucks!

Becca said...

What a fun looking place! That house is my favorite color - but I think it would be a bit too much for me lol

Anonymous said...

Wonderful sculptures - I really like A walk in the wood.

Joanna Jenkins said...

So much creativity in one space-- It's very inspiring and makes me wish I had one of those great big work tables!
Did your friend, Allyson like the school?
Thanks for the tour and HAPPY 2016!
xo jj

Mage said...

Oh, I miss going to art schools so badly. Imagine the worlds just waiting to hand there. I leapt on those sewing machines in the first shot. Truly wonderful stuff.

Lisa said...

What an amazing place of creativity. You go to the most interesting places.