sept 22/17.pdf Friday, September 22, 2017 5 Brooklin Town Crier A Special BTC Feature Local Artist Profile: Emma Inkpen by Brad McIlwain To mark the 100th anniversary of the disappearance of legendary Canadian painter Tom Thompson, local artist Emma Inkpen went with her family on a canoe trip through Algonquin Park, paddling out to islands on Tea Lake and Canoe Lake. There she aimed to create her own unique paintings in the Ontario wilderness, in the spirit of and style inspired by Thompson and the Group of Seven. "My husband and I took the kids on a canoe, and went out on an island to do en plein air," says Inkpen. "En plein air, French for 'outdoors', is a style that allows you to paint what's beyond the frame by interacting with the environment. "You take the sketches back with you where you'd paint them back in the studio. I still might do that," she says. "That's how the Group of Seven painted." Tom Thompson disappeared in Al- gonquin Park on a canoe trip on Canoe Lake, on July 8th, 1917, and his body was discovered several days later. After his death, his paintings inspired the Group of Seven, Canadian landscape painters that in- cluded A.Y. Jackson, Franklin Carmichael, Lawren Harris, Frederick Varley, Frank Johnston, and J.E.H. Macdonald whose works are on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Painting a paddle "You have to paint quickly when you're in landscape because the light and shadows change," says Inkpen, who began painting outdoors at the age of ten. Her summer canoe journeys inspired her to enter the Algonquin Outfitters, Paddle Art Contest & Auction. Algonquin Outfitters has received over 200 submitted paddles from local artists. The event closes September 29 and all proceeds will support art and artists in the community through the Oxtongue Lake for Arts and Culture and the Town of Huntsville's reserve fund for future public art acquisition. "I love being in a canoe," Inkpen says. "I painted a paddle with the Group of Seven on it. It was the perfect project." When she moved to Canada from England, one of the first purchases her family made was a shiny red canoe. That's where her love of the outdoors and being on the water comes from. "I'd never heard of the Group of Seven before coming to Canada," says Inkpen, who studied them more closely at the Ontario College of Art and Design. "I love their style; they are their own genre of art." Thompson inspired The paddle's scene of trees and lakes is taken from Thompson's West Wind painting with each colour having its own significance. For West Wind, she chose navy blue. The gold represents light shimmering on the water, and the 'dove grey' because that was the original colour of Thompson's canoe. "I left some of the wood grain showing in different shades of strain to embrace the natural wood," Inkpen has also volunteered with the Royal Canadian Legion and the Town of Whitby to produce the Honour Our Veterans Banner Project, remembering the faces of local troops who served in the two world wars, a project close to her heart. "My grandparents were part of World War Two and I wanted to respect that memory," Inkpen says. "I have photos of them on my wall in their uniforms." The project successfully launched last year with banners featuring 81 local veterans' portraits hung throughout Whitby and Brooklin. This year, there will be an additional 55 banners displayed from early October until just after Remembrance Day. Wartime music Inkpen carefully scans each veteran's photo and retouches them. As she works, she sometimes listens to Vera Lynn, a British singer of the 30s and 40s, music she knows they would have listened to. "It's a visual representation, a reminder. All the faces on these banners are local men and women who went to war. I think it's great to see them all on one street and nice to have the names for the families as well." At the recent Brooklin Harvest Festival, Inkpen was approached by families who had seen the banners last year: "A few people came up to me and said they saw their grandfather's or father's banner. They loved it and are looking forward to seeing them this year. Family connection "My husband's grandparents, Harry Inkpen and Lorne Atkinson, have banners as well. They were heavily involved in Whitby. It's also brought awareness to the kids, by seeing the Inkpen name and they ask questions." In honour of the 100th anniversary of Vimy Ridge, a major battle, on April 9, 1917, Inkpen made sure there were two soldiers who served at Vimy from both Whitby and Brooklin. One of them, Norman George Bailey, did not return, killed in action in Fresnoy, France at age 26. "The Banner Project encourages people to walk around the downtown area and find their banner, or learn more about who these people are and were," Inkpen says. To learn more about Emma's paddle for Algonquin Outfitters, Paddle Art Contest & Auction, visit algonquinoutfitters.com/paddle-art-contest-emma-inkpen. To keep up to date with her latest projects, visit www.inkpenstudios. com and 'like' her page on Facebook. Wolfpack Golf Tourney Raises $38k for Lakeridge Health Under perfect weather for the first time in its nine year history, 144 golfers sponsors, volunteers, and family members raised $38,152 for the Lakeridge Health Foundation The tournament, having raised $184,766 during its history, is now the #1 community contributor to the foundation. The tournament again took place at Columbus Golf Course, with post golf festivities at Shoeless Joe's in Brooklin. The winning foursome was the group "Team Beets" with a score of -13. For a recap of the day, view the video at vimeo.com/233423040 or visit WolfpackGolfTourney.com.