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Mary Ellen Farrow is a Canadian sculptor, stone carver and art teacher. Mary Ellen Farrow Website: mfarrow.com Email: maryellen@mfarrow.com Mary Ellen is a resident of Georgetown and has a studio at the Williams Mill in Glen Williams. She is a familiar face in Haliburton and a student at the Haliburton School of The Arts and was previously a member of the Mississauga Sculpture Studio. Mary Ellen Farrow was born in Mount Forest Ontario and is currently residing in Georgetown Ontario. She has taken sculpture courses as Sheridan College, Haliburton School of Fine Arts and Ontario College of Art and Design. Mary Ellen has taught sculpture and stone carving at The Mississauga Sculpture Studio, Nielson Park Creative Centre in Etobicoke, CACY in Caledon, the Living Arts Centre in Mississauga, Beaux-Arts in Brampton, and at her studio in Williams mill. She is also an active member of the Sculptors' Society of Canada and the Ontario Society of Artists. < Back to Artists Contact

John Beachli All Sculptures To Cut or Not To Cut Number on Map 15 Artist John Beachli Material Local Granite Installation Date August 1, 2006 Learn About the Artist Haliburton County has a long history of men working in the forest, in logging camps—such those run by Mossom Boyd—or cutting timber on their own land and also a history of sons learning skills from their fathers as they helped them with their work. This sculpture, carved out of local stone recovered from rock blasted from the Pre-Cambrian shield at a nearby building site, tells the story of a man and his son having a conversation over the stump of a tree that has just been felled. “To Cut or Not to Cut” is about the conversations that occur when a son is working with his father. It is also a representation of the never-ending push and pull of our relationship with the forest. We need the timber for building shelter, for heat, for a thousand different reasons; we also need the forests to conserve our environment, to protect our water, to provide habitat and to purify the air. How do you decide what to cut and what not to cut? More Photos Previous Next

Youkie Stagg < Back Originally Published On: January 1, 2016 Originally Published By: Haliburton Echo Dreaming Stones Written By: Youkie Stagg Work created by Kevin Lockau in 2001. When the first settlers in Ontario tried to develop farms and agriculture they were struck with the major obstacle of the Canadian Shield. To successfully grow their food they had to remove large amounts of rock from the ground so that the soil would be deep enough. Lockau used these boulders leftover from the first settlers for the piece “Dreaming Stones.” The piece is a 2.75 meter tall totem made of 6 granite boulders from Ontario. At the bottom of the totem is a sleeping wolf or coyote, which shows the preservation of nature. Going up the totem you can see leaves representing regeneration, the faces of the first pioneers, deep grooves of glacial erosion and plowing of the land, concentric circles representing the passing of time, and lastly the owl representing the modern day and the wisdom that comes with it. The piece reflects the struggles of the first settlers as well as the changing relationship between mankind and nature. The Sculpture Forest offers free guided tours each Tuesday from 10-11:30 am and a shorter “Curator Selection” tour on Wednesday from 12:10 – 12:50. Meet at the kiosk in the Fleming College parking lot. < Previous Article Next Article >

Andrew Rothfischer has studied art both in Canada and abroad. While he has been on the artist's path for many years, in 2009 he finally graduated from the Haliburton School of Arts with a diploma in Visual Arts. Andrew specializes in two seemingly disparate areas; pastel paintings of landscapes and outdoor sculptures. His paintings often highlight places in nature that we tend to overlook or take for granted. In 2004 he produced the exhibit, “Jackson Creek – Travels through an Urban Watershed” that featured 25 paintings depicting the hard realities and the beauty that shape urban waterways today. Since that time, this idea of special places has evolved into the theme of “Sense of Place" that has continued in the the current series, the "Warsaw Project". Andrew's sculptures are almost exclusively created for the outdoors. They are designed to live in a field or in a garden. They are sometimes functional garden accents like dividers, bird baths or benches. The materials used are kiln formed glass, stone, cement or metal retrieved from the local junkyard. He works with these hard materials - fusing, casting, molding and shaping, reclaiming -, to create new forms that both startle and delight the viewer with their simplicity and beauty. So how do these two disciplines tie together? For the artist, the paintings are "of the land"; recognizing and capturing the essence of those special places that stir us. The sculptures take these impressions a step further. They play with those same colours and shapes and light, creating forms that are "on the land". Both forms, however, in their own way, celebrate and pay homage to the landscape around us. For information about the purchase of Lissome#5 or other of Andy's works visit andrewrothfischer-art.com or contact info@haliburtonsculptureforest.ca < All Artists Andrew Rothfischer ABOUT SCULPTOR Artist Bio Andrew Rothfischer has studied art both in Canada and abroad. While he has been on the artist's path for many years, in 2009 he finally graduated from the Haliburton School of Arts with a diploma in Visual Arts. Andrew specializes in two seemingly disparate areas; pastel paintings of landscapes and outdoor sculptures. His paintings often highlight places in nature that we tend to overlook or take for granted. In 2004 he produced the exhibit, “Jackson Creek – Travels through an Urban Watershed” that featured 25 paintings depicting the hard realities and the beauty that shape urban waterways today. Since that time, this idea of special places has evolved into the theme of “Sense of Place" that has continued in the the current series, the "Warsaw Project". Andrew's sculptures are almost exclusively created for the outdoors. They are designed to live in a field or in a garden. They are sometimes functional garden accents like dividers, bird baths or benches. The materials used are kiln formed glass, stone, cement or metal retrieved from the local junkyard. He works with these hard materials - fusing, casting, molding and shaping, reclaiming -, to create new forms that both startle and delight the viewer with their simplicity and beauty. So how do these two disciplines tie together? For the artist, the paintings are "of the land"; recognizing and capturing the essence of those special places that stir us. The sculptures take these impressions a step further. They play with those same colours and shapes and light, creating forms that are "on the land". Both forms, however, in their own way, celebrate and pay homage to the landscape around us. For information about the purchase of Lissome#5 or other of Andy's works visit andrewrothfischer-art.com or contact info@haliburtonsculptureforest.ca Artist Website Installed Sculptures Lissome 5 Previous Sculpture Next Sculpture

Starting off his career with a BA in geography and biology at Wilfrid Laurier University, in 2006, Scott later went back to school for blacksmithing at Haliburton School of Art + Design. Since then Scott's public commissioned work can be found all around Ontario including Windsor, St Thomas, and Thunder Bay, as well as a work commissioned by a Medical Research Conference. You are now most likely to find Scott at his studio in Iona Station, ON. There he owns and operates Strong Arm Forge Inc. Check out his website to see more of his art and sculptural works. < All Artists Scott McKay ABOUT SCULPTOR Artist Bio Starting off his career with a BA in geography and biology at Wilfrid Laurier University, in 2006, Scott later went back to school for blacksmithing at Haliburton School of Art + Design. Since then Scott's public commissioned work can be found all around Ontario including Windsor, St Thomas, and Thunder Bay, as well as a work commissioned by a Medical Research Conference. You are now most likely to find Scott at his studio in Iona Station, ON. There he owns and operates Strong Arm Forge Inc. Check out his website to see more of his art and sculptural works. Artist Website Installed Sculptures Sun Bench Mother Earth Forest Screen Bench Fire Bench Previous Sculpture Next Sculpture

Simon Chidharara was born in 1980 in Mutare in Nyanga, a beautiful mountainous region with a strong sculpting tradition located near the Mozambique border. He started sculpting at the age of 11, apprenticing with his older brother Kenneth, who is also represented by ZimArt. Simon completed his secondary education before deciding that he wanted to pursue his passion for carving full time. Learning is still important to him and he is voracious reader. “Any topic interests me,” he says. “Geography, history, science all influence human life and I like to find out more about what makes us do the things we do, and feel the way we feel.” Simon is one of the founding members of the Nyanga Arts Centre, a co-operative venture run by local artists in the Nyanga region. Having relocated to Chitungwiza following his residency with ZimArt in 2007, Simon is no longer a full time member but he remains connected to the Centre and still travels to Nyanga on a regular basis. He says the stone from the region is itself a vital source of inspiration to him and that he will always remain close to his rural roots. Indeed a strong influence in Simon's work is the natural world and man's connection to birds and animals. When he came to Canada in 2007 Simon was the first third-generation artist from the Nyanga region to travel overseas to represent himself and present his work directly to an international audience. He has long been popular with Canadian collectors who are drawn to the expressive range in his sculptures and the emotional depth. Simon's subjects are frequently women or “feminine spirits,” which are sometimes represented as mythical creatures. “Women are the centre of life,” he explains, “So I like to celebrate everything about them.” Simon has participated in several group exhibitions at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Mutare. His work has been bought by galleries and collectors from Holland, the UK, the US, South Africa, Canada and Germany. Simon Chidharara is represented in Canada exclusively by ZimArt. Phone: 705-939-6144 Email: zimart@sympatico.ca < All Artists Simon Chidharara ABOUT SCULPTOR Artist Bio Simon Chidharara was born in 1980 in Mutare in Nyanga, a beautiful mountainous region with a strong sculpting tradition located near the Mozambique border. He started sculpting at the age of 11, apprenticing with his older brother Kenneth, who is also represented by ZimArt. Simon completed his secondary education before deciding that he wanted to pursue his passion for carving full time. Learning is still important to him and he is voracious reader. “Any topic interests me,” he says. “Geography, history, science all influence human life and I like to find out more about what makes us do the things we do, and feel the way we feel.” Simon is one of the founding members of the Nyanga Arts Centre, a co-operative venture run by local artists in the Nyanga region. Having relocated to Chitungwiza following his residency with ZimArt in 2007, Simon is no longer a full time member but he remains connected to the Centre and still travels to Nyanga on a regular basis. He says the stone from the region is itself a vital source of inspiration to him and that he will always remain close to his rural roots. Indeed a strong influence in Simon's work is the natural world and man's connection to birds and animals. When he came to Canada in 2007 Simon was the first third-generation artist from the Nyanga region to travel overseas to represent himself and present his work directly to an international audience. He has long been popular with Canadian collectors who are drawn to the expressive range in his sculptures and the emotional depth. Simon's subjects are frequently women or “feminine spirits,” which are sometimes represented as mythical creatures. “Women are the centre of life,” he explains, “So I like to celebrate everything about them.” Simon has participated in several group exhibitions at the National Gallery of Zimbabwe in Mutare. His work has been bought by galleries and collectors from Holland, the UK, the US, South Africa, Canada and Germany. Simon Chidharara is represented in Canada exclusively by ZimArt. Phone: 705-939-6144 Email: zimart@sympatico.ca Article About Chidharara Installed Sculptures Musical Inspiration Previous Sculpture Next Sculpture

Angus Sullivan < Back Originally Published On: July 25, 2017 Originally Published By: Haliburton Echo C to C, Unity Gate, Spiral Ascent and the Sam Slick Park Bridge Written By: Angus Sullivan Works include C to C, Unity Gate, Spiral Ascent and the Sam Slick Park Bridge were created by John Shaw-Rimmington. You may have noticed what looked like a construction site last week in Sam Slick Park, across the road from the high school. Stones were strewn about the ground, and a team was working furiously stacking and moving these stones on top of a curved wooden structure. This was the Haliburton School of Art + Design’s Dry Stone Structure course led by John Shaw-Rimmington. John has taught a Dry Stone Structure course at the college for many years. Students come from all over North America to work and learn from John. This year’s group spent a week in Haliburton, creating a stone bridge which now spans the stream that flows through Sam Slick Park into Head Lake. Dry stone is an ancient building technique used to create stone structures without any mortar. Bridges and arches can be created by placing stones on a rounded wooden form, putting a keystone at the top of the arch, and then removing the support. The force of the rocks pushing into the keystone keeps all of the rocks in place. Over the years, John has worked with his students to produce three sculptures in the Haliburton Sculpture Forest; C to C, Unity Gate, and Spiral Ascent. Each year John introduces different methods, but you can see similar elements in the bridge and the sculptures. Structures are made using stones standing on edge, Spiral Ascent, Unity Gate and the bridge have arches held in place by keystones, and all are made from local granite. These structures are beautiful and surprisingly solid. To see more of John Shaw Rimmington’s work, visit the Haliburton Sculpture Forest or John’s blog thinking-stoneman.blogspot.ca. The Haliburton Sculpture Forest is located in Glebe Park on 297 College Drive. It is open dawn to dusk with free guided tours in July and August on Tuesdays, 10:00 – 11:30 am, and on Wednesdays at 12:10 – 12:50pm. Meet at the information kiosk next to the parking lot at Fleming College. You can use the Sculpture Forest app (download PocketSights and search for Haliburton) or visit www.haliburtonsculptureforest.ca to learn more about the sculptures. < Previous Article Next Article >

Betula alleghaniensis < Back Yellow Birch Ojibwe Name: wiinizik Scientific Name: Betula alleghaniensis Significance in Ojibwe Cultures: --- How to Identify the Leaves: Yellow birches are a slow growing medium sized tree and can grow up to 25 meters tall. Its leaves are deep yellowish-green oval leaves (8 to 11 centimetres long). The birch's bark begins thin, shiny, reddish-brown; as the tree ages it becomes dull yellow and darkens to bronze when mature. Sources: Translation: https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/main-entry/wiinizik-na Image: https://www.ontario.ca/page/yellow-birch Significance in Ojibwe Cultures: https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/main-entry/wiinizik-na How to Identify Tree: https://www.ontario.ca/page/yellow-birch < Back Next >

Ian LaBlance is from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. He graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 1990 and joined the US Navy. In the Navy, he served 22 years as an Electronics Technician (ET) and retirement from the Naval Reserve in 2015. Some of the units he served in include USS Ponce LPD-15, MIUWU 201 (Toledo, OH), 203 (Bronx, NY in Crete, Greece) and 214 (Buffalo, NY), Navy Mobilization Processing Site, Gulfport, MS. And Expeditionary Maintenance Det. G, Great Lakes, IL. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Education with from Western Michigan University in 2001 and received a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture in 2004. He also received an Associate in Applied Science in Digital Media form the College of Lake County in 2013. Ian has always been a very creative person and has worked in many educational and creative positions. He has worked as a Stained Glass Workshop assistant for Willet Hauser Architectural Glass in Philadelphia, PA. and as a Studio Technician/Part Time Instructor at Fleming College’s Haliburton School of the Arts + Design, in Haliburton Ontario. In 2008, he moved to Chicago and worked as a Metal Fabricator for SVI Themed Construction Solutions, Inc. in Morton Grove, IL working on projects for the Shred Aquarium, the Phoenix Zoo’s “Little People” Discovery Farm and American Girl Store Chicago. From 2013 to 2015, he worked as a Craftsman/CNC Operator in Potbelly Restaurants Warehouse designing and building décor to Potbelly’s new and renovated restaurants. In 2015 he started working as a Building Manager Assistant on Great Lakes Naval Base, IL. and in October of 2018, Ian excepted the Exhibit Specialist position for the National Museum of the American Sailor also on Great Lakes Naval Base. As Exhibit Specialist, he will be designing and fabricating the museum’s new exhibits, designing advertising and promotional materials for the museum and assisting in the museum’s building restoration. < All Artists Ian LaBlance ABOUT SCULPTOR Artist Bio Ian LaBlance is from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, Canada. He graduated from St. Mary’s High School in 1990 and joined the US Navy. In the Navy, he served 22 years as an Electronics Technician (ET) and retirement from the Naval Reserve in 2015. Some of the units he served in include USS Ponce LPD-15, MIUWU 201 (Toledo, OH), 203 (Bronx, NY in Crete, Greece) and 214 (Buffalo, NY), Navy Mobilization Processing Site, Gulfport, MS. And Expeditionary Maintenance Det. G, Great Lakes, IL. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art Education with from Western Michigan University in 2001 and received a Master of Fine Arts in Sculpture in 2004. He also received an Associate in Applied Science in Digital Media form the College of Lake County in 2013. Ian has always been a very creative person and has worked in many educational and creative positions. He has worked as a Stained Glass Workshop assistant for Willet Hauser Architectural Glass in Philadelphia, PA. and as a Studio Technician/Part Time Instructor at Fleming College’s Haliburton School of the Arts + Design, in Haliburton Ontario. In 2008, he moved to Chicago and worked as a Metal Fabricator for SVI Themed Construction Solutions, Inc. in Morton Grove, IL working on projects for the Shred Aquarium, the Phoenix Zoo’s “Little People” Discovery Farm and American Girl Store Chicago. From 2013 to 2015, he worked as a Craftsman/CNC Operator in Potbelly Restaurants Warehouse designing and building décor to Potbelly’s new and renovated restaurants. In 2015 he started working as a Building Manager Assistant on Great Lakes Naval Base, IL. and in October of 2018, Ian excepted the Exhibit Specialist position for the National Museum of the American Sailor also on Great Lakes Naval Base. As Exhibit Specialist, he will be designing and fabricating the museum’s new exhibits, designing advertising and promotional materials for the museum and assisting in the museum’s building restoration. Link Unavailable Installed Sculptures Shadow Caster Previous Sculpture Next Sculpture

Michael Belmore was born in 1971 north of Thunder Bay and graduated with an A.O.C.A. in Sculpture/Installation from the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, Ontario in 1994. Belmore is of Ojibwe heritage and currently lives in the Haliburton Highlands in Ontario.Since graduating from the Ontario College of Art Belmore has worked in a variety of media including plastics, metal, wood and photography. The materials used are an important key to understanding his work and bring into account how we view nature as commodity. For several years his work has evolved around our use of technology and how it has affected our relationship to the environment.Previous exhibitions have included First Nations Art at the Woodland Cultural Centre, Brantford, Ontario (1992), Naked State at the Power Plant Comtemporary Art Gallery at Harbourfront, Toronto, Ontario (1994), Staking Land Claims at the Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff, Alberta (1997), lichen at the Toronto Sculpture Garden (1998), Ravens Wait at the Indian Art Centre in Hull, Quebec (1999) and Vantage Point at the Sacred Circle Art Gallery, Seattle, Washington (2002). As well Belmore has shown with several artist-run-centres and collectives across Canada and created site-specific public art installations for Thunder Bay Art Gallery, University of Western Ontario in London as well as for the City of Peterborough.A member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, Belmore’s work is represented in the permanent collections of the Indian Art Centre in Hull, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinberg, Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Agnes Etherington Art Gallery in Kingston, and in numerous private collections. < All Artists Michael Belmore ABOUT SCULPTOR Artist Bio Michael Belmore was born in 1971 north of Thunder Bay and graduated with an A.O.C.A. in Sculpture/Installation from the Ontario College of Art in Toronto, Ontario in 1994. Belmore is of Ojibwe heritage and currently lives in the Haliburton Highlands in Ontario.Since graduating from the Ontario College of Art Belmore has worked in a variety of media including plastics, metal, wood and photography. The materials used are an important key to understanding his work and bring into account how we view nature as commodity. For several years his work has evolved around our use of technology and how it has affected our relationship to the environment.Previous exhibitions have included First Nations Art at the Woodland Cultural Centre, Brantford, Ontario (1992), Naked State at the Power Plant Comtemporary Art Gallery at Harbourfront, Toronto, Ontario (1994), Staking Land Claims at the Walter Phillips Gallery, Banff, Alberta (1997), lichen at the Toronto Sculpture Garden (1998), Ravens Wait at the Indian Art Centre in Hull, Quebec (1999) and Vantage Point at the Sacred Circle Art Gallery, Seattle, Washington (2002). As well Belmore has shown with several artist-run-centres and collectives across Canada and created site-specific public art installations for Thunder Bay Art Gallery, University of Western Ontario in London as well as for the City of Peterborough.A member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts, Belmore’s work is represented in the permanent collections of the Indian Art Centre in Hull, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinberg, Thunder Bay Art Gallery, Agnes Etherington Art Gallery in Kingston, and in numerous private collections. Artist Website Installed Sculptures Beaver Previous Sculpture Next Sculpture

Angus Sullivan < Back Originally Published On: August 8, 2017 Originally Published By: Haliburton Echo Embracing Eos Written By: Angus Sullivan Embracing Eos was created by Charles O’Neil in 2004. One of the joys of life in the Highlands is waking up early on the occasional morning to enjoy the sunrise. Sitting on your porch, dock, or on your way to work in the morning, you cannot help but marvel at the beauty of the dawn as the red rays of the sun creep over the horizon. “Embracing Eos” by Charles O’Neil is a tribute to the beauty of the dawn. O’Neil’s sculpture of a 14 foot man faces east, with arms uplifted, reaching towards the horizon as if he is embracing the sunrise. Eos was the Greek goddess of the dawn. Sister to Helios, god of the sun, Eos was said to have pulled back the curtain of dawn each day so her brother could ride the chariot of the sun across the sky. The red colours you see in the sky during the sunrise are Eos’ rosy fingers and arms as she pulls back the curtain. Eos was cursed by Aphrodite, for having slept with Ares, to have an insatiable desire for mortal men. This curse caused Eos to abduct many handsome men such Orion, Tithonus and Cleitus. The story of the man in O’Neil’s sculpture is unclear. Is he about to fall victim to Eos’ advances, is he simply admiring Eos’ beauty or is he a past lover of Eos, left behind as her advances turned upon another. Being a sculpture of black steel and dark wire standing removed from the main path of the sculpture forest, ‘Embracing Eos’ can be difficult to see at dusk. Some visitors have even reported that the sculpture has disappeared. However, when we check the next morning the man is there, standing on his rock looking towards the eastern sky. Who knows, perhaps he does walk the forest at night only to return each morning to greet the beautiful dawn. The Haliburton Sculpture Forest is located in Glebe Park on 297 College Drive. This unique collection of 36 sculptures by Canadian and international artists is open to the public, dawn to dusk, for your own discovery. Free guided tours occur on Tuesdays (10:00-11:00) and Wednesdays (12:10-12:50) in July and August. You can use the sculpture forest app (download PocketSights and search for Haliburton) or visit the website to learn more about the sculptures. www.haliburtonsculptureforest.ca < Previous Article Next Article >

Tillia americana < Back American Basswood Ojibwe Name: wiigobimizh Scientific Name: Tillia americana Significance in Ojibwe Cultures: American basswood fibres are used for tying wild rice stalks before harvest. How to Identify the Leaves: "Basswood has large, heart-shaped leaves with toothed edges and a short point. The twigs have a noticeable zigzag appearance. The fragrant yellow flowers and round grayish-brown fruit hang from the centre of a leaf-like bract. When released, the bract acts like a helicopter wing and carries the seeds away in a breeze. The bark is gray-brown with long narrow ridges." Sources: Translation: https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/main-entry/wiigobimizh-na Image: https://www.ontario.ca/page/basswood Significance in Ojibwe Cultures: https://ojibwe.lib.umn.edu/collection/basswood-fiber How to Identify Tree: https://www.ontario.ca/page/basswood < Back Next >