The Spiritual Home of The Group of Seven

I can't believe it has been two weeks since I promised to tell you more about what I saw at the McMichael.

I've been very busy and am happy to say my dream of having my giant air sucker as seen below

installed above my stove is now an actuality. I've NEVER, ever had to hold my arms above my head for so long.

I wonder why this hurts so much. No wonder they torture people this way. During the

installation Celie learned to climb the ladder. I would have taken a picture but I was otherwise occupied praising the new appliance,while holding it up.

So here are the things I noticed at the collection...

The pieces I thought showed up with vigour from a distance contained both very light and very dark parts.

More or several colours to create one value were more mysterious than a flat colour, though these had power also but not mystery.

I also noticed the various and splendid renditions of skies. If we like landscapes there are plenty of tips the be found looking at the skies in these collective works.

For the rug hooker to note about these skies:

• they went in every direction sometimes all in the same painting

AJ Casson - The White Pine

Frank Carmichael - Snow Clouds

• they radiated from a single point

• they glowed by gradation and placing light and dark

Lawren Harris Lake Superior

• they contained depth through placement and size of clouds

Tom Thomson Summer Day

• the colour values were greatly enhanced in their placement by temperature

AY Jackson

• the use and placement of unexpected colour provided a richness and quality to the skies

• you could feel weather of the day by the sky