Ross was born in 1925 in Toronto. A chartered accountant, Ross moved from Toronto to Gravenhurst in 1973 when he accepted a position as the treasurer for the Town of Gravenhurst, a position he held until his retirement in 1987.  

Ross has two passions – oil painting and gardening. A few years ago, Canada Blooms chose his garden as the best in any municipality with a population of 15,000 or less, an honor he cherishes.  

A member of Muskoka Arts & Crafts for nearly 25 years, Ross has always found his membership stimulating and rewarding. The organization has always been able to count upon Ross to cheerfully help out with our events such as the Spring Members’ Show and the Summer Show. Ross' volunteering doesn't end with Muskoka Arts & Crafts as he is very active within his community and church.

A member since the early 1970s, Hilary has been an inspirational volunteer and artist.

Art has always been a guiding force for this native of Victoria, British Columbia who graduated from the Ontario College of Art in 1969. As a sculptor in welded steel and bronze, Hilary finds that her best work emerges when she sets out to do something that may not be possible in her medium. Because steel is a relatively new sculptural medium compared to bronze, wood or stone, there were not examples of certain techniques and it forced a kind of innovation where Hilary became an artistic pioneer. 

Her work can be very small or very large, rough or smooth, monochromatic or colourful. It can range in subject matter from a tiny sculpture of a flower, where the curve of the leaf makes one think it is real, to a ten inch bronze or steel female figure that seems human in its detail and beauty, to the fantasy faces that command the wall, to a study of a crow, steely-natured, with blue-black torch-coloured wings, to a life-size figure such as Silhouette, chunks of weathered steel speaking of power and wild nature. The pieces that give Hilary the most pride and joy is when the steel medium and the artist’s spirit combine successfully. It is then a marriage of material and subject matter and a true work of art. 

In a video presentation about her artistic life that was shown at the Opening Reception at the Spring Members’ Show, Hilary remarked: "With a group like Muskoka Arts & Crafts, it is a burgeoning population of artists. We are in fact one of Muskoka’s natural resources in my opinion. We have the lakes the rocks and the trees, and we have the artists."

Marguerite Webster is a painter – and also a delightful storyteller. Ask about her paintings and you’ll inevitably hear about spiders, or ducks hatching during a dinner party, or the exciting rescue of some fugitive guinea pigs – all colourful stories related to her experiences as a artist. Her paintings, like her stories, reveal a tranquility, a joyful spontaneity, and a reverence for the natural world. Working with oils, watercolours, pencils, and pastels; Marguerite depicts images from the world around her – images of flowers, trees, animals, and rocks.

As a child, Marguerite always drew and painted; and she attended Saturday morning classes at the Art Gallery of Ontario. Later, marriage, and five children, curtailed Marguerite’s painting for a time; but in the mid-1960s, she embarked on a three-year correspondence course which provided training in oil, watercolour, drawing, composition, and technique. Marguerite’s work has been seen over the years in the Brown Baggers’ exhibits, and her tireless energy as a volunteer is always in evidence at our shows.

Betty Drysdale was born on March 3, 1928 in Windsor. Betty studied music and geography at McGill University, earning her B.A. in 1951. It was at McGill University that Betty met Mike Drysdale. They were married on September 20, 1952 and settled in Snowdon, Quebec. In 1986, Betty and Mike moved to their retirement home in Bracebridge. 

In Muskoka, Betty promptly joined the Brown Baggers and Muskoka Arts & Crafts and was able to rekindle her artistic talents. She was a devoted member of Muskoka Arts & Crafts and served on the board as Recording Secretary from 1988 to 1992. She fulfilled her role as Recording Secretary with thoughtfulness, attention to detail and always kept the best interests of the members and of Muskoka Arts & Crafts foremost in her mind. From 1987 to 1992, Betty wrote an informative monthly newsletter. Betty was one of those members who could always be relied upon to cheerfully volunteer at all of Muskoka Arts & Crafts’ events, to take her duties seriously, and to perform whatever tasks she undertook with conscientious dedication. She personified the term exemplary member and, in 2004, was recognized with a LifeTime Honorary Membership, a program she had initiated in 1990. Betty also volunteered in other areas of the community, especially with the Hospital Auxiliary which honoured her with a life time membership. Betty and Mike spent countless enjoyable hours planning, preparing and tending the beautiful gardens at their home in Bracebridge. On August 19, 2005, Betty passed away suddenly in her sleep. The family held a memorial reception on August 23 at the Chapel Gallery where there were floral bouquets from Betty’s own gardens and her piano music played in the background as people shared the special ways that she had touched their lives.

Jim Drury was born in Sudbury, Ontario, and has had a lifelong interest in woodcarving, nature, drawing and photography. In 1958, he married his wife, Donna, and together they raised two children. 

Jim had an 18-year career in the Royal Canadian Air Force, and during those years spent his off-duty time carving crests for offices and individuals in Canada and other countries. He left the services to teach woodcarving at the Catherine Whyte Multi-Cultural Center in Cold Lake Alberta, and in the summer of 1975, received a grant from the Alberta Government to travel overseas and research woodcarving. Jim also taught woodcarving courses at The Alberta Vocational College, as well as seminars in parks, and evening classes through Northwest Community. The Drurys moved to the Queen Charlotte Islands, where for five years Jim fished halibut, but continued his carving. 

In 1983, the Drurys came to Muskoka. They were enthusiastic, active members, and participated in many shows. Jim has been awarded the Patricia Boyer award at the 1996 Spring Members’ Show, an Excellence in Woodcarving in 1992, and many honourable mentions. During his twenty years in Muskoka, Jim accepted commissions for woodcarving in homes and cottages throughout Canada and the United States. Among these were the doors and chapel furniture for St. Margaret’s Church in Midland, a large puzzle map of Canada for Glaxo Smith and Kline in Mississauga, and carvings in the round produced as award presentations for Tourism Industry Association of Canada. The creator of the well-known comic strip, "For better or For Worse," commissioned two carved doors. Jim has always credited Donna as a full partner in his artistic endeavours. In fact, he asserts that his role – doing the drawing and carving – is by far the easy part. He maintains that Donna’s contribution – which includes not only finishing the pieces, but also preparing for the shows, keeping the accounts, providing constructive criticism – is a more than equal share. 

Jim and Donna now reside in Sidney, on Vancouver Island.

Lynn Taylor’s commitment to our organization has indeed been extraordinary. Her service spanned ten years on the Board, eight of those years as President. During those years, our organization developed and thrived and Lynn was instrumental in that evolution. Many of the policies and procedures that today govern the day-to-day operation of Muskoka Arts & Crafts and that provide the firm foundation for its continued success, are due in large part to her skill and dedication. Of course, like all organizations, Muskoka Arts & Crafts has experienced its share of growing pains. On those occasions, as in times of triumph, Lynn’s personal grace was always in evidence. Her caring, her fairness and her good common sense were attributes that everyone who worked with Lynn relied upon and valued. Muskoka Arts & Crafts has greatly benefited from her time and her talents.

Greta and Ken Cline were recognized for their active contributions to the arts community for the past 35 years. These members made it possible for 1,500 students to annually take part in workshops and courses in Muskoka through Georgian College during the late 1960s and 70s. Now, this feat alone would be worthy of an award, but then they went on to organize and host the

Northern Regional Show for the Ontario Crafts Council in the mid 1970s. And, when they retired, it was difficult to tell, because they took a course themselves and built a log house and gallery outside of Huntsville.

Ken taught woodworking at Huntsville High School for many years and is still remembered for an exquisite violin he made and exhibited at the 1970 Spring Members' Show. He is an accomplished photographer who took great pride in developing his own pictures and still remains active with his furniture-making.

Greta is warmly remembered for her pottery, textiles, silversmithing, enameling and braided rugs.

It's a humbling experience to meet such a talented pair, but a great inspiration to all of us who share a love of craftsmanship.

Ken died on January 9, 2011 in his 89th year. Greta Cline died on October 21, 2014 at the age of 90.

Jean W.A. Forder was born in Skipton-in-Craven, Yorkshire, England on July 28, 1918. During the Second World War, Jean was employed as a dispatcher for the London Fire Brigade. Some time after the war, Jean trained in social service work, specializing in gerontology. 

In 1961, Jean emigrated to Canada, enthusiastic for an adventure that freed her from the restrictions and predictability of life in England. During the 1960s, Jean continued her career in social work in The Pas, Manitoba. Then, in the 1970s, Jean made her life in Muskoka, living in Port Carling. 

Retirement for Jean meant beginning an active career by developing her artistic talent and zestfully contributing to the art community in Muskoka. She took classes in her first love – watercolour – and expanded her interest in other media as well. She won a number of ribbons at the Bracebridge Fall Fair and several awards from Muskoka Arts & Crafts for her work.In 1985, Jean began the Brown Baggers, a group of artists dedicated to developing their talents, encouraging each other and setting artistic goals for themselves each year. 

Jean was a member of the Board of Directors for Muskoka Arts & Crafts, actively working to develop the arts side of the organization. In 1991, she received a volunteer service award for her service to Muskoka Arts & Crafts and in 2001was made an honorary life time member in the organization.

Jean’s talents were many – encouraging, networking, mentoring – and she attracted many, many friends to her with her ability to accept and find the positive in all. 

Jean died on May 31, 2001.

Lyette Beaulac is a member who epitomizes what it means to give generously of one’s time and talent. For over ten years, Lyette contributed to the professionalism of the Spring Show as a volunteer in charge of the display of the art and a multi-award winner. For seventeen years, she was a mainstay of the Summer Show with a devoted following. Through her weaving, Lyette has been a mentor to other artists and brought a greater awareness and appreciation to the craft of weaving. Lyette along with her husband Tom, left Muskoka to pursue their dream of living on board their sailboat and travelling to parts unknown.

With her unquenchable spirit and zest for life, Minzi Tanneberger inspires those who surround her. Minzi ’s sense of adventure has taken many forms. Upon her arrival in this country, she immediately set to work transforming her small house into a glowing work of art by using her tole painting talents. She has painted everything from the mural outside the Port Carling IGA to her sister’s dog’s nails. In addition to her decorative painting, Minzi is also a storyteller, writer, and book illustrator. She has a passion for skiing and canoeing and would be seen paddling upstream for groceries or nonchalantly recovering from an overturned boat. Minzi is an integral member of the Brown Baggers who cherish her for her artistry as well as her height when hanging a show! 

Dorothy Aileen Boyd Williams (Dodie) was born in Toronto in 1918, was educated there, married there and raised her family there.

Dodie was always creating, either doodling while talking on the telephone, drawing her famous little Henry sketches on the bottom of letters to friends and family, creating Christmas cards or intently studying a painting or piece she was working on. She loved art so much that, with some creative penmanship and without her parents’ permission, she transferred herself from North Toronto Collegiate to Northern Vocational Collegiate as they had the best art courses in Toronto at that time. All she wanted to do was draw, and her parents, latterly agreed. 

In the late 1970s, Dodie and her husband, Ted, moved to Muskoka and quickly became active and involved members with Muskoka Arts & Crafts. Together, they both exhibited at the Summer Show for a number of years, Dodie with her exquisite tole painted pieces and charming painted miniatures and Ted with his first love, photography, and later with his beautiful handbound books. They booth took their turns helping out wherever they could be it demonstrating their crafts, minding a gate or assisting with shows. 

After Ted passed away, Dodie wanted to honour his memory and established the Ted Williams Memorial Award for Most Innovative Work, which was given annually at the Spring Members’ Show. 

Dodie died on April 10, 2007.

Rosemary Lapenskie's passion for the arts has been an inspiration. Throughout her twelve years in Muskoka, Rosemary has quietly lent her support to many individual artists, encouraged the creative spirit in our youth and contributed her insights for the direction of this organization. Rosemary has happily volunteered her services in many capacities. She has been a regular fixture at the Summer Show as a craftsperson, gate greeter, sales relief and moral supporter. When a position on the Executive was vacant, Rosemary served as Recording Secretary. Valiantly, she waded through the difficult early stages of the rewriting of the constitution. Many children have been initiated into the joys of drawing through Rosemary's workshops at the Chapel Gallery, in the community and at her home. She has coordinated the Jean. E. MacDonald Memorial Award for four years, actively promoting it through the art departments of the Muskoka high schools. For ten years, Rosemary coordinated the Life Drawing Open Studio. But Rosemary's dedication to the arts does not stop here with her volunteer services. She also writes poetry and has published articles on the arts in the local newspapers. In 1998, Rosemary moved to British Columbia.

Ruth Upjohn and Dorothy (Dot) Seixas are synonymous with the arts in Muskoka. With great enthusiasm, sincerity and devotion, Ruth and Dot have promoted the arts and artists of Muskoka. Cottagers wince 1934, this dynamic duo have seen each and every Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour and Summer Show. From 1967 until 1992, they organized an art show at Branksome Hall in Toronto. Over the years, eighteen Muskoka artists participated in this show. They continued to organize shows for Muskoka artists at the Women's Art Association which was formed in the 1890s to give women a place to experience the arts.

Ruth was introduced to the arts as a child when members of the Group of Seven, whose studio was located behind her childhood Toronto home, would come for dinner. She recalled a time when her mother found it difficult to entice buyers to purchase their $25 paintings. Seeing the struggle artists faced galvanized Ruth to a life-long patronage of the arts.

For forty-five years, Ruth taught kindergarten at Branksome Hall. Dot taught music to the kindergarten class. In the mid 1990s, Ruth and Dot collaborated on a book of kindergarten songs of the 19th and early 20th century. Over 400 copies of the book sold with the proceeds going to a bursary fund for students at the school.

Of their support of Muskoka art, Ruth remarked: "It does me good to help the artists by taking about their work to others. Word of mouth is a powerful promotional tool."

Dot died on July 6, 2005. Ruth died on February 4, 2006.

In the late 1970s Mieke Martin Soontiens began her journey into clay at Georgian College under the tutelage of Eric Lindgren.

Over the years, her gallery, Pine Lake Gallery, has played host to many group shows which helped to encourage and promote other local talents. Her Saturday morning children's classes inspired her students to exp lore and share in the joy found in the endless possibilities of clay.

Mieke has been a long-time member of the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour and has supported it as an opportunity to educate the art and craft consumer.

During the years of Jean MacDonald's presidency, Mieke served on the Executive of Muskoka Arts & Crafts as the 2nd vice-president and served on a number of our jury panels. Her culinary talents are legendary and each year she single handedly prepared and served a luncheon to the Spring Show judges and organizers.

In March of 1998, Mieke and her husband, David, moved to Nova Scotia.

Doug Gatcke was born on December 3, 1934, in Kitchener. In 1957, he received his diploma in Sales and Marketing from Ryerson. He worked as a salesman for a pharmaceutical company and then with Xerox. In 1970, after seven years with Xerox, Doug and his wife, Enid purchased the Grand Central Hotel in Orangeville. Working countless hours, Doug renovated the hotel and quickly developed it into a successful hotel and restaurant. Six years later, at the age of 40, Doug realized he wanted more time with his family and sold the hotel – it was a defining moment in the Doug’s life for the couple moved to Lake Butterfly in Glen Orchard. Here Doug rekindled his love of woodworking and began carving burl bowls and creating marquetry. What first started as a hobby, quickly developed into a full time job. He was a member of the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour and Muskoka Arts & Crafts where he was the president for four years and a long-time exhibitor at the Summer Show. In 1997, Doug was presented with a Lifetime Membership and had the Members’ Choice Award at the Spring Members’ Show named in his honour. One of his turned maple burl bowls was accepted into the Permanent Collection in 1992. Another defining moment for Doug came on February 29, 1996, when he suffered a major stroke that would leave him completely debilitated. When Doug was transferred to the Shaver Rehabilitation Hospital in St. Catharines, he entered the hospital in a wheelchair but was determined to walk out upon his discharge. After 4 months of extensive therapy, Doug walked out of the hospital and return to Muskoka. Realizing that they would be unable to live in Muskoka, they sold their home in 1997 and moved to Fonthill. On February 26, 2006, Doug passed away at the age of 71.

Muskoka Arts & Crafts owes much of its history to Jon and Suzann Partridge. Their minds, hears and hands have helped to shape the growth and direction of our organization.

Jon and Suzann moved to Muskoka at the start of the 1970s and over the years have transformed a once working 100 acre farm into one of Muskoka's most popular pottery studios. The Partridges also took an active interest in the artistic development of their home community.

Joining Muskoka Arts & Crafts, Jon and Suzan have served the organization in many different ways. They have been fixtures at the Summer Show since the early 1970s until 2001. Their work have been exhibited at the Chapel Gallery and at the annual Spring Members' Show where it has won numerous awards. One of Jon's innovative pottery paintings was selected for Muskoka Arts & Crafts' Permanent Collection in 1987. This talented couple have share their experiences through teaching: Jon with Mohawk College in Hamilton, Nipissing University in North Bay and Haliburton's School of Fine Arts for example. Suzann has taught many workshops for the local schools.

Jon and Suzann have actively helped to direct the arts in Muskoka. Jon has served as President for Muskoka Arts & Crafts while Suzann has been involved with education and has been a constant volunteer.

Together, Jon and Suzann have been a solid and continual source of ideas, support and encouragement. 

Whenever you look through the scrapbook documenting Muskoka Arts & Crafts' history or listen to people recounting their memories, Betty and Walter Reynolds are mentioned time and time again. The Reynolds joined Muskoka Arts & Crafts in 1967. From 1968 until 1970, Walter served as President. During this time, Betty was the librarian and they were both involved with overseeing the organization of the Summer Show, which under their guidance, greatly expanded. Betty and Walter were steady exhibitors at the Summer Show from 1967 until the early 1990s.

The couple's interest in their craft began as a hobby in 1964 when they took their first trip west after selling their funeral home business. An interest in collecting rocks for their garden led to an interest of tumbling and polishing stones then to silversmithing.

They learned the fundamentals of their craft by attending workshops. Betty shared her knowledge by teaching many workshops at Georgian College and Muskoka Arts & Crafts. As they learned more about lapidary and silversmithing, the Reynolds became highly inventive as Walter constructed their own silversmithing equipment as well as cutting, tumbling and grinding tools.

The quality of their work has been recognized at the Spring Members' Shows, the Ontario Crafts Council and in 1986, one of their sterling silver spoons was selected to be part of Muskoka Arts & Crafts' Permanent Collection.

Walter died on February 7, 2006 at the age of 93. Betty died on May 20, 2013 in her 91st year.

Kay Beers was known in Bracebridge for her many interests and enthusiasm which included many years of public service as the first woman on council, the first female member of the Board of Education, organizing night school classes and spending many years on the Recreation Committee. She was well known as an excellent cook, a cheerful volunteer, a happy bus driver, great billeter and fantastic friend and neighbour. She knitted countless teddy bears for charity, delivered Meals on Wheels and drove patients to hospital appointments. Kay was extremely athletic wining many trophies for badminton, swimming and curling.

Kay was born in Bala. She was educated in Toronto and taught physical education first at the YWCA in Ottawa, then at Alma College in St. Thomas, Ontario, followed by a year in Moncton, New Brunswick where she met Ken Beers. They married in 1939 and had only a short time together before World War I. Flying Officer Ken Beers was lost in 1944. Kay and her two children returned to Muskoka where she accepted a position at the Bank of Nova Scotia in Bracebridge retiring after thirteen years in 1965. 

Kay was a founding member of Muskoka Arts & Crafts. She died on December 24, 2002, in her 93rd year.

Born in Copper Cliff and raised in Sudbury, Helvi Moore was trained to be a public school teacher. After teaching for eight years in Muskoka and while she was raising her family, she studied oil painting with Hug Olms in weekly night classes in Bracebridge. Subsequently, she studied oils, watercolours and pastels. Helvi also taught herself how to paint with acrylics. Since 1975, Helvi won many awards for her work. The paintings by the members of the Group of Seven particularly interested Helvi. Some of her favourite subjects were rocks, pines and water  - all typical features of the north. In addition, Helvi enjoyed painting subjects that had local historical significance such as the old railway station in Bracebridge. Helvi joined Muskoka Arts & Crafts at its inception and regularly showed her work at the Spring, Christmas and Summer Shows.

Jean Bishop came from Woodbridge where she grew up in a family of doctors. "I'm always grateful to my mother for recognizing my inclination towards drawing," Jean said. "I was not a good student in the academic sense so Mother saw to it that I attended an art school." That art school was Western Tech in Toronto where Jean took the commercial art course but never made it her career.

Jean married Hugh Bishop, a jeweler, and introduced him to the Kahshe Lake area where her family had vacationed for many years. The couple eventually moved to Gravenhurst. Jean, meanwhile, had taken up painting again and took local workshops in art, silk-screening, puppetry, pottery and batik. In the 1970s, she taught painting in three local schools and Georgian College. Together with Marie Aiken, Jean tried, without success, to start a Gravenhurst Arts and Crafts Group. Then, when Muskoka Arts & Crafts began in 1962, Jean did what she could to encourage it in the southern parts of the District. 

It was appropriate that one of the first pieces initiated into the Permanent Collection of Muskoka Arts & Crafts was one belonging to a founding member. The painting selected was a delicate watercolour portraying an early Muskoka farm house. Old buildings and homesteads were the subject of most of Jean's paintings. Her best work were done on location, often in below zero temperatures with her paint box on the front seat of the car. 

Jean died on April 9, 2007, in her 82nd year.

Mae Kennedy was born on July 2, 1922, in Shawville, Quebec. Mae's love of art was evident very early after drawing on her desk at school and day dreaming about what was yet to come. Marrying Thomas Alva Kennedy and moving to Muskoka, Mae and Tom started a family. 

Mae's love and enthusiasm for art was on-going with sketching trips with her artist friends. Mae showed her paintings in a summer show held in Memorial Park, located in downtown Bracebridge. From this first outdoor show grew Muskoka Arts & Crafts and its renown Summer Show. Learning and working in various mediums, Mae developed different interests and abilities in various media. She studied fine art at Georgian College. The enjoyment of creating and incorporating designs was evident when Mae studied religious symbolism to represent works through stitchery in numerous priests' robes for clerical customers. Community based groups also called on Mae for her expertise in the creations of customs for plays and dramatic presentations. 

Throughout the years, Mae won numerous awards for her art. She attended the Life Drawing Open Studio held at the Chapel Gallery, of which, Tom was occasionally called upon to model.

Professionally, Mae worked for the Ministry of Education teaching art therapy to Native and Inuit patients while working at the Sanatorium for Tuberculosis in Muskoka. Until her retirement in 1985, she also worked for the Ministry for Community and Social Services as an art instructor for people with special needs. 

Mae died on September 21, 2011.

At the age of 84, Daisy Murphy received a Life Time Membership at a special ceremony at the Bracebridge Villa. Since 1946, Daisy had lived in Bracebridge when her husband, York, was transferred here by the Bank of Nova Scotia.

She began to actively paint in 1947. Daisy introduced many people to Muskoka Arts & Crafts and was known for her wonderful garden parties where she brought together people from all sorts of varied backgrounds and shared her enthusiasm for the organization. As well as being an artist, Daisy was a champion badminton player and a keen golfer. 

Etta Ortwein did much to ensure that the tradition of rug hooking was not forgotten. Her talent is preserved in the pieces themselves and in the wisdom and sill she passed on to others.

Hooking rugs had been on the periphery of Etta's experience since childhood as her mother hooked rugs using her father's old clothes. She virtually stopped hooking rugs when she left her childhood home near Harmony Corners, just outside of Gravenhurst. The decades that followed were filled with work on a farm and with the raising of her family. In 1945, she and her husband moved into Gravenhurst where she became actively involved in the Women's Institute, the Silver Moon Rebecca Lodge and the Horticultural Society. It was with the Women's institute that she attended a demonstration, in the late 1950s, of a clothing-cutting machine. When she learned that there were weekend classes held at a farm in Vineland, Etta began attending them regularly. From these beginnings, the Ontario Hooking Craft Guild was formed and Etta was a member of the Guild since it began in the 1960s. Having decided to make rug hooking a full-time occupation, Etta joined the newly formed Muskoka Arts & Crafts. 

Etta's concession to her octogenarian years has been to switch from teaching rug hooking courses in the schools to giving private lessons in her home on a one-to-one basis. "There's so much you can do with rug hooking skills," Etta once remarked. "It's not just making rugs. With sculpturing and shading techniques, you can create three-dimensional pictures of flowers and birds. There's so much scope for creativity."