Bill Brennan

Bill is a self taught artist and a developing artist of the past twelve years. He paints in what he call the forgiving medium of wet on wet oil painting on canvas. He also paints with acrylics creating realistic and interpretive works. Bill regards painting a lifelong journey of learning which he continues to experience through various creative landscapes. He also creates whimsical birds from found wood materials. His humour is evident in the many "characters" and names he gives them

Lis Simpson's new work

Glass Mask Making – 3 kiln Firings

When you are combining glass components, such as in a mask, you have to take care that the glasses are compatible.  Otherwise they crack or explode when heated or cooled in the firing process!  The base of this mask is two layers of green and clear glass.  The eyes are layers of several other colours.  This got a full fuse firing in the kiln.

For accents I used glass rods, which I worked into different shapes on the torch.  I also created “strings” of glass for the hair.  Bits of rods were cut for the “teeth”.

After the base had cooled from the kiln, I arranged the rods to become eyebrows, nose and mouth.  I put in “teeth” bits between the lips.  Look he’s sticking out his tongue!  This design tack fused all the bits; tack fusing doesn’t melt the pieces totally down flat.

Finally the mask was slumped in the kiln to create the rounded shape.

Remembrance Day

Today is a day of Remembrance. We are sharing this story again first published on this blog a few years ago.  


Studio Tour artist Grace MacPherson shares memories of her experience serving Canada during World War II. 


July 1943, Grace MacPherson was 18 year old Grace Gauntlett...

Studio Tour artist Grace MacPherson, RCAF WD, 1943-45

"If you had good marks in your final year at school, you could leave early to join the Armed Forces. I went and saw a film, “We Serve That Men May Fly.” It was all about serving in the Air Force, and I thought that if I enlisted I would be sent to England. My brother John was in the RAF and was ferrying planes between Lagos and Britain. Later he was posted to Burma. At age 18, I enlisted and my mother didn’t really approve of what I was doing.

The Air Force was recruiting women to take over jobs, allowing the men to serve overseas. I was happy to be chosen for training as an operational clerk. This was a very selective course and top secret. We would be getting information from radar stations and plotting it on grid maps so they could be identified as friend or foe.

The enlistment poster that inspired Grace to join

We heard we were going to the West Coast, Victoria and were stationed in a lovely old home. It was at one time earmarked as a government house. It was called Kildonan House in the ritzy Rock Bay area. The officers lived in the house and we had barracks, which were built on the extensive grounds.

We had four shifts; the operational room had to be manned 24 hours a day. I was on D shift and about 12 of us living and working together became a happy family. We had a lot of time off, as the work was considered stressful, and our work area was located in the basement of the Belmont Building, across from the Empress Hotel. I would have to be checked by service police when I entered and left.

We were connected to several isolated radar stations on the West Coast: information was relayed to us by radio telegram. We plotted it in on a grid map. If the identification couldn’t be made, Fighter Control would send up an aircraft to check. Sometimes a plane from the training base would get lost and it was through the radar and the Filter Ops that they were located and saved. Another time a plane went off course and was headed for the mountains, and they were alerted on time. There was an aircraft detection post on top of the Belmont Building, and we manned it during the day shift. We had to identify, if we could, anything that we saw. We also took calls from civilians who were also looking out for aircraft activity.

Our time off gave us the opportunity to travel up and down the island, to Vancouver and to the States. Our commanding officer would give us a letter of introduction, and we could go and get second priority on the planes. First priority was the wounded. We flew from Seattle to California and across to St. Louis. Another time we just hitchhiked. Everyone was kind to those in uniform. We never had any trouble we couldn’t handle.

Here, Grace (2nd from the right) and her fellow WDs pose for a photo that later appeared in the newspaper.

Once coming home on leave I used every form of transportation: ferry, train, plane, bus, and hitchhiking. Stopping at Thunder Bay, and looking out of the window, I saw the faces of young, fair-haired boys waiting in the bus beside us. They were German POWs waiting to be transferred to one of the camps. 

 VJ-Day came and we paraded in Victoria. It was an exciting day for everyone. We went to a service at Beacon Hill Park—lots of service personnel there. The speeches were getting a bit too long so someone set fire to the grass and that caused a diversion. There was a big dance in one of the hangars. Aircraft took off and bombed the station with toilet paper!

Shortly after, I was given my discharge and I went to Vancouver for the final paperwork. I received $210 for my two-and-a-half years in the service. I was happy to be going home, though not regretting one moment I spent in the Air Force, to serve “that men may fly.” Maybe I didn’t get to England, but I found good friends, travelled across Canada by train and the United States courtesy of the government. We were told that our presence on the West Coast saved many lives, and prevented many serious accidents and loss of life."
  

In 2008 Grace attended a WD reunion in Ottawa; she stands beside a WD plaque that was unveiled at the War Museum

To Grace and the thousands of other Canadians who have served, we thank you.

Thank you

It has been several weeks since the Tour and we just had our last meeting on Thursday. Congratulations to Carol Gordon who won the $200.00 voucher to spend on art from one of our members

By all accounts it was another extremely successful year
Thank you to everyone

• the people who visited our studios.... you encourage us with your enthusiasm and support 
• our sponsors .... without them we would not be able to reach so many people. Please support them with your business
• our artists  .... they open up their homes/studios and share the process of their creations 
• and the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville for their continued support on many different levels 

Please continue to check back to this blog. There will be updates on our artists all year long. We have already started planning for next year .... our 15th 

Thank you!

Thank you Deb Kirk

Former tour member Deb Kirk shared her thoughts about the tour. Deb moved away from the area and we wish her great success..... we mis her enthusiasm

WOW!  having been a member of the Stouffville Studio Tour for years, I was always busy on the weekend of the tour - at my own studio.  Never had a chance to get out and see others' work.  Well, today I did and oh my, do we have some talented artists here in Stouffville.  The pictures on the brochure and website are just a little tiny tease of the works you'll see at each studio.  Absolutely gorgeous colours at Colin Whitebread's as well as at Sandra Cole Burke's.  Wonderful silver at new artist Monica Gennaro's place.  If you have any chance at all - get out on Sunday and see at least some of the studios.  Definitely worth the drive.

Deb Kirk