My favourite artist

There was a time when I liked Impressionists art. 

Then migrated to the Group of Seven. 

But lately Charles Pachter is my most favourite artist.

We went to his studio in Orillia today and here's a quick and abbreviated tour of the art we saw.

First off was a moose on a door. His moose looks better than ours.  However all the doors in our cottage are much like this door … hmmmm…..do I dare?

His work also includes metal sculpture.
We nearly bought this piece.  Maybe we'll go back and get it.

Moose are a constant in his work.

The Canadian flag is also regularly featured in his body of work.

And so is the Queen.
This piece is called "Decisions, decisions."

It's must be true that being a Monarch, one has to spend more time deciding what tiara or hat to wear as opposed to what shoes to wear.
The Queen never has to decide about a necklace though. She always, always wears a string of pearls.

Here'a good shot of a Moose inside his gallery.
Notice the Queen on the moose in the background? We have that piece.

Lots of tension in this piece.
Tension much like the painting done by Alex Colville, 'Horse and Train'
Given moose have bad eyesight, this may not end up well for the moose.

This one made me smile. 'State of the Tart'.
What could be more Canadian than Butter Tarts?

Here's a photo of him meeting the Queen at the reopening of Canada House in London, England back in February.

I would love to sit down with him and hear all his stories about meeting the Royals. He told us one today.
Apparently, Princess Anne asked him what she would hold on to if she rode a moose without antlers. Charlie replied that it's all about the "thighs".
She sent him a note later expressing her amusement at their conversation. The note as on the wall of the gallery.

Truly a charming man and his art is exceptional and uniquely Canadian.

In the end we bought one the books he's illustrated for Margaret Atwood.
She's a giant in the Canadian literary world. I don'k think you can pass grade 12 in this country without having read something by Atwood.

As for Susanna Moodie, her book "Roughing it in the Bush" truly resonates with me.