For almost five decades, Sue and Jim have searched for places that inspired the Group of Seven painters and Tom Thomson. They especially enjoy locating sites that can only be reached by canoe and foot. The talk will compare photographs of some of the 800 painting sites they have found with the corresponding artwork. They will discuss how they find the painting sites and what they have learned about the painters and their art.

Jim and Sue Waddington’s book In the Footsteps of the Group of Seven will be available to purchase and have signed. Please indicate whether you’d like us to reserve a copy for you when registering. A special prix fixe meal will also be available following the event. We invite you to stay and join us for dinner!

About Jim & Sue Waddington

Sue is a retired nurse. She is also an artist – a traditional rug hooker. Her rug hooking designs have won awards in the Burlington Art Centre and the Ontario Hooking Craft Guild. In 1977, she made a rug hooking adapted from A.Y. Jackson’s painting “Hills, Killarney, Ontario (Nellie Lake).”

Later that year, Sue and Jim paddled to Nellie Lake in Killarney Provincial Park. They were surprised they could locate the exact spot Jackson had sat when he did the painting. After this initial success, they continued searching for other painting locations. Since the artists did not keep detailed records of where they worked, each picture represents a puzzle to be solved. For each of the about 800 places located, they photographed the scene and compared it with the artist’s impression.

Jim is a retired physics professor from McMaster University who likes maps and the sport of orienteering. He was awarded the McMaster University President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. However, he has no artistic talent at all.

In their talks, Sue and Jim show their photographs alongside art from Killarney, Algonquin, Neys, Lake Superior, and Bon Echo Provincial Parks, the Georgian Bay Islands, Nova Scotia, BC, the Yukon and Nunavut.