Adopt a Piece

An autumn landscape in moody tones of brown, gold, purple, and blue with a stump and young tree before a lake and hills. Beatty spent his early career travelling Europe, where he garnered a reputation for his moody depictions of peasant life. When he returned home to Canada in 1909, his style evolved under the influence of the artists who would become the founding members of the Group of Seven as Beatty himself also began painting Canadian landscapes in the impressionist style.  

This piece was purchased at exhibition in the 1920s by Mrs. Edna Henderson-Hawkins, who had art student friends that had taken lessons from Beatty.  Jean and Jim Bolton of Lindsay inherited the painting and gifted it to the Gallery in 1979.

Age of piece: Unknown (artist died 1941, so the piece is least 83 years old)

Dimensions: 21.5 x 26.5 cm

Varnished?

Oil on wood

Tears or damage: none

Framed

Treatment proposal: 

Remove painting from frame; examine under magnification to see if there is damage or if there are paint losses; test to determine if varnished and degree of surface dirt; remove varnish; clean painted surface; clean frame; return painting to frame and apply a dust cover.

Estimate: 5.5 hours @ $55/hour = $302.50

Three dark brown clad figures walking single file through a snowy forest at dusk; the last two are each pulling a sled. This painting was first believed to have been done in the Lake Scugog area. However, in a letter from Moncrieff Williamson, it is stated that Harris was painting in the Gaspe area in 1884.   

Gifted to the Gallery in 1981 by Ted Hill of Lindsay, Ontario, the back label reads: “Windsor & Newton Artists' Colourmen - To Her Majesty and the Prince and Princess of Wales”.

Age of piece: about 140 years old (1884)

Dimensions: 30.6 x 25.7 cm

Varnished?

Oil on millboard

Tears or damage – some paint loss around the frame

Framed

Treatment proposal: 

Remove painting from frame; examine under magnification to see if there is damage or if there are paint losses; test to determine if varnished and degree of surface dirt; remove varnish; clean painted surface; repair losses if any, and in paint loss areas to match the rest of the painting; clean frame; return painting to frame and apply a dust cover.

Estimate: 8 hours @ $55/hour = $440.00

Under a pink sky, two canoes are paddled down the Talbot River, flanked by grassy green banks lined with trees. As shown in this scene, the Talbot River has long been an essential transportation route for Indigenous peoples and early settlers. The Talbot River flows from Talbot Lake to Lake Simcoe, forming the border between Ramara Township to the north and Brock Township to the south, with Kawartha Lakes to the east. In 1979 Jean Shields of Bobcaygeon gifted this piece of work to the Gallery.

Age: pre-1938

Dimensions: 13 x 22 cm

Varnished

Medium: oil

Damage: none

Framed: yes

Treatment proposal: 

Remove painting from frame; examine under magnification to see if there is damage or if there are paint losses; there seem to be paint losses (the dark spots) at the top just to the right of centre, and at the bottom centre close to the frame; also, there is a greyish film evident in some areas of the painting; test to determine what the film is; test to determine degree of surface dirt; remove varnish; clean painted surface; repair areas of loss; clean frame; return painting to frame and apply a dust cover.

Estimate: 6 hours @ $55/hour = $330.00

Poplar Grove is an example of Casson’s quintessential style as it became more abstract in the artist’s later years. The clean, geometric planes of light aligning with the stylized poplar trees along with the limited colour palette make this piece an example of the influence of fellow Group of Seven member Lawren Harris on Casson’s approach - simplicity and the elimination on nonessential elements. 

This piece of work was gifted to the Gallery in 1987 by the Lindsay Art Guild.

Age of piece: about 70 years old (1954)

Dimensions: 75 x 90 cm

Varnished?

Oil on Masonite

Tears or damage - none

Framed

Treatment proposal: 

Remove painting from frame; examine under magnification to see if there is damage or if there are paint losses; test to determine if varnished and degree of surface dirt; remove varnish; clean painted surface (because of the pitted nature of the painted surface, cleaning will take longer than it would on a smooth surface); clean frame; return painting to frame and apply a dust cover.

Note: is this the painting with the huge white frame? If it is, do you want anything done to the frame?

Estimate: 11 hours @ $55/hour = $605.00

This portrait shows a young, dark haired boy with bangs, wearing a tee-shirt with a collared shirt. Winter is known for his empathetic depictions of children and has stated “I paint with a great deal of nostalgia. I paint my own boyhood”.  

“Johnny” was gifted to the Gallery by Ron Kennedy and is one of the mysteries in our Collection. Kennedy is fondly remembered in the Lindsay area for his work with disadvantaged youth and for founding the Lindsay Boys and Girls Club. Could this be the portrait of a local child who grew up attending Kennedy’s programs, or is he one of the children Winter encountered during his time painting the faces of Toronto’s inner city? 

Age: 1964 (?)

Dimensions: 20 x 25 cm

Varnished

Medium: oil

Damage:

Framed: yes

Treatment proposal: 

Remove painting from frame; examine under magnification to see if there is damage or if there are paint losses; test to determine degree of surface dirt; remove varnish; there are three tiny spots in Johnny’s hair that look like they could be losses; clean painted surface; repair paint losses if any; clean frame; return painting to frame and apply a dust cover.

Estimate: 4.5 hours @ $55/hour = $247.50

A hunter stands on a grassy bank, the Talbot River still, curving behind trees. The Talbot River flows from Talbot Lake to Lake Simcoe, forming the border between Ramara Township to the north and Brock Township to the south, with Kawartha Lakes to the east. This artwork was gifted to the Gallery in 1979 by Jean Shields of Bobcaygeon.

Age: pre-1938

Dimensions: 13 x 22 cm

Varnished

Medium: oil

Damage: none

Framed: yes

Treatment proposal: 

Remove painting from frame; examine under magnification to see if there is damage or if there are paint losses; there seems to be a scratch in the painted surface on the left side at centre just beyond the trees; also, there is a greyish film evident in some areas of the painting; also there are a few spots that might be paint loss on the right side close to the frame; test to determine what the film is; test to determine degree of surface dirt; remove varnish; clean painted surface; repair areas of loss; clean frame; return painting to frame and apply a dust cover.

Estimate: 6 hours @ $55/hour = $330.00