1000islandslife Magazine article about the TIFAA Show at the Window Art Gallery, June 2021:
thousandislandslife.com/sense-of-place-2/
thousandislandslife.com/sense-of-place-2/
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In 1982, Henry Vyvinkel envisioned a group of local artists getting together to share ideas, paint together, and learn from each other. His creation, the Thousand Islands Fine Art Association, formalized with a consitution 13 December 1982, is still going strong today, almost forty years later. Many of the original members were professional artists or art teachers. Entrance to the group was juried, but the group still managed to be inclusive and encouraging to those at the beginning of their artistic careers. At one TIFAA meeting, Marg Grothier, one of the original TIFAA members, recalled taking lessons from Henry Vyfinkel, with Marilyn Findlay and Helen Marshall. They were all painting with oils at the time, a smelly business, and wanted a place to paint outside their homes. With John and Madeleine Lamontange, they found a place on the second floor of the Escott Town Hall. It had a kitchen and a back staircase and was a great place for parties, too. Within two months there were 26 people painting upstairs at various times. Each of them took turns being president of the association. There were four or five keys for the hall and anyone could arrive to paint at any time, although everyone usually painted together on Wednesdays. The painters could leave their paints and equipment there.
Henry's love of plein air painting sometimes took members to different islands by boat where they worked close to nature, battling with changing light conditions, wind, mosquitoes and weather challenges. TIFAA members continue to enjoy exploring the Thousand Islands region, lugging their lunches, paint, canvases and easels through local gardens and over rugged shorelines to paint through the changing seasons.
Unfortunately, the township offices were moved, the old building was no longer heated, and TIFAA had to move. For a while they found a home for shows in Rockport Town Hall and membership climbed to 30. The shows were kept informal, and they utilized the Rockport liquor license to serve wine, perhaps leading to more sales. They put up a little lean-to beside the hall to store their show equipment. A past president, Belia Brandow, remembers attending exhibition openings when she first moved to the Mallorytown area before she took up painting herself. "The show in Rockport," she says, "at the end of June was always a highlight, a social event not to be missed. Great art, wine and food and everyone in the area attended." TIFAA still opens exhibitions with a party (in non-covid times) - food, live music, and exciting art. However, after a while the rent in Rockport increased along with associated expenses. TIFAA was not willing to support this level of cost, so they moved the show to Mallorytown Landing, where, for the many years, Parks Canada generously offered their glorious Thousand Islands location for a group show in September after their own summer season ended. Now TIFAA exhibitions are housed in the Mallorytown Community Centre and sometimes in the surrounding buildings too.
Originally, artists who worked in three dimensions, like sculptors, were members, but now the group comprises primarily painters and print makers. Since the beginning, the association has provided opportunities to meet other artists and learn through workshops, seminars and “studio day paint-ins,” where artists learn from each other. Working in a group like this provides camaraderie, creative inspiration, and the opportunity to showcase work. Seeing what other talented people are doing challenges each of us and encourages us to raise our own standards.
Marg told the group that being an artist is about learning to see in a different way - people don't need a photographic reproduction. She said she had learned as much from her students as they learned from her. She encouraged members not just to paint for shows and to try something different, reminding people that if they didn't like what they produced, no one else would either. We try to follow her advice.
Henry's love of plein air painting sometimes took members to different islands by boat where they worked close to nature, battling with changing light conditions, wind, mosquitoes and weather challenges. TIFAA members continue to enjoy exploring the Thousand Islands region, lugging their lunches, paint, canvases and easels through local gardens and over rugged shorelines to paint through the changing seasons.
Unfortunately, the township offices were moved, the old building was no longer heated, and TIFAA had to move. For a while they found a home for shows in Rockport Town Hall and membership climbed to 30. The shows were kept informal, and they utilized the Rockport liquor license to serve wine, perhaps leading to more sales. They put up a little lean-to beside the hall to store their show equipment. A past president, Belia Brandow, remembers attending exhibition openings when she first moved to the Mallorytown area before she took up painting herself. "The show in Rockport," she says, "at the end of June was always a highlight, a social event not to be missed. Great art, wine and food and everyone in the area attended." TIFAA still opens exhibitions with a party (in non-covid times) - food, live music, and exciting art. However, after a while the rent in Rockport increased along with associated expenses. TIFAA was not willing to support this level of cost, so they moved the show to Mallorytown Landing, where, for the many years, Parks Canada generously offered their glorious Thousand Islands location for a group show in September after their own summer season ended. Now TIFAA exhibitions are housed in the Mallorytown Community Centre and sometimes in the surrounding buildings too.
Originally, artists who worked in three dimensions, like sculptors, were members, but now the group comprises primarily painters and print makers. Since the beginning, the association has provided opportunities to meet other artists and learn through workshops, seminars and “studio day paint-ins,” where artists learn from each other. Working in a group like this provides camaraderie, creative inspiration, and the opportunity to showcase work. Seeing what other talented people are doing challenges each of us and encourages us to raise our own standards.
Marg told the group that being an artist is about learning to see in a different way - people don't need a photographic reproduction. She said she had learned as much from her students as they learned from her. She encouraged members not just to paint for shows and to try something different, reminding people that if they didn't like what they produced, no one else would either. We try to follow her advice.