Jan. 3, 2003 Retrospective Exhibition features John Seguin

Hundreds of paintings by Callander's John Seguin (1928-2001) adorn the walls  of homes and offices across northern Ontario and elsewhere.  A major  exhibition of his work will be featured in the galleries of the W.P Kennedy  Gallery at the Capitol Centre on Main St. in North Bay from Jan. 9 to Feb.  15th.  The exhibition is curated by well-known North Bay painter Arlington  Hoffman, in co-operation with John's wife Anita and with help from two of  their children, Caroline and Dawn.  Caroline, a recent graduate in Fine Arts  from Nipissing University and an artist herself worked on the catalogue  which will be available at the gallery later on in the show.

John Seguin painting in his studio on Callander Bay.  Seguin  family photo.

John Seguin worked in various media, including oils and watercolours, and  produced some fine etchings and sculpture.  His style ranged from figurative  to abstract, and he had a special interest in flowers and historical  artefacts like boats and buildings.  John was close to nature all his life,  spending summers as a child at his parent's cottage on Lake Nosbonsing, and  later at his cottages on Lake Temagami, the French River and Kipawa.  His  grandmother Clara was a painter, and his grandfather Archie was an amateur  jewellery designer.  His mother was a schoolteacher and encouraged his  creativity.  John, who was a hands-on practical man, left school early and  began work as a carpenter and soon started a contracting business, followed  eventually by a manufacturing business, Bay Building Components.

John Seguin's studio.  Doug Mackey photo.

In the early 1980s he developed health problems and retired from business  and began to spend time by the water in Key West Florida with his wife  Anita.  He was soon drawn to the study of painting, drawing and photography  and the local community college.  He enjoyed the work, and later studied in  Mexico and Ottawa, where he received a diploma in Visual Arts from the  Ottawa School of Art.  As his style began to develop, he was influenced by  French Impressionist paintings, especially Monet's "Water Lilies," whose  work he saw on a trip to Europe.

John Seguin's wife Anita and one of John's Water Lily paintings.   Doug Mackey photo.

John had a special interest in the local history of logging, lumbering and  boating on Lake Nipissing.  His paintings of the Seagull II, the Woodchuck,  and the Sparrow, etc. are highlights of the displays at the Callander Bay  Historical Museum.  John did the painting for the poster for the recent boat  show for the museum.  I met him at meetings there and later received a phone  call from him asking if he could use a photograph of a lumber camp from one  of my Heritage Perspectives columns as the basis for a painting he wanted to  do.  I readily agreed, and when I heard that he had passed away I went to  visit his studio and his wife Anita showed me the painting he had done.   John was finishing a logging painting shortly before he went into the  hospital for the last time.  This large painting (54" X 96") will be one of  the forty in the show.

John was very much an artist and very much a businessman, and he oversaw the  promotion and sale of his work with care, leading to wide distribution of  his prolific output.  He was a passionate, talented, and energetic  businessman and artist, whose family and art reminds us of his full life and  the pleasure he brought to many.

The show, called Hammer and Brush: The Art and Life of John F Seguin, is  open during regular Gallery hours.  A special event reviewing his life and  art will be scheduled during the exhibition and a catalogue will be  available.  For further information contact the W.P. Kennedy Gallery at the  Capitol Centre.