FLESHERTON CALLING

from Hello Country Magazine - September 2021 Edition

COVER STORY

While it is not a commonly held belief that all roads lead to Grey County, nonetheless a wide variety of people are attracted to the area. Undoubtedly, the preponderance of natural beauty results in a greater proportion of artists in the mix.

Janice E. Longeway moved to the area last year and opened the “J. E. Longeway Art Studio & Gallery & Refuge” on Highway 4 on the way to Maxwell. Born in Waterloo, she came to be an artist through a circuitous route. She studied journalism at Carleton University and imagined she would become a roving reporter like Jan Tennant, her idol from the CBC, who travelled to the world’s hot spots for political unrest. Before she could approach the campus newspaper, she began to entertain other forms of writing. An early project to create a children’s book with a friend was her first stab at creative endeavour, and one she enjoyed, although it did not reach fruition. She headed west in 1985 and settled on Salt Spring Island in B.C. She plugged into the strong arts community there and began writing poetry. It was an extension of her lifelong passion for words and, of course, reading.

However, as many artists learn, the apprenticeship is a long one, and often involves the process of discovering exactly what form one’s art might take. Long gone were the days of line drawings she created as a child (some of which she still has), and the dance recitals she performed in the living room with only her mother in attendance. Her return to the visual arts as an adult was in the form of pointillistic sketches of houses and properties on the island. She wasn’t influenced by the great practitioners of pointillism of the past like Georges Seurat or Paul Signac. Janice was on a quest, in search of a technique of her own. When she moved to Toronto in 1986, she began a long period of experimentation with style and subject. Much of this early work was rudimentary, and some of it embarrasses her today, but she knows it was an essential part of her evolution as an artist. One year as Christmas was pending, her then boyfriend asked for the gift of a painting, and she created “a cabin in a snowstorm”. His response encouraged her to do more, and she was able to arrange for a show in her hometown of Waterloo. Success there led to a move to Port Stanley, where she met artist Ron Kingswood, who influenced her work tremendously, and Paul Schleusner, an artist-owner of a gallery where she was invited to display her work. Over the last twenty years, the shows (and the moves) have continued whether in Waterloo, Port Stanley, Toronto, London, Ruthven, and now Flesherton. She was even chosen as Artist-in-Residence in Panama.

These days, she is enmeshed in different interpretations of the same grand old tree on a property down the road, trying to capture as many aspects of it as she can. Janice posts her work on her website and gets the occasional commission to keep herself busy, all the while remaining vigilant for something in the natural world to take hold of her, and lead to a new series of paintings.

Residents of Grey County can see her latest work at a show in the Flesherton Gallery in Spring 2022.

J. E. Longeway Art Studio & Gallery & Refuge 407178 Grey County Rd #4, Flesherton, Ontario www.janicelongewayart.jimdo.com

KEVIN ARTHUR LAND

Owner, Speaking Volumes Books and Audio 12 Toronto Road, Flesherton kevinarthurland@gmail.com www.kevinarthurland.ca

Not So Gently 30”x40”

With the busy fall market upon us, things continue to move at an astonishing pace. The demand for all types of property continues to demonstrate strong consumer confidence in the newly established market values.

Prices across Canada are up and many sellers are taking advantage of increased equity in their properties by either downsizing or relocating to other areas with lower priced properties. Locally, a substantial percentage of the buyers come from other parts of southern Ontario who have equity in their home but are finding home ownership in the major centres has become out of reach. Generally, we refer to these buyers as being motivated by the “drive until you qualify” effect, meaning they drive north until they find something they can afford.

On the other hand, we also see this effect with sellers. Long-time residents are leaving the area in search of lower priced homes. Some are going further north to areas near Sudbury or North Bay, while others are heading out east to New Brunswick or Nova Scotia.

With COVID restrictions opening up, people are finally enjoying summer activities and attending previously postponed events. This has led to a dip in sales activity. If we look at the statistics we see that, historically in our area, mid-summer tends to provide a market lull as families concentrate on beach, cottage, fun, and games knowing that soon the kids will be heading back to school and the lazy days of summer will end.

So, what should we expect in September?

As we see it, the seasonal change of colours usually spurs the desire to settle down before the cold winds of winter move in. With inventory continuing to be at an all-time low and the high demand for rural and small-town properties, the current market conditions appear to be here to stay. But there are a lot of possible changes on the horizon, so stay tuned for the latest updates.

ERIC ROBERTSON, BROKER

GREY COUNTY REAL ESTATE INC. 39 Main St E, Markdale www.greycountyrealestate.com 519-986-2552