Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Limestone Roots, Wicked Tunes and Abstract Paintings

Wicked Grin performing at Barnone during the Limestone City Blues Festival, Kingston, Ontario


Hi 2Uall,

Today's painting is posted below. Click on a photo if you wish to view it enlarged.

The past weekend was a blast. I travelled to Kingston, Ontario for the the Limestone City Blues Festival. Friends Wicked Grin (wickedgrin.ca) were performing. They performed a total of four times during the weekend. I schlepped equipment for them and played 'official photographer'.






















The rugged dapper Dan artisto music fan pictured above was seen Saturday evening in a shop window during the bluesfest. Sunday morning I returned and bought myself an imitation 'Tilley' hat.


I made a side trip Saturday to the Holleford area located Northwest of Kingston. Our Redmond folks settled there in the 1850's. Great Great Grandpa John Redmond named the area Holleford after Hollyfort, Co. Wexford where he, his sisters Jane and Mary and his father William had been born. The family lived in that area prior to emigrating to Canada. Pete Redmond, son of our Grandpa's cousin farms there still...160 years later.

















This scenic photo above was taken at Holleford, Ontario. The view looks North on Holleford Rd. the building on the right by the flagpole is the old one room school house that used to serve local families. It has a date of 1897 on it. The other building at this corner was also built in 1897. It was the church of our Great Great Grandfather Rev. John Dowker Medcof. He also worked as a carpenter. The church served as a United Church until the 1960's. Now it is used to store hay on the Babcock farm.

















The photo above is of the Redmond house and barns associated with the farm. The house was built circa 1907 by our GG uncle John Redmond, brother of our G Grandfather James Donnell Redmond. A photo of the house, taken circa 1908, with family members standing beside a horse and buggy of the era, is featured on the cover of a book of the history of Portland Township.



Cousin Pete Redmond keeps a couple herds of beef cattle. One of the friendly cows was checking me out as I stopped to say hello. The Redmond barns, 100 + years old, can be seen in the distance up the hill. This photo was taken looking South from Holleford Rd.

It must have been incredibly challenging to make a subsidence living farming here in the mid 1800's. The original 200 acres that GGG Grandpa William Redmond owned are located a bit further North on Holleford Rd. It would be like trying to farm in Frontenac Park which is quite close to the East of Holleford.

There is an art gallery located at the market square by City Hall in Kingston. The Robert Macklin Gallery, 20 Market Street, was opened by Dr. Robert D. Macklin within the past year or so. He has some nice pieces hanging. A friend and I had a chat with him during our visit.




The abstract painting I have posted for viewing today is 24'' x 24'' x 1/2'' on stretched canvas.

























You can view more of my paintings by scrolling down to the bottom of this page where Froggy lives. Click on Froggy and you will hop to the online store with links to EBay. You will also find me on Etsy. Search for seller johnredmond (no spaces).

Today I also posted a selection of paintings on my Facebook page. They can be found in one of my folders. I made the privacy setting for that album so all can view. The Facebook page has links to this blog and to Etsy. You can see images of paintings posted on Etsy on the left side of my Facebook page.


Have a fine day,


John R. Redmond
in Ottawa, Canada






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