Art show in Richards Landing in memory of Doug Hook

Warren Peterson, Taimi Poldmaa, and Zoey Wood-Salomon say they wanted to commemorate Doug Hook by carrying on his tradition of holding art shows at the Old Town Hall in Richards Landing. Oct. 3/21 (Mike McDonald/CTV News Northern Ontario

RICHARDS LANDING — A trio of artists from the Algoma region are remembering a lost comrade by holding an art show. "In The Spirit Of The Land" is designed in part as a tribute to renowned watercolour painter Doug Hook.

Warren Peterson, Taimi Poldmaa, and Zoey Wood-Salomon say they wanted to commemorate Doug Hook by carrying on his tradition of holding art shows at the Old Town Hall in Richards Landing.

"Doug always had his show here and we thought it was a good idea to just to kind of carry it on here," says Poldmaa. "People were already associating the hall with art shows."

"We wanted to try and use this as a bit of a kick-off, as a bit of a celebration of and a hats-off to him for paving the way for artists on St. Joseph's Island and in the north," says Peterson, who first picked up a paint brush around 50 years ago.

He says the title "In The Spirit Of The Land" comes from the artists' desire to invoke an emotional response to the landscape through art. Wood-Salomon, an Indigenous artist, says she finds inspiration everywhere.

"The trees, the rocks, the people, the animals, everything that's around you, all you have to do is look around," she says. "Today driving in, the colours were just so beautiful. It just took me to another level. I just want to go home and paint again."

Wood-Salomon says she began her art journey 40 years ago. She and Poldmaa have some advice for new artists looking to launch their own careers in the arts.

"Keep painting and keep showing your work, because eventually it's going to get somewhere," says Wood-Salomon. "People will see it. And put stories behind your paintings. People love the stories."

"Enter as many shows as possible, just to get the exposure and also to get the response from people," adds Poldmaa.

Doug Hook passed away last April at the age of 77.

Meantime, Peterson says the art scene across Algoma - whether it be visual art, music, theatre or dance - is strong, with many artists looking to get their work out to the public.