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| Jackie Bowles - Atist of the Month |
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| In memory of Robert Cousins, Port Credit Artist Robert (Ron) Cousins painted for most of his 66 years. As a young boy in England, trapped in an air raid shelter for hours on end, he began to sketch on the edges of old newspapers. As a teenager he began a lifelong love affair with aviation and sketched various aircraft. At the age of 14 he was offered a scholarship to attend the Sutton Art School, but his parents would not permit him to attend. Due to the family’s impoverished circumstances, he was expected to go out to work and contribute to the well being of his family. Despite these setbacks, on continued to pursue his love of art. In 1957 Ron immigrated to Canada, settling in what was then considered rural Pickering. He was struck by the lush natural wildlife and harsh conditions. Faced with the remarkable beauty of snow owls, wild deer, hawks, rabbits and numerous other creatures, Ron began experimenting with watercolours. He was also tremendously influenced by West Coast painter Fenwick Lansdowne. Lansdowne suffered from polio and Ron said he produced “some of the best work he’d ever seen. I was always impressed by it, and was inspired to paint in a similar fashion”. During the 1960’s and 1970’s Ron was a member of the Ontario Federation of Naturalists and with their guidance participated in many hikes pursuing rare birds. They would often call and let him know of a sighting and he would venture out, armed with his binoculars for yet another sighting. Living so close to the beautiful Lynde Marsh in Whitby was also an inspiration and he spent many hours, often with his children, searching out birds in the trees and in the sky. In the early 1980’s Ron decided to embark on a completely different type of art. He moved into Toronto and lived on Madison Avenue where he was struck by the interesting and architecturally different structures found in the city. He began experimenting in pen sketches with dot shading, producing some beautiful depictions of architecture found in Niagara-on-the-Lake, the University of Toronto and many old city landmarks. Never one to stay with one thing too long, Ron took some time out to become a small engine pilot but continued to paint and play the jazz trumpet. The last two years of Ron’s life was a challenge. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor and despite this, he continued to do what he loved best — paint and play his jazz. He expanded his subjects and painted everything that inspired him from birds to dogs, cats, owls, bears and wolves. It was an inspiration for me to meet Ron. I only knew him the last few years of his life and the above information was provided to me by his partner, Marjetta. The plan was to feature Ron as Artist of the Month but he passed away before this happened. Many of his paintings were sold or kept by family and friends. If you are interested in seeing prints of some of Ron’s work, please contact me at 278-1580. e-mail jjbowles@attcanada.net |
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