September 2023 - Orillia ON
This was our main reason for visiting Orillia while we were in Haliburton for a week.
Streets Alive Productions - All of the art guitars from our project ‘A Painter Passing Through’ have now been posted.Descriptions found on Streets Alive Orillia Facebook page.
Artist: Joel PisanoInspiration for the design: “Lightfoot’s stories in music and the early beginnings of his life and career”.
Artist: Brooke Priddle (18 yr old student)
Inspiration for the design: “My inspiration for my guitar was from the memory of Gordon Lightfoot as i wanted to honour him and his legacy. My belief is that he is up above still playing his guitar and is still inspiring people through his music.”
Inspiration for the design: “My inspiration for my guitar was from the memory of Gordon Lightfoot as i wanted to honour him and his legacy. My belief is that he is up above still playing his guitar and is still inspiring people through his music.”
Inspiration for the design: “I love the song Pussywillows, cattails. it has a slightly haunting beauty that really captures a feeling I get when hiking wetlands in this area. I also love drawing and painting pussywillows and cattails so it was a really fun piece to paint!"
Inspiration for the design: “Growing up my parents now and then would play Gord’s music, but Edmund FitzgeralPhd was always played loudest. my dad would call me in whenever it was on a show or news channel for its anniversary and he would sing the song and tell me all about it. The song became special to me. So with the passing of Gord, and now living in Orillia (his hometown), I thought a tribute to this song was very fitting.”
Inspiration for the design: “You take the beginning, and the end off LIFE, and you’re left with a big IF, and IF you could read my mind.”
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Artist: Deanna Sharpe
Inspiration for the design: I was inspired by Gordon Lightfoots songs Sundown and Carefree Highway. I also tried to incorporate butterflies into the design since he was an amazing part of the Mariposa folk festival here in Orillia.
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Artist: Annie Herod
Inspiration for the design: It’s all about the ripples one makes as they pass through the world, connections and balance and growth and the passage of time and eternity. Kind of a hippy themed meditation on a life's journey of imagination and curiosity. It can mean everything and nothing all at once.
Inspiration for the design: I was inspired by Gordon Lightfoots songs Sundown and Carefree Highway. I also tried to incorporate butterflies into the design since he was an amazing part of the Mariposa folk festival here in Orillia.
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Inspiration for the design: It’s all about the ripples one makes as they pass through the world, connections and balance and growth and the passage of time and eternity. Kind of a hippy themed meditation on a life's journey of imagination and curiosity. It can mean everything and nothing all at once.
Inspiration for the design: “This is my tribute to singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot” (See if you can name the song inspired by some of the images you see).
Artist: Dani Magder
Inspiration for the design: “The inspiration for my piece is my love of nature, fishing and the outdoors. Gordon Lightfoot was born in Orillia, the ‘Sunshine City’ a beautiful place to fish and enjoy the outdoors.”
Inspiration for the design: “Gordon Lightfoot’s legacy is his tremendous body of work with incredible music, relatable stories, and inspiring imagery. He was truly a modern day troubadour and I will miss his presence in our lives.”
Artist: Juliana Hawke
Inspiration for the design: “I was inspired by Gordon Lightfoot’s love of canoeing and the beautiful northern sunsets. Gordon was an avid canoe tripper and loved paddling throughout Canada’s north. His song ‘Canary Yellow Canoe’ (1981) lists many of the remote rivers and waterways he travelled. In 2017 Gordon donated his yellow canoe to the Canadian Canoe Museum in Peterborough, ON.”
Inspiration for the design: “When I think of Gordon Lightfoot I think of Orillia, the sunshine city. The Mariposa Folk Festival and the 60's and 70's. I combined symbols of each of these to create a colourful hippie vibe guitar to honor our hometown musical poet”
Inspiration for the design: The title of this artwork is “In love among the flowers” from the lyrics in the song ‘Summertime Dream’ by Gordon Lightfoot. The image was inspired by a photo of the Lightfoot statue at Tudhope Park, taken by local resident Margot Crowder-Davidson. I feel so fortunate to walk past this beautiful tribute in a beautiful space - a space we were both lucky to call home.
Inspiration for the design: “When I was notified that I could paint a guitar, I was hiking the Edmund Fitzgerald Trail. The trail led me to a look out with a view of Pancake Bay and Whitefish Point where the boat is under water. It was too perfect! I listened to Gord at the top and dreamed my idea.
Inspiration for the design: “I wasn’t a Gordon Lightfoot fan when I started this guitar, but I listened to many songs and read many lyrics. I was inspired by the longevity of Lightfoot’s career, photos of him both young and old, singing his beautiful music. I tried to include imagery from as many songs as I could.”
Inspiration for the design: “I chose the song ‘Couchiching’ by Gordon Lightfoot for my inspiration. Orillia was Gordon’s hometown and he had a close bond with the city north of Toronto. The painting depicts the musician strumming his guitar by the Millennium Trail where his monument stands, close to the shores of Lake Couchiching, at Tudhope Park. It is a park where many visitors spend their time with family and friends. At the top I illustrated gold sparrows to symbolize the changes in life, community, simplicity”.
Inspiration for the design: “The first time I went to a Lightfoot concert, he was in his early 70's. I love Pussy willow Cattails. It's an early piece of his, and yet he sang it like it was new material. I then saw him again about 8 years later, in his golden years and again, Pussy willow Cattails was sung like a new release. This is my Lightfoot memory...an old troubadour singing his long life for us.”
Inspiration for the design: “The artwork and design are inspired by ‘Early Morning Rain’. When listening to this song I thought it would be perfect to display on my guitar. It is one of many songs of Gordon’s that I enjoy listening to.”
Inspiration for the design: “In this piece I wanted to convey the universal appeal of Gordon Lightfoot’s music. I included references to his most iconic songs: Sundown and The Wreck of The Edmund Fitzgerald, and of course his ‘Mariposa’ roots. My Mum was visiting from the U.K. last year and saw Gordon in Orillia, which in retrospect was a very special moment, and I feel so happy to have been able to pay homage to this local legend.”
Inspiration for the design:
Gordon Lightfoot has had a lifelong impact on me. I remember one of my earliest memories was my dad playing his acoustic guitar, strumming and singing Gord’s songs. I chose his iconic portrait from his 1976 record Summertime Dream. The nautical imagery adorned all over the neck and body of the guitar represent the hit song from this album Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Inspiration for the design: “My artwork was inspired by Gord’s song ‘Beautiful’ and about our connection to the natural world and the joy that nature brings us.”
Artist: Laura Thompson
Inspiration for the design: “The name of this artwork is Reverence. I’ll never forget hearing Gord sing for the last time. The entire Folk Fest crowd (numbers in the thousands) stood up in silence. In reverence, as he sang.”
Inspiration for the design: “The name of this artwork is Reverence. I’ll never forget hearing Gord sing for the last time. The entire Folk Fest crowd (numbers in the thousands) stood up in silence. In reverence, as he sang.”
Artist: Quinn Lockman
Inspiration for the design: See if you can name the Lightfoot song from the scene painted!
Artist: Vilda Reid
Inspiration for the design: The artwork is inspired by 3 Lightfoot songs: Early Morning Rain / Couchiching / Canadian Railroad Trilogy.
Artist: Alison Stoneman
Inspiration for the design: “I was inspired from the song that titles this project and mostly the line "For I am just a painter passing through in history". I was thinking that Gordon may be gone but he has left behind a legacy of music, of generosity, of love and of kindness. It was incredible to hear so many stories from so many people about how he cared, how he helped, supported and listened.”
Artist: Gillian Lowry
Inspiration for the design: The image on this guitar was inspired by the beautiful love shared by a husband and wife of a friend. Together this couple enjoyed Gordon Lightfoot, and in particular the song ‘Beautiful’. “At times I just don’t know how you can be anything but beautiful and I think that I was made for you and you were made for me.” This is the view from their dock, where they made a lifetime of memories. Sadly the husband passed away, but his legacy lives on in hearts and in the view, just like Gordon Lightfoot’s legacy lives on in our hearts and minds, and in a tune.
Artists: Harvey Manning and Victoria Jakowenko
Inspiration for the design: “The Edmund Fitzgerald was our inspiration. I think partly because it took place on one of our Great Lakes and also that in the end when Gordon passed they didn’t forget him either . Each year they ring 29 bells at the church to remember those who lost their lives and when Gordon passed away they rang 30.”
Inspiration for the design: “The Edmund Fitzgerald was our inspiration. I think partly because it took place on one of our Great Lakes and also that in the end when Gordon passed they didn’t forget him either . Each year they ring 29 bells at the church to remember those who lost their lives and when Gordon passed away they rang 30.”
Artist: Kelsey Lockman
Inspiration for the design: “If you could read my mind, what a tale the FOX would tell”. That’s how I’ve heard/sang that song since I was a kid! The title made me think of a bookshelf. Then my mind shifted to the idea that even though Gordon and I were born and raised in the same town, we took very different paths in life. The left side represents Gordon, his songs, interests and experiences. The right side represents me. Orillia shines through on both sides.
Artist: Sharon Lundy
Inspiration for the design: I was inspired by seven of Lightfoot’s songs. 1) Ringneck Loon. 2) Carefree Highway, for which I used some music notes from the song. 3) Boathouse. 4) Knotty Pine. 5) Pussywillows, Cat-tails. 6) Approaching Lavender. 7) Canary Yellow Canoe. The inspiration for the leaves was from a verse in Changes. ‘Green, red, brown fade to yellow’
Inspiration for the design: “If you could read my mind, what a tale the FOX would tell”. That’s how I’ve heard/sang that song since I was a kid! The title made me think of a bookshelf. Then my mind shifted to the idea that even though Gordon and I were born and raised in the same town, we took very different paths in life. The left side represents Gordon, his songs, interests and experiences. The right side represents me. Orillia shines through on both sides.
Artist: Sharon Lundy
Inspiration for the design: I was inspired by seven of Lightfoot’s songs. 1) Ringneck Loon. 2) Carefree Highway, for which I used some music notes from the song. 3) Boathouse. 4) Knotty Pine. 5) Pussywillows, Cat-tails. 6) Approaching Lavender. 7) Canary Yellow Canoe. The inspiration for the leaves was from a verse in Changes. ‘Green, red, brown fade to yellow’
Artist: Andrea Thursby
Inspiration for the design: “I grew up listening to Gordon and for me, this prolect it was all about the music and the seemingly simple everyday things we all go through, that envelope his songs.”
Inspiration for the design: “I was inspired by Lightfoot’s song Pussywillows, Cat-tails.”
Pussywillows, cat-tails, soft winds and roses
Rain pools in the woodland, water to my knees
Shivering, quivering, the warm breath of spring
Pussywillows, cat-tails, soft winds and roses
Artist: Mark Logan
Inspiration for the design: ‘Song For A Winter’s Night’
The fire is dying now, my lamp is growing dim
The shades of night are lifting
The morning light steals across my windowpane
Where webs of snow are drifting
Artist: Tammy Henry
Inspiration for the design: “My guitar was inspired by the song If you Could Read My Mind. I love the tune and the imagination in the lyrics and how you can feel what he felt in his heart with the lyrics. A song a lot of people can relate to. If you could read everyone’s mind imagine the stories. Love this song!”
Artists: Empower Simcoe Artists
Inspiration for the design: “This year's Streets Alive Orillia musical theme honours the legacy of the legendary Gordon Lightfoot. All our Empower Simcoe Community Support Services Orillia artists found inspiration in many of Gordon Lightfoot’s lyrical themes: a love of Canada, trains, the Edmund Fitzgerald, the sun, and our artists’ favourite songs.
Congratulations, Angie, Alex, Stephanie, Josh, Travis, Brooklyn, Kim, Jen, Tracy, Paul and Caleb. The 2023 Empower Simcoe Streets Alive sculpture is music to our eyes and ears!”
Inspiration for the design:
Gordon Lightfoot’s song ‘Cotton Jenny’
“There's a house on a hill
By a worn down weathered old mill
In the valley below where the river winds
There's no such thing as bad times
And a soft southern flame
Oh Cotton Jenny's her name
She wakes me up when the sun goes down
And the wheels of love go 'round”
Artist: Barb Lippers
Inspiration for the design: Ever since I heard the ballad “Bitter Green” in the 1970’s; I have always loved the instrumental guitar and Gordon’s soft vocals telling the sad story of lost love.
This is my interpretation of Gordon Lightfoot’s 1968 ballad “Bitter Green”.
Artist: Deborah Dueck Wagner
Inspiration for the design: “The first thing I thought of when told me about the guitar idea was butterflies accompanying Gord to his resting place as he left his beloved Muskoka rocks. Then I spoke to one of his family members who said not to forget pussy willows, cattails and his joy of canoeing. Combining all of them just seemed natural.
Artist: Barbara Schmidt
Inspiration for the design: My goal was to portray a younger but aged Gordon Lightfoot in a way that reflected his powerful influence in his music. I was then hoping to give the viewer a feeling of layers and peeling back of those layers to his underlying music. The neck and bridge were kept in their current state (unpainted) intentionally as I felt that these were sculptural in themselves and wanted the entire design to be minimalistic in color and not too busy so I incorporated the color of the neck and bridge into the entire design. In creating the music imagery, I had initially wanted to create three separate music images but in the end I did not want to draw attention away from Gordon’s image so created the ponies in a simple sketch format and in white only to singly represent a number of his songs, e.g., The Pony Man, My Pony Won’t Go, etc.
Inspiration the design: “Sundown on a Legend. I was inspired by the idea that while the sun sets on his life, Gordon Lightfoot’s legacy will live on for generations through his music.”
Artist: Ninette Gyorody
Inspiration for the design: “I combed the lyrics of many Gordon Lightfoot songs until I came across Leaves of Grass. I became particularly enchanted with these two lines:
If people could look into each other’s eyes
What a wonderful place this world would be
If we could all remind ourselves of this and set it as an intention , at a minimum, every now and again, we can collectively make this world and on a smaller scale, our community a better place. Thank you Gord for reminding us of our potential to bring kindness into all of our lives, to all lives.”
Artist: Kelli Dove
Inspiration for the design:
“My guitar was inspired by my love of portraits. I truly wanted to represent Gord in portrait form. It was loosely based on his song Canary Yellow canoe. I hid little yellow canoes on the neck. I went for more of a design to accompany the portrait. I chose nasturtiums because they are wholesome and beautiful just like him. The aesthetic was intended to be very folk. I hope everyone enjoys his lovely image.”
Artist: Linda Plourde
Inspiration for the design: “Pussywillows, Cattails. Having grown up in Orillia I can relate to Gord’s love of nature. This song stirs many a memory of days during childhood through to now spent outdoors playing in / photographing our beautiful countryside. This song IS my childhood!”
Artist: Kathryn Kaiser
Inspiration for the design: “My guitar for this year’s Streets Alive ‘A Painter Passing Through’ project was inspired by my first real introduction to Gordon Lightfoot’s music, his compilation album ‘Gord’s Gold’. The image I used was an alternate portrait from the photo shoot for this album cover. I chose it because it seemed to show Gord’s gentle and contemplative nature. These traits were still evident in his personality even in his later years. I chose the guitar style of Lightfoot’s 12 string Martin D-18 guitar. It was one of his favourite guitars, and in fact he used the same D-18 almost all of his career. As I worked, I felt his image should be part of the guitar, and the guitar part of him. It felt as though there was an intimate connection between the man and the instrument.”
Inspiration for the design: “In the 70’s and early 80’s my husband and I would go yearly to Massey Hall to attend Gord’s concerts. They were wonderful! His music has always been a part of our lives and our sons’ lives as well. I have chosen to give a nod in particular to ‘Pussy Willows, Cat-Tails and Railroad Trilogy’. And of course thinking of his songs also brings to mind sailing and sunsets. Thank You Gord!”
Artist: Lorri Speiran
Inspiration for the design: “Sundown on Gordon Lightfoot. The artwork and design is inspired by ‘Sundown’, the first Lightfoot song that I learned to play on the guitar. The steps to heaven are the songs he left us with.”
Inspiration for the design: “This image was inspired by Gord’s life and career and the over 170 shows he performed at Massey Hall. It was enough that fans referred to it as Gord’s Hall.”
Artist: Christina Hartwick
Inspiration for the design: “My love of music, art, my community, artists and music lovers was the perfect ‘push’ to bring me back to my art. Thank you Gordon Lightfoot for sharing your story with us. I listened to Sundown and Song For A Winter’s Night on repeat while I created this. This project came with its struggles but has helped me so much.”
Artist: Linda Ryersee
Inspiration for the design: “The images on the guitar are inspired by the lyrics of: If You Could Read My Mind.” This Lightfoot song reached #1 on the Canadian Singles Chart in 1970.
Artist: Amelia Bush (18 yr old student)
Inspiration for the design: “I asked around about the first song people thought of when they thought about Gordon Lightfoot and the Edmund Fitzgerald was always the response. I thought they would enjoy this painting.”
Inspiration for the design: Before my kids were born, I lived across the street from Gordie’s childhood home. His mom still lived there on Harvey Street. We would see his limo pull up every Mother’s Day and at Christmas and the driver would sit in the running car while he visited his mom. I tried to wait to catch glimpse of him but it was always too long a wait.
Inspiration for the design: “I started out being inspired by Canadian Railroad Trilogy and Alberta Bound, however I ended up semi-freestyling and surrendering to the guitar shape. This was a fun project and I’m honoured to be part of the Streets Alive tribute to Gordon Lightfoot.”
I'm doubly impressed - by the art and artist's inspiring statements, and again by your having posted them all here for me to learn about. Totally WOW.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful. Well done love. Really enjoyed the song's inspiration for each guitar.
ReplyDeleteWow
ReplyDeleteThese are marvelous. The Edmund Fitzgerald really struck a chord in multiple artists.
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