Skip to main content

KEN DANBY



I hung out with Ken for a while at his coffee house in Toronto. The New Gate of Cleve. I was hanging out with him one afternoon. He was working on a poster for Mariposa 63. Ed Cowan came by and through him I ended up with a job at the Mariposa Folk Festival. Somewhere along the way Ken broke a leg and was hobbling along with a cast.
A couple of weeks after Mariposa, Goodwood Go track had a big festival weekend with concerts and a tent city. I was a duty bootlegger. I had a tent filled with booze. Ken stayed in the tent with me. When suddenly we were raided by the provincial police. Ken and I sneaked away and sat up on a hill and watched the police check every tent except for mine. Ken was pretty much a wild guy to hang with at this time. I think this was his last hurrah. It was the last I saw of him as he suddenly cleaned up his act and concentrated on his painting.Ken Danby (1940-2007) was one of Canada's foremost practitioners of contemporary realism. Rooted in the Canadian psyche, nourished by his Ontario rural roots, Danby's subject matter was broad and expansive, yet it was the images of Canadian landscapes and life that captured the public's attention. 
At the Crease, a 1972 egg tempera painting depicting a nameless hockey goalie viewed from ice-level, was his best-known work, and for many, it defined him as an artist.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Elway Yost

  My sister Gaille was Elway Yost's secretary for a few years at TV Ontario. "I had the incredible opportunity to meet and engage in conversation with the talented Elwy on multiple occasions. On two separate occasions, I was even asked to be a stand-by guest for his show, Magic Shadows. Though I never had the chance to step in, just being considered by Elwy himself was an honor I will never forget. As a devoted fan of Magic Shadows from the very start, these moments were truly unforgettable.

Keenan Wynn

This is me with Keenan Wynn during the shooting of 'The Ballonist' a "Littlest Hobo" episode shot in my parents home in Uxbridge Ontario in the Summer of 1980. It was directed by Allen Eastman (Alien) and Keenan enjoyed tormenting him a bit.  Keenan and I spent the breaks talking about movies like 'Dr. Strangelove' etc. it was a fun afternoon. Keenan had the shakes a bit and didn't want to sign autographs, he always had the continuity girl around to take poloroids and gave out pictures instead .

Bob Markle

Markle was a facinating guy. It was fun to be friends with Bob. there was always good conversation. He was always interesting.He wasn't exactly a snob but he did not suffer fools.He of course received notoriety for his erotic paintings.and he played in the Artists jazz Band. he once wrote an article on his favourite dish the Hot Hamburger Sandwich with French Fries and peas. This led to a discussion with me about seafood. He had never eaten seafood? Never eaten a Lobster? About 5 years later I get a phone call at a bar Gary, Gary. I just ate a lobster and you were right it's wonderful. How I met Markle 1965 Markle looked like   kind of a slob (he only wore blue jeans and navy sweatshirt and often rubber boots. But he   was brilliant, wonderful, witty   and   sort of a snob. Markle sort of held court at the Pilot. At 5 he would appear and sit in these funny little corners at the Pilot Tavern either side. The pilot had benches along each wall with tables for four and 2...