There is just something about wood – the smell, the feel,
the beauty – it’s almost seductive.
Since ancient times it has given us warmth, shelter, and solitude. It imparts a feeling of things wild and free
that live in harmony with their surroundings.
Could there possibly be a better way to portray the images of wild
things than through the natural beauty of wood.
If you’ve ever visited the St. Jacobs Farmers Market, you’ve
likely seen Freelton artists Angus Burns quietly sitting, creating masterpieces
on wood. Whether it’s a unique living
room table, custom pet portrait, or small wall hanging his skill and love of
the outdoors manifests itself through every piece of art he creates.
Although Angus always had a flare for drawing, even making
his own Christmas cards as a child, it was many years later when a tree, a few
cartons of cigarettes, and a trip to Vancouver by a friend conspired to make
him realize his full artistic potential.
Working as a cook in a lumber camp after a felled tree put
him on the disabled list, a fellow logger who had seen some of his personal
sketches, handed him a couple of slabs of wood.
He asked Angus if he could paint some ducks on the wood. In return he was to receive a couple of
cartons of cigarettes. It seemed like a
good way to pass the time and selling the extra cigarettes in camp could put some
extra change in his pocket. Over two
months he produced 30 pieces and it seemed like a good arrangement. That is until a friend returned from a
weekend in Vancouver where he had seen some of Angus’s paintings for sale. Angus was stunned to find that his artwork
was selling for three to four hundred dollars each. Well, needless to say the money he was making
off of the cigarettes began to look a little less attractive. That was in 1978 and he’s never looked back.
Art dealers and prominent retail stores became attracted to Angus unique works and as a result his work has been
displayed in galleries such as Kleinburg’s Regal Collection, Bowring’s
Canadiana Collection at the Toronto Eaton Center. Their images and carvings of wolves, deer,
moose, and even humming birds adorn the homes of nature lovers around the
world, as well as those of the rich and famous.
The likes of hockey greats Jean Beliveau and Guy Lafleur, comedian Jim
Flynn, and singer Michael Burgess have sought out his unique works of art. Angus even spent some time as resident artist
at Canadian Carver, the famous tourist stop just north or Sault Ste. Marie.
Today much of his time is spent producing custom pet
portraits for many visitors to the St. Jacobs Market where you will find him
year round on Thursday and Saturday.
Thankfully he was located in “Peddlars Village” at the market and was
spared from the fire that consumed the main market building on the Labour Day
weekend.
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