July 28, 2011

Glendale Golf Course

Last Sunday made the trip to Glendale Golf and Country Club. Founded in 1919, it was one of the first private clubs in the Hamilton area. An enjoyable round, that included perfect weather, it may have rained in London, but not in Hamilton. Played with a pleasant twosome familiar with the course, who smiled and laughed the whole afternoon, able to share knowledge of the tricky greens, sloping fairways and blind shots.
Played better on front nine (42) than back nine (51)... what sticks out most for me is, how many "out of bounds" there were. A penalty of “stroke and distance” certainly adds to your score. And 3 of them on the back nine, really adds to the score. I have never seen so many white stakes, in what seems like the middle of a golf course! Despite that, it’s a very pretty golf course because of elevation changes and great views of Hamilton and even Toronto in the distance. Hopefully will get back to play it again, with a little more knowledge of the course layout.
Glendale No 6

Glendale No. 12

July 24, 2011

SS05 Dundas Street, London

Another streetscape of downtown London, Ontario.

What says history and London more than Kingsmill's. This family run business was established in 1865 by Thomas Frazer Kingsmill, an Irish immigrant. The Kingsmill family continues to offer fine products and services from this art deco style building in downtown London. Keep walking down Dundas Street and you find - The Met, which dates to 1890, currently an artisans weekend market. This location was Canadian head office for Metropolitan Department Stores, and also a Bargain Harold’s, Saan and Red Apple.

SS05 Dundas Street, London, ON

July 9, 2011

"Drawings" at Sunset Arts


About the Show at Sunset Arts Gallery in Grand Bend

A collection of “Drawings”. Black and white, with a small splash of colour. The human form, architecture and golf. Traditional figure drawing has always been a favourite subject of Cheryl. The human body is truly a magnificent work of art.

In August of 2007, Cheryl spent two weeks in a converted medieval monastery in Limoux, in the picturesque Lanquedoc area of Southern France. She loved the medieval towns and hilltop villages with their rich history and amazing architecture. When she returned home, she began to take more notice of the wonderful architecture right in southwestern Ontario. Sometimes you have to travel half way around the world to really appreciate and notice whats right here.

Another favourite subject or obsession... is golf. For Cheryl, golf is not just about the landscape, it's about combining the figure, history and landscape elements together in a piece of artwork. Golf is truly about respect for your fellow players, the game and the environment.

About the Artist

Cheryl Radford currently lives and works in London, Ontario. She grew up on a farm just outside Londesboro in Huron County. Starting with a diploma in Fine Arts, she went on to work in the graphic arts industry for many years, but recently made the switch back to the fine arts.

With 3 part time jobs; London Potters Guild: Program Administrator, Art Rental & Sales Gallery: Gallery Assistant and Keys by Troy: Bookkeeper, Cheryl spends allot of time doing detailed work at a computer. To Cheryl, one of the real joys is the simple act of drawing. Time to draw, is really an escape from the complicated computerized world. Cheryl believes drawing is the cornerstone of all visual art and there is nothing wrong with being known as an artist who draws. She considers drawing to be a primary medium, not a preliminary sketch for a painting, sculpture or another medium.

“I draw inspiration from all that life has to offer; a variety of people, work, the seemingly ordinary natural surroundings right here in London, to going away golfing at pristine golf courses. In the words of George Bernard Shaw: Life isn’t about finding yourself. Life is about creating yourself.”

July 7, 2011

SS02, Mainstreet, Bayfield

SS02, Mainstreet, Bayfield
This is a streetscape of village of Bayfield, a rural village with gourmet dining, art galleries, boutiques and historic buildings.  With a mere 900 permanent residents to that swells to over 2500 in summer, this quaint Lake Huron town has allot to offer.

This is a small portion of Mainstreet, Bayfield, a histoic portion that dates back to 1850.  The Albion Hotel, with it's original Geogain Colonial architecture and the beautifully restored Black Dog Village Pub and Bistro, circa 1850.

This drawing that will be featured at Sunset Gallery in Grand Bend, where I am the Guest artist between July 10 and 23.