The second Algonquin Outfitters charity paddle art auction not only featured amazing works of art, each created from a blank paddle, it also raised $32,875 for charity.
When Algonquin Outfitters (AO) hatched the idea for a paddle art contest, they had no idea what kind of interest it would generate. The contest launched at the Reel Paddling Film Festival at the Algonquin Theatre on June 3, 2016. AO set a goal of 100 submissions and $10,000 raised at the paddle auction to…
Tom Thomson is my artistic hero and I have been enjoying finding his painting locations for over a decade. I was extremely excited to learn about the Algonquin Outfitter’s Paddle Contest and set to work planning out trips to gather information and inspiration. This launched “the summer of Tom.” July 8th was the memorial paddle…
The Journey Begins In July 2017, artist Christine Gagné, decided to do a family vacation with her parents. Christine is 42 yrs old and has been a visitor of Algonquin Park for the past 25 years. She wanted to show her parents everything she loved about the park. This year is the celebration of famous…
Our Tom Thomson Paddle Art Auction started it’s life back on Friday June 3rd 2016 when it was announced as our Tom Thomson Paddle Art Contest at our showing of the Reel Paddling Film Festival at the Algonquin Theatre. Four hundred and eighty-four (484) days later on Friday Sept 29th 2017, it’s all coming to…
Something was calling to me to participate in the Paddle Art Contest commemorating the 100th year anniversary of the death of Tom Thomson and Canada’s 150th birthday. The moment I saw the posting about it by Algonquin Outfitters I was hooked. I currently live in BC but I grew up in Northern Ontario. I was…
My Creation Story for “Northern Catch” I have always liked blue herons. They are a majestic bird, and their presence – on a dock, in the water, flying over head – has always been an infrequent and special occurrence for me. I attempted to capture some of the mystique of the great blue heron when…
Walt Klisht Canoeing takes me back to the summer ‘73, to the age of seventeen when I was a Junior Forest Ranger with the Ministry of Natural Resources stationed in Camp McGowan east of Kapuskasing in Northern Ontario. Summer evenings were spent back country canoeing with good friends, taking in the view from the water and fishing…
Algonquin Loon There are many important steps in creating a successful painting, but I find that the very first steps are the most important. Gathering reference material is an essential beginning point for me. I go camping and canoeing every summer and take as many photos as I can. I am often going out at…
A SPIRITS’ JOURNEY After returning home from the beautiful north our son delivered me a birthday gift in a Algonquin Outfitters bag. In it was a Tom Thomson art collection book. I was touched that he remembered that Tom Thomson was my favourite Canadian artist. He then left the room and returned with a Blank…
PAINTED IN MEMORY OF TOM THOMSON by Janine Marson Painting this paddle to honour Tom Thomson was just something I had to do. I respect what Thomson was all about; his love of the North Country, the clouds, the colours, the trees, the way the northern lights undulate and how Polaris the North Star shines…
Paddle story – Paddle number 192 – Dove Grey You see it all started when we moved from England to Canada, I was a teenager at the time. One of the first purchases we made as a family was a shiny red canoe, because it seemed like the “Canadian” thing to do. That is where my…
“After Northern River” Last fall I rediscovered an old paddle I had lying around the house and decided to paint it to go above my fireplace. I used a simple geometric design that reflected the shape of the paddle, and colours that echoed the landscape of Muskoka and Algonquin Park. When it was finished I…
I really can’t think of another project that I have done that melded together so many things I love to do. Paddling a canoe, fishing, blues music, art, scavenging junk, camp cooking, hanging around the AO Opeongo store and building a challenging project from recycled, reclaimed, and resurrected materials. A broken paddle donated to me…
I have been travelling to the Muskoka/Algonquin Park/Haliburton region for over a half century. My Great-grandfather bought a cottage on Lake of Bays in 1920 and my family has been travelling to this area ever since. It holds a special place in my heart. Wolves have always been fascinating to me. They are a frequent…
