Richard Karon Part 10

THE BIOGRAPHIES OF ARTISTS WE SHOULD KNOW - BUT DON'T

RICHARD KARON'S BIOGRAPHY IS IMPORTANT TO FAMILY, COMMUNITY, AND CANADA

     

     "Art when really understood is the province of every human being. It is simply a question of doing things, anything well. It is not an outside extra thing…..He does not have to be a painter or a sculptor to be an artist. He can work in any medium. He simply has to find the gain in the work itself, not outside it." Robert Henri.

     As a career hunter-gatherer, in the antique and collectible trade, I've always possessed a keen interest in art. I can cross almost any boundary of art-form and period, as long as the subject piece is of high quality. It might be a painting, or carving, sculpture or multimedia composition. A life drawing, a wildlife painting, floral / still life, folk art, or heavy iron sculpture. If I can afford it, and have the space to house it safely, and feel it might be a good investment piece, for potential re-sale at some point, it will be coming to live with me. I love art and artists. I adore artisans and folk artists. I have great admiration for those who can work with their hands, their mouths, as Myron Angus and other artists have painted, (I own one of Myron's original landscapes), and all those who live creatively, whether as musicians, writers, weavers, potters, glass blowers, wood carvers and everyone else who gets up in the morning, and with enthusiasm, wishes to create something……even a poem, or even a basic observation penned in a journal, about life and work in their flourishing gardens.  They see and feel what we would all benefit from, living in this lakeland. Their creations inspire us to explore, what we have ignored.

    I have been fortunate to have lived a creative life, as well, and I am so pleased to reside in a district, in this fine province, and country, that is so well populated with creators….visionaries, adventurers, who benefit from our beautiful surroundings in this magnificent lakeland. There is an undeniable energy here, found to be so abundant and liberating, by the early painters and poets who sought refuge here, from the industry and mayhem of the urban environs……and were encouraged by associate artists, such as those writers and poets, who gathered to participate at the Muskoka Assembly, on Tobin's Island, Lake Rosseau, back in the 1920's and 30's. The Chataqua colony found something spiritual here, and it is still being sought out, and discovered.

     While they don't get the recognition, I think they deserve, the associations of Muskoka Arts and Crafts and the member artisans belonging to the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour, amongst other arts related groups in our district, are important assets to the artistic / cultural vibrancy of our region. They bring an international recognition to our district of Ontario, as a nurturing place, for the arts, and thanks to their talents and strong alliances, throughout the community, many other artists have decided to locate here, broadening the diversity and attractiveness of home-inspired creative enterprise. As for the art community's contribution to the tourism industry, I think this is a largely ignored, or under-appreciated statistic locally. Thousands of visitors to Muskoka, through the four seasons, will find the arts community alive and well. Their hospitality is legend. What an amazing opportunity it is, during the Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour, for example, to be invited into the studios of participating artists, and artisans. Many other artists in the region, also open their studios to visitors. This is the kind generosity and hospitality that creates longterm goodwill, and a strong provincial, national and international reputation, as being an arts and crafts haven. I think sometimes, we forget, or at least minimize their contribution to the arts and cultural diversity going on here, that has been building steadily for decades without much fanfare or government focus. What we have here, is a rich and generous colony of creative thinkers, who are imbedded in one of the most naturally picturesque regions in Canada. They are representing us well, internationally, and we should realize this……and support them, as they have supported and brought positive recognition to our region. While Richard Karon didn't remain with the Studio Tour for long, he was part of the inaugural autumn season event in the mid 1970's.

     Having spent the past four months, working on the biography of former Muskoka artist, Richard Karon, I confess to being overwhelmed by the positive qualities of art in life. Even though the biography of Mr. Karon, is one of hardship, oppression, failings and almost impossible financial difficulties, for the young immigrant, the story is as compelling, because of its successes and the true measure, of what liberation and democracy can set free of creative enterprise……of which so many of us benefitted, owning his original paintings. The Muskoka lakeland set the artist free, to explore and celebrate his own adventures of discovery. He celebrated these opportunities, and this shows through his art work. He never gave up on Muskoka as a place of inspiration. When he finally left the region, due to a marital separation, he had retired from active painting altogether. It was not the case he couldn't have survived as a landscape artist for years to come. His illness, however, would have only allowed him several more years of active painting. Having grown-up in Nazi occupied Poland, his sense of liberation was deeply, and profoundly felt. He wanted his son to enjoy the qualities of life he had been denied as a young man. While he was not fervent about his political beliefs, and one who seldom discussed politics, he found Canada full of promise and potential, and a safe country for his family. He knew the consequences of an unsafe place to live. Muskoka was fertile ground for family and profession.

     As an art lover and collector, I always hate coming upon an art piece, appropriately signed, possibly dated, with a trace amount of provenance, but be unable to find anything out about the painter, sculptor or craftsperson. It's the first thing we do, once home after a picking adventure. We head to the internet first of all, and do an online search of the artist's name. Ninety-five percent of the time, we find nothing. Not one shred of biographical detail about the artist's life and career. Now of course, many talented artists never followed creative enterprise, as the sole source of income. They may have been like Bracebridge Artist Bob Everett, who was a career pharmacist, owning his own drug store. He painted in the after-hours and then in retirement, and became a well known landscape artist. There were other artists, such as Bill Anderson and Winifred Anderson, who were highly skilled landscape painters, but did so mostly for enjoyment, and only a little bit of profit. Bill was a barber, who used to paint at his easel, in his Manitoba Street shop……in between, or even during barbering sessions. No one cared. It was a joy to watch. He would cut hair for a few moments, make his tea, and then take a quick turn at the easel because, he spotted something he wanted to add. We were all glad to have this wonderful opportunity, to watch a painter in action.

     It bothers me, that when, for example, we do a search for information, on former Gravenhurst artist, Frank Johnston, one of the finest lithographers in Canada, we find only reference to former Group of Seven artist Frank "Franz" Johnston. For many years, Frank dominated our art scene in Gravenhurst, with his nostalgic artwork, even appearing on the menu covers of the famous Sloans Restaurant, on Muskoka Road. He had produced a number of massive watercolors, depicting Gravenhurst's historic wharf, with its legendary fleet of steamships, all for Sloans customers to enjoy. Our boys went in for our weekend lunches, mostly to admire the paintings. Here was this incredibly talented artist, living a couple of streets from the main business corridor, and few knew, or cared to know, who he was. Well, if you were to read the book, "Hot Breakfast for Sparrows," the biography of Canadian Artist, Harold Town, by Iris Nowell, you would realize that Frank Johnston was one of few print makers anywhere, good enough for Mr. Town. Town was notoriously difficult to deal with, and Johnston was trusted to turn out perfect prints. What annoys me, as an art lover and historian, is that we can so easily forget and dismiss someone of his calibre, and accomplishments, in the field of art. He painted impressions of hundreds of Canadian historic sites, that are still proudly owned by museums, and yet you won't find a Frank Johnston memorial tribute in this town. The pre-occupation with our political leaders can be nauseating at times. This is the history that gets most ink. Government. Political will. Municipal authority. Political stories in the press that aren't anything more than filler. It's wrong not to know about other history makers.  Artists like Frank Johnston gave us an arts pedigree, and a legacy to uphold, that we should have cherished in perpetuity. How nice it would be, at this time of celebration, for the upcoming anniversary of the RMS Segwun, to have our Frank Johnston originals returned….even on loan for an exhibit. They were sold and re-located to Huntsville. This was not the way it was supposed to be, and our town ended the relationship with this generous artist badly. Of course we should make amends. The first step, is by celebrating the fine art he produced while living and working in our town. If you read the first years of Muskoka Today, you would have seen the portraits of the columnists, sketched by Frank Johnston. And yes, I was one of those honored columnists.

     The point is, I have received hundreds of calls and emails over the years, asking if I knew any biographical information on Richard Karon. In fact, I have received more information requests about Mr. Karon than any other local artist. Part of this, is the fact that many of his paintings, sold in the 1970's, to an older clientele, have been dispersed by estates in the past decades. New owners, finding these art panels, at antique shops and included in estate auctions, have created new interest in the artist. At one time, several years ago, I pre-wrote a standard email, for those Karon related inquiries, offering all the information I possessed on the artist's painting career. Well, I don't need it any longer. I will soon be able to direct those painting owners to a special "Karon Blogsite," for reference, and this makes me feel pretty good. I wish more family members, like the Karons, would take a sincere interest in creating better biographical resources for their artist kin, because it is needed, and would be well used in the future. I plan, myself, to embark on a cursory investigation of Frank Johnston, to develop at the very least, an information base for future researchers and painting (and print) owners to access. I know Frank was pretty disgruntled about our town, when he moved back to Picton, Ontario, and I'd like to right some of those wrongs, by demonstrating how much his work meant to citizens and visitors over so many years. To think the town governance might one day recognize his contribution, to our cultural and historic identity, well, wouldn't that be swell. This would be the right thing to do, and I will offer my services, without cost, to advance such an important initiative.

     As I am drawing to the conclusion of the biography of Richard Karon, I want to make sure, readers and those who visit the Karon blogsite in the future, feel welcome to inter-act with us, and the artist's family, via email comments which we would love to publish, as reference, on the site. If you have a personal story, about having met with the artist, in the past, or you wish to comment on a painting you own, share a photograph of an original in your possession, or just offer a critique on the biography, out of general interest, we want you to participate, to further develop the scope and diversity of this research material. We have welcomed critical overviews and observations from other artists. No artist or original work, stands free of constructive critique. If you would like to get a message to a family member, we will eventually provide a suitable link. The artist's son, Richard Sahoff Karon, is interested in knowing more about his father, beyond what we have uncovered in this biography so far. We are interested in all new information, and particularly from Poland, where the artist was born. We are admittedly deficient in information up to the time Karon arrived in Muskoka, back in the late 1960's. As this work will be shared, and translated, at some point, for readers in Poland, we do expect new information to be forthcoming, and possibly corrections of historical detail. We will never discourage information that changes details or assumptions in this biography. This is the reason it was published online, and not in book-form, to enable us to make additions and corrections, as new information prevails upon us. We hope you will agree to be part of this biography-building, for Polish-Canadian Artist, Richard Karon.

     In tomorrow's blog, I would like to share with you, the names of many fine folks, who helped create this biography, by offering information about their contact with the artist, and family, and so generously provided images of Karon originals, in their possession. Those paintings that were not released on the blogsite, or seen in the video tribute to Mr. Karon, will be published on the official blogsite dedicated to the artist.

     The biography has been sent to both the National Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Ontario, for the use by their respective reference libraries. It has been made available, for reference and promotion, to the Polish-Canadian Association, the Township of Lake of Bays, the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Chamber of Commerce, the Huntsville Public Library, the Lake of Bays Association, and Muskoka Arts and Crafts. We hope that this biography will inspire others, to make the effort, to set down the personal records of so many other Muskoka region artists, who have contributed so much, for so long, to the development and exhibition of our cultural heritage.

      "Those who bring beauty to the heart of man shall yet stand the peer of those who bring knowledge to the mind."  Morris Gray.

      It's sunny this afternoon. The boglands here at Birch Hollow are beckoning. Bosko has enthusiastically brought me her leash. I get the message. I shall, with my friend, go for a walk. Thanks so much for joining today's blog. More to follow.

Richard Karon Part 9

     "To learn something about crafts and craftsmen is to learn about the history of the race. Each craft is the rich repository of many years of practical experimentation and knowledge by men and women whose very lives were shaped and enhanced by the work of their hands. More than wars, more even than literature or the chronicles of kings and great men, the crafts reflect our universal past. They also demonstrate with beauty and precision, how generations of creativity went into developing and refining hundreds of regional variations that are only now blending, losing their identities." John Seymour, "The Forgotten Arts & Crafts."

RICHARD KARON BIOGRAPHY -

THE BIOGRAPHER'S RELATIONSHIP WITH ART AND ARTISTS-

     "We frequently use the term creative artist, and quite rightly so. But to be truly aware of art as one of the finest and most beautiful of human activities is not as simple as it sometimes seems. There would appear to be no grounds for doubting that when you look at a painting, statue or drawing, read a poem or listen to a violin sonata, you are dealing not with natural phenomena but with the creations of the human mind, heart and hands. But a work of art is objectivised, removed from its creator and appears to us, the public, in its own independent characteristic form, which is revealed especially patently, fully and completely in the fine arts. This form is based on objects and phenomena in life, although there can be no question of identity," wrote art historian, Vladislav Zimenko, in his 1976 book, "The Humanism of Art. "Nevertheless, when we perceive a painting, sculpture or engraving we automatically and quite reasonably relate the forms we see to the forms of real-life objects, often even to the extent of forgetting that they are not identical. The joy of recognition of familiar objects tends to take precedence over the joy derived from the aesthetic reproductions and representation." He also wrote that, "Art creates a special world organized by the will and wisdom of the artist, in which we are all the time aware of refections of his artistic nature even, where he had been at great pains to hide them."

     I have known many artists. I have studied them at work, and marveled at their intuition and imagination, to create works that are alluring and provocative, inspiring and exciting….. but I am wary of the alchemy at their beck and call. I have read hundreds of books on fine arts, some dating back hundreds of years. Yet, I am no closer to understanding the arts, but suffice that I am able to appreciate them, by my own unreserved innocence.

     Every year, I am tempted by some offer, to work on a biography. Not my own. That would be pretty boring, compared to some members of our citizenry, past and present, who have had remarkable lives. It's true. All the biographies I have written, to date, are about subjects who are deceased. There was one exception. When I wrote a tribute biography for National Hockey League goaltender, Roger Crozier, working as a corporate executive, for an American bank. When I was later hired as a contributor to a larger book project, by his bank in Delaware, Roger was very sick, and before the text was completed, he had passed away. For whatever reason, the biography was shelved. "Daredevil Goalie," was the first book written on Roger, after he won the Conn Smythe Trophy, in the 1960's, and my tribute biography was the last cursory hockey biography. This was produced in the mid 1990's. Roger was so pleased with it, that he invited me to visit him in Delaware, and tour MBNA headquarters. He had a great life beyond the accomplishments of professional hockey.

     In 2011, I re-published the biography of Ada Florence Kinton, a pioneer artist, missionary, of Huntsville, both online and in a neat little publication known as "Curious; The Tourist Guide," that I've been writing for during the past decade. The Kinton story is one I've repeated three times now, for regional publications, and on the third (revised) release, I finally got word from a family member. Which was fantastic, and the fact the family appreciated the story was even better.

     In the case of Richard Karon, the fact I got involved in the story, dates back to my early days as a hobby art collector. As I've written about previously, I developed a fascination for art at a young age. As a kid, I was sick a lot. I can remember laying on the couch in our livingroom, on so many of those days, staring at the ceiling. When not looking there, I was studying the only two paintings my mother and father owned. One was a William Kranley, who had once been connected to the Ontario College of Art, and another painting by T.Looksooner. My mother had worked as a secretary for Mr. Kranley, and as a gift, he gave her a wonderful autumn landscape, probably painted in the late 1940's. Merle purchased the Looksooner painting, of ocean waves crashing against the shore, in the early 1960's, when the painter brought some panels to a neighbor's apartment, while we were living in Burlington. I wasn't surrounded by art, as a kid, but I was certainly affected by the little we had……other than cheap prints to fill wall space.

     Part of my fascination, was that these two modest paintings, could cheer me up, when I was feeling poorly. The autumn scene, while melancholy in appearance, made me feel calm and comfortable, and the ocean scene evoked a sense of "sailing away" and coolness, if I had a fever. I held great respect for artists, who could provide such tender care and gentle adventure for a sick kid. It made me want to learn how to paint. I tried. Around Birch Hollow today, you can find all kinds of attempts by the writer, to be a painter. Suffice to say, I am a painter. A house painter. My most recent accomplishment in painting, was a re-decorated bathroom. So I have spent most of a life-time collecting, and selling interesting art, satisfying myself as an admirer of the paintings, I could never excel at myself.

      I remember an occasion, when I arrived back at the antique shop, I operated with my parents, in Bracebridge, and Merle was ecstatic about a deal she had wangled with a customer. Thinking we had made thousands of dollars, she instead produced a tiny but well executed pencil sketch of the Empire State Building, in New York. Merle got it by trading a pair of old glasses, to a client in desperate need. The gentleman was an American artist who had been staying in Muskoka, who had, by some misadventure, damaged his own vintage-style spectacles. It was on a day he couldn't find anyone to make repairs, and he was driving home that afternoon. He had them taped together in a rather awkward fashion. He decided to drop in to our newly opened shop, circa 1977, before leaving town, and to his delight, he found the old pair of wire glasses I'd purchased the week before at an auction. It seems the parts could be switched, and he could unwrap the tape from his glasses. He confessed to being quite out of money, which we used to hear a lot, but he had an original pencil sketch he had in his portfolio, that he had drawn recently. Merle liked it, and thought we could double our money, at least, from what the old spectacles were priced at…..and she was right. She had made a very astute trade, and many years later the small original sketch sold for about $150.00, I believe. The glasses had been on sale for ten bucks.

     There was another case, when a local artist came into the store with ten original oil paintings, on carved pieces of half inch plywood. They were nicely sculpted around the edges, unframed, with wire hangers, but a lot of folks objected to the plywood. The art work was brilliant. Wonderful nature studies that were all very well executed, and would have looked magnificent on masonite or canvas……just not on plywood. We took them on consignment, and Merle, feeling a little sorry for the talented artist, down on his luck, bought the little paintings……and then gave them to me for my apartment, which admittedly had a few bare walls.

     I can remember the spring I graduated university in Toronto, getting a little financial windfall, and taking a portion of the money and investing it in art. At the time I didn't know too much about art as an investment, so I made a crappy decision. I sold one of the three but I gave the other originals to my parents for the bare walls in their new apartment, in the years after we closed our shop. After my parents died, several years ago, I inherited those two paintings, now sitting in my archives room, reminding me daily about the precarious art market. It's not that they aren't good paintings, just that they aren't good enough to earn any serious returns for my multi-decade investment. Merle and Ed thought they were great, and for me, that was all the icing I needed on the cake.

     As I've also mentioned previously, I grew up in a town with three prominent artists, working on the main street of town, at roughly the same time. Bob Everett was the artist / pharmacist, on Manitoba Street, Bill Anderson was the painter / barber, and my old chum (who I just chatted with recently) Ross Smith, was the artist / gas jockey at his father's Uptown Garage. All three were accomplished landscape artists. Ross still paints regularly, and of this I'm delighted. I have one of his originals he did for me, of a rustic cabin on a quiet stretch of Muskoka River. Ross was my neighbor at York University's "Winter's College," and he always had a painting on the go, or stacks of his old work, which I used to beg, and haul home in my girlfriend Gail's Volkswagon. It can be said of me, I never left a panel behind. And my girlfriend always wanted to kick my…………." She always knew, that faced with a romantic decision, between her and the art panels, I was going to have a lot of art on my walls…..but a crappy romantic life.

     This is, of course, is a round-about way of getting back to the subject of this blog-biography. As I have been a staunch supporter of the arts community, in Muskoka, and one of the "behind the scenes," negotiators, for the present Chapel Gallery, in Bracebridge (Muskoka Arts and Crafts operated site), I could very easily select another artist biography over a generous offer to write the life story of a hockey player, golfer, politician or magician. I've interviewed and promoted hundreds of local artists over the years, for news and feature publications, and I've never been disappointed by the experience or the outcomes. I've interviewed sculptors like Richard Green, one of the most colorful interviews I've ever had, (what a character) wood artisans like Don Thur, pottery artists, such as Jon Partridge, bird carvers……, Weldon Tracey was always a charming gentleman to interview; artists like Doug Dunford. I always wanted to own the original Dunford painting of the tractor known as "Minnesota Moline," but alas, I was a poor reporter, without a budget for nice art work. I have met and written about so many talented artists in this inspiring region of Ontario, which has always been as enjoyable for me, as I hope it was, a successful promotion, for the subject artist. I always enjoyed seeing their studios, and watching them work at their easels or potter's wheel. I watched, within only a few feet, as glass artist Jamie Sherman worked his magic at the furnace, in his former Bracebridge studio. I have spent a lot of time in my news career, in awe, writing about the creative work of others.

     It's the reason I had been considering work on a biography, of former Muskoka artist, Richard Karon. When I finally met the well known artist, at his Lake of Bays studio, back in the mid 1980's, he was, just then, closing his art business. Not only was he closing up his studio / gallery, and selling a large quantity of his remaining artwork, little did I appreciate, he was also giving-up painting as a profession. I was astonished, during the auction, held the same day as I finally met the artist, (who I had heard and read so much about), when the auctioneer's helpers began wading into a storage building, and dragging out rolls of paintings, some actually stuck together. They were selling these rolled up canvases together, and I remember getting three in one roll. The job was to separate them from each other. I knew when I saw this happening, it was not a typical close-out of an art studio, by the artist himself. Very few, if any professional artists, would allow their inferior work to be sold off. This work is usually destroyed, no matter how much value it might possess down the road. While it's true that estates for artists, often disregard last will directives on the disposal of sketches, and rejected studio work, the reason for it, is actually quite simple. The lesser works on the market, will affect the valuation of the better pieces held by investors. The mistake of the artists, usually, is that they often leave the task of getting-rid of unwanted panels, until it is too late. Sensing there is money to be made from even damaged or incomplete art panels, executors tend to overlook what was a sincere request by the artist before death. "Get rid of them." Which refers to the inferior work they don't wish to be made public. In the strange case of Mr. Karon, who was going through the early stages of a marital separation, he gave permission to sell this work he had previously rejected. This for an artist of his calibre, was like a magician giving up the secrets of his tricks. His failings and inconsistencies, in his own mind, as the artist, were being dumped onto the market. But there was something he hadn't really thought about, in his resignation to cease work as an artist.

     As I've written about, previously in this biography, something fascinating happened during the auction, that few patrons would have recognized as a "theme for the day." The artist was too emotionally distant and disgruntled to have appreciated what was happening in the audience. Most of the people, buying his art on that day, were folks who admired his work. They weren't bargain hunters or flea market vendors, looking to make a fast buck, by flipping these art pieces by the end of the week. In the crowd were friends, neighbors, cottagers, and art patrons who knew his talents as a painter. I may have been the only antique dealer that day, particularly interested in his art work…..but frankly, I was there as both a reporter and historian, because this was an important memory to preserve. What I saw that day, was his art work being "rescued," by people who had admiration for the painter. They weren't buying the cast-off originals for great future profit, but instead, because the art meant something to them. They knew the places he painted, and the times of day he preferred to capture his landscapes…..when the mist and light, and colors were most profoundly enchanting. It was as if he was flinging all the work he had ever invested, into the sky, and letting it fall upon the ground, as a poetic gesture of a failed career. In reality, quite the opposite held true. But what he hadn't anticipated, was the crowd of supporters, admirers, who wanted to own Richard Karon originals, no matter if they were seconds, or incomplete. As he stayed, for most of the auction, behind the counter in his gallery, selling the leftover panels still mounted on the walls, he missed seeing the show of respect for his creations. It was, for this observer, a tragic event, because it meant the end of a long and successful career. Had he known his art was being snapped up by those who respected his work, possibly it would have been a spark of optimism……that while having to sell his home / studio, it didn't mean he hadn't been a competent painter, creating desirable paintings. He couldn't separate a failed marriage from the well being of his profession, and all he could think about, following the closure of the Baysville studio, was positioning himself close to his young son, Richard Sahoff Karon, then only four years old. His long-time friend Eva Scheel, owner of the Log Cabin Gift Shop, told me during an interview, many years ago, that the painter was devastated by the break-up, and the thought of being separated from his young son, compelled him to move. In his mind, he had no choice but to re-locate, and his art became inconsequential. There is no disguising or muting the sense of tragic circumstance, he must have felt, at this time of his life. I'm afraid that by this point, no supportive editorial or heartfelt compliment, about acceptance of his work, would have changed his future. His satisfaction then, was that he was able to remain close to his son, for several more years, up to the last moments of life. His son was only seven when his father passed away. 

     I have in my possession, a number of curious art pieces, I obtained from a local second hand shop, several years ago. I was immediately attracted to them, and while vibrant, well executed abstract portraits, there was something more compelling about the panels, commanding me to bring them home. I have about twelve of this talented artist's signed originals, and some of the books he had in his art library. They had been signed by him. I remember, one morning, reading the weekly paper, and coming across an obituary for this same artist. When I happened to mention this to the manager of the store, later that same week, he was shocked to hear the news. The artist had only recently dropped the small collection of art work off at the store, to help the charity, stating then that he hoped the work could raise a few needed dollars for the organization. It was not a natural death, from what I have ascertained since. Distraught? Feeling it had been a failed career in the arts? Depression amongst artists is well documented, especially noted in the biographies of the world's best known creators. Karon was buoyed by a love for his family, his son, and knowing he was in the early stages of cancer himself, he wanted to spend as much time, as possible, with his son and namesake. Art became irrelevant, even when his wife, Irma, asked him, on numerous occasions, if he could paint a portrait of their son. Whether he outrightly refused, or just never followed-through, we don't know. But this may be the clear evidence, he had given up on art totally by this point…..which was post 1985, but not on life. In fact, strange as this may seem, he opened a small business to frame the work of other artists.

     It was because of the Karon auction, and the sadness of that day, and the circumstances that I had always been suspicious of, that did eventually, lead me to undertake his biography……which I feel, as I write this, was destiny in all its glory. The ends of the circle would meet. This is exactly what I told Richard Sahoff Karon, on the day I met with him, in January of this year, at my boys' music shop here in Gravenhurst. He was with his young daughter Aurora, and as I'm a pretty spiritual guy, it didn't take a medium to tell me, something positive was going to happen. The artist and the writer were going to come together once again, to complete the circle, for his son and granddaughter, and for subsequent generations of the Karon family. What was important to his son, had become imminently so for me, and work began immediately following our meeting. One might assume then, by the biography so far, that this is a markedly sad story. I find, myself, that the opposite holds true. It is an uplifting story, by the reality, the truth has prevailed, and what may have been perceived as irreparable, has in instead, been presented as opportunity for healing. 

     Join me tomorrow for the conclusion of the Richard Karon biography.

Richard Karon Part 8

What Did Richard Karon Want From His Art Career?

Did He Achieve His Objective? Earning a Living? Achieving Fame?

     Quite a number of people, who have been reading this biography, of Muskoka artist, Richard Karon, have admitted, being shocked to learn of the artist's tumultuous youth in Poland, in the years, from September 1939 until the war's end in 1945. Even those who knew the artist personally, and shared small-talk for years, are surprised to read about the oppression he and his family suffered at the hands of the Nazi occupiers. It wasn't something he felt comfortable discussing, and he was more contemporary in his conversations, unless it was with family. Even then, he didn't wish to burden them, with what he had learned to handle himself. It is of considerable importance to this biography, because of the fact he felt it necessary to conceal these experiences; events and personal involvements that affected his day to day living for decades. Whether or not he was chased by demons in his mind, or not, some of his characteristics, moods and attitudes, reflected his own suppression of the past. His second wife, Irma, had known of his great interest, in connecting with the family he had lost, and although he didn't make it seem like a mission, on his part, he spent many hours on the phone seeking out the family he had left behind in Poland. He never returned to Poland, after he had escaped the communists in 1948. There will be some readers appalled by what they learn of Poland, at the time, and others who may not fully appreciate the impact it had on the young artist. While this has been addressed in other chapters of this biography, it is also part of the conclusive overview, of the artist in our district, who admittedly, we knew very little about. The fact he had endured a horrible existence, as a young man, didn't make him a good artist. Richard Karon would not have discussed his Polish heritage, at all, if a friend or art patron hadn't inquired. He certainly didn't use his past to gain sympathy for his work, as a survivor of a terrible war. He was humble and modest in this regard, and wished to be judged as all artists are judged…..by the competence of his work, not on his prevailing biography. But his experiences were profound and influential, and can not be minimized, for the purposes of this biography, despite the fact the details may make us uncomfortable.

     "Another feature of Nazi rule was the concentration camp; by the summer of 1941 there were more than a dozen of these camps, and hundreds of smaller labour camps and prison centers, scattered throughout the Reich. These camps were filled with German opponents of Nazism, with homosexuals and others judged to be enemies of the new social order, with Polish intellectuals and political prisoners, and, but to a lesser extent, with Jews. Brutality ruled supreme in these camps, where death from savage beatings was a daily event." This passage was written by Holocaust Historian, Martin Gilbert, in his 1981 book, "Auschwitz and the Allies."

     "The letter from Bedzin (Poland) went on to tell of 80,000 Jews from German-occupied Western Poland who had been gassed at Chelmno and of the remaining 40,000 Jews of the Lodz ghetto who were sealed in the ghetto 'doomed to die of hunger and wasting away.' Only 20,000 Jews were still alive in Lithuania, in three ghettoes, at Vilna, Kovno and Shauliai. The rest of Lithuania,  had become Judenrein, 'purged of all Jews.' As for the cities of Warsaw, Lublin, Czestochowa, and Cracow, each of them once with flourishing Jewish communities, 'today there are no longer any Jews.' They had been exterminated in Treblinka, the famous extermination camp, not only for Polish Jews, but also for Jews from Holland, Belgium and elsewhere," writes Martin Gilbert. Richard Karon was from Czestochowa. He watched it all unfold. He was only eleven years old when the Nazi invasion occurred. In his early twenties, when Karon decided that his past, under Nazi confinement, then to be replaced by the new controlling hand of communism, would have marked the death knell of the artist within, his daring escape with other dissidents, from Poland, must have been a most breath-taking experience, violently teetering between fear and exhilaration. He freed himself from oppression. He was a survivor, and of this, he was proud.  

     Richard Karon didn't reveal a lot about himself to anyone. He took a lot of secrets to the grave. What he didn't talk about, were those tragedies he clearly couldn't talk about. He did not possess the capability, in his life, to make sense of what he had witnessed in his native Poland, during the Nazi occupation. It would be a parallel situation, for many survivors and witnesses of the Nazi savagery. With Richard Karon, you can put a face to that witness, that survivor, and what revelations he made, to select few individuals over the span of his life, generated the kind of silence he disliked. He didn't wish to shock anyone with the truth of what he had experienced, and witnessed, of Jews being murdered in his community; many he and his family had become friends, beaten publicly, tortured and executed in front of him. It was a message the Nazi occupiers wanted the citizenry to appreciate……that they could meet the same fate. In fact, it was what his mother had received, brutally, when suspected of being somehow connected to the Polish underground. Watching Jewish youngsters, trying to escape their captors, being shot on the streets of his beautiful, historic city, had a profound influence on the soon-to-be artist. He knew, from a young age, the right time to speak, and the wrong time. He understood what Nazi guards wanted to hear, and how it was to be spoken. When he may have wished to strike out, and defend those who were being brutalized, he understood that it would be signing his own death warrant, and potentially warrants for his family. Retaliation, in this young man's position, would have been a short-lived act of misplaced hubris. The reader may be surprised to know just how close to death the young man had been, on many occasions, from September 1939 until 1945. The paintings you may possess, signed Richard Karon, are the result of a man's capability to survive incredible odds. He had been threatened by a Nazi guard, and a gun held to his head, for stealing bread to help his family. If he had been Jewish, the end would have come swiftly, at that moment. The future artist, dead!

     We have all had our brushes with death, at one point or the other, during long lives. Most of us though, haven't had such a precarious life and death crisis, extending for more than five years, when at any moment, caused by any suspicion whatsoever, the end could come quickly and without warning. Much as if living in a confined space with poisonous snakes, with no exit strategy except basic survival or suicide. For many, suicide was a viable alternative. It is said that Karon learned to live within the barbs of Nazi occupation, because of his interest in art. It pre-occupied his mind, at a time when all else was a horror unfolding. He did talk about the sights and sounds of war, and explained how horrible it was to see and hear the Jews jammed inhumanely into boxcars, moving along the tracks near his home, screaming for help……when there was no help possible. No act or heroics singularly, would have ended with anything less than death, shot on sight. The boxcars would still have rattled down those silver rails, toward death camps. The hell on earth was that there was so little that could be done, to make even the least amount of difference, to the plight of these Polish citizens, Adolph Hitler wished to exterminate, in his Final Solution.

     When you look at one of Richard Karon's art panels, mounted above your fireplace mantle, or hung in a livingroom, or diningroom, or cottage sunroom, you may feel differently, upon reading this biography, and knowing the true story about an artist, who was purposely evasive in life, about the true measure of his past. It was obvious, he felt survivor's guilt, common for those who witness such horrors in life, but are spared to re-enact those tragedies until their own eventual end. A recent figure on the suicides of American veterans, was, if I remember correctly, said to average one every two hours of every day, of every year, due to the mental burdens inflicted by war…..and the return home for what can never be a normal life. In Canada, we are learning much more about the toll of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and the downward spiral of returning soldiers who are affected. While there is no evidence Richard Karon ever raised a gun to fight the occupying force, or evidence that he killed a Nazi, as he may have desired, he was witness to enough brutality and death, to have left lasting trauma, that was never treated…..and as such did affect his quality of life, and may have eventually cost him his second marriage to wife Irma.

     What I have been impressed by, as the author of this biography, is that Richard Karon found his peace at last, in Muskoka. Of many places in the province he could have set up his art studio, he found a small acreage that suited his interests, in the Township of Lake of Bays……his idea of paradise on earth. The artist had found his vehicle of liberation, working in Muskoka. It's not as if he could leave his PTSD behind him, or avoid having flashbacks, about what he had witnessed, because that was impossible. There is no evidence he had ever attended a therapist, and at this time, little was known about the disorder, and how it affected its sufferers. He found the nature studies best suited to his own feelings, of freedom of expression, democracy and liberation from everything else he had known, including poverty. As he had always been a survivor, even as a young man, having to steal food in order to survive, he had the confidence in himself, that he could generate a good income in Muskoka. He made a sensible decision. While it did take a number of years to earn a following, his paintings weren't depictions of landscapes elsewhere. Many of his scenes were identifiable, and he told those who purchased panels, exactly where the art works had been inspired. These were home-inspired paintings that reflected not only the enchantments of natural Muskoka, but were very much studies of the Township of Lake of Bays. He was proud to be called a local artist by those who knew him. Writer's at the time, who critiqued his work in published reviews, called him a Canadian artist. This must have made him feel enormously proud, of what he had accomplished from his unfortunate start in life.

     I think, as his biographer, he would have been very pleased, if a reviewer, even today, was to refer to him as a Polish-Canadian artist, as this would conclusively validate, all the days of his life, invested in the pursuit of this great love for art.

     Arguably, Richard Karon escaped through his art. Possibly, during more prolific periods, he simply needed to escape more often. It might be assumed he painted more, to create more product to sell from his home / studio. This wouldn't be a wrong assessment entirely, because he was a man who knew how to hustle in order to provide for his family. There are those who knew him well, and his artwork, who would claim they knew the artist's prevailing mood, by the way the palette knife had been wielded on that particular day. Which is not an uncommon observation to make of artist's and their creative enterprise. Studying his paintings of waterfalls and rapids, one can see how impressed he was by the power generated by the tumble of water over rocks, and the thunder it produced as he sketched at its side. They are quite different from his passive landscapes, that might remind the viewer of postcards they've seen before. Karon began in this way, as a young artist, sketching scenes he found on old postcards, his family, friends and neighbors gave him to copy. It is known that many of the scenes he painted, in Ontario from the early 60's, had been based on photographs taken by the artist, on trips back into the woods. His son, Richard Sahoff Karon, possesses all his father's slides, taken from the 1960's to the 1980's. They are presently stored in the wood chest the artist carved, that reminds his son, when opened, of the wonderful smell of the forest, on the woodlot where the family house had been constructed near Baysville.

     It can be said, of Richard Karon, that he felt an uncertain, unspecified amount of guilt throughout his life, for what he had witnessed in Poland, during the Nazi occupation. Events he had witnessed, as close as having smelled the hot smoke of exploded gun-powder, and the sharp ringing in his ear, and the unavoidable scent of death….the sight of so much blood, so much human suffering, and so much exposure to the meaning of death. When you look upon one of his strikingly beautiful, and alluring landscapes, it seems so amazing, reckoning how he found the reason to, so poignantly, celebrate life, and the restorations he found within nature, here in Muskoka. He refused to allow the past to destroy the freedom, he felt had been earned, through hard work, and survival instincts.

     Most recently, his son wrote me a profoundly heartfelt email, that he had, just the day before, visited his father's gravesite, in a churchyard in Richmond Hill, Ontario, with the purpose, on that occasion, of letting his father know, people were fondly remembering and celebrating his work once more…….and that his biography was being read by many of his former friends and art patrons, who he had thought so much about, in his studio days, near the Village of Baysville, in the Township of Lake of Bays. As he had only been a child, when his father passed away from lung cancer, in 1987, admittedly, he set about this mission of discovery, as much for his daughter Aurora…….., so she would one day, know more about her grandfather, than he had known. Growing up with very little appreciation for what his father had endured in his life, or the successes he had earned as a respected landscape artist. For his son, the knowledge acquired over the past two years of personal research, and the most recent four months of intensive sleuthing, has been nothing short of remarkable, by his own admission. He wishes to thank all those folks, who knew his father personally, and art owners, who still cherish Karon originals, for taking the time to meet with him, and show him the art works in their possession.  He has a much clearer perspective of his father, "poppa" and an appreciation of how his explorations in creativity, were his means of escape……without running away from what were, a plethora of troubling memories. He was not an artist who suffered for his craft. He was very much a creator who benefitted from art. Much as if, by his own design, it was a huge, gaping hole, to a portal of ethereal existence…….much as if he imbedded his soul in every landscape he painted…….a shade of nature…..the artist.

     It is the 23rd day of April, 2012. It is snowing. I have just returned from a brisk walk out into the Bog, here at Birch Hollow, and found snow accumulations on the branches of our budding lilacs. The heavy, gusting wind, has already knocked down some of the feeble birches, and the leaves that one neighbor dutifully raked this weekend, have already this afternoon, blown back onto his lawn. There is more snow forecast for our region much later in the day. Despite the inclement weather, and discouraging late season snowfall, the birds are chirping contently in the pine boughs, and the daffodils and tulips in the garden, although snow-dusted, are as cheerful and uplifting as ever. On many occasions, during the first part of this biographic research, which began in early January, there were many warmer days than this chilly, blustery afternoon in South Muskoka. Yet it is the kind of day, I can still wander about these haunted woodlands, and with great optimism, look upon the forest floor of emerging ferns, their green nubs rising from the wet ground cover, and hear the tiny creeks gurgling beneath the mounds of old grasses, and feel in spirit, the strong pull of regeneration, and rebirth, in this wondrous spring of the year. I can look at many scenes, from different vantage points here, and see the exciting opportunities for an artist like Richard Karon, to capture them on canvas. I have enjoyed all the opportunities that have been afforded me, during work on this biography. I will not be able to walk through this lowland again, without feeling I'm in the company of Mr. Karon, making me aware of the art within nature. Without ever intending it, he has been my tutor in art, my mentor in nature studies.

Richard Karon Part 7

The Impact of Muskoka on an Artist's Son - Richard Sahoff Karon

     I have made mention, many times through this biography, of the artist's son, as he has been my most important resource on this biographical project. He was pulled away from Muskoka at around four years of age, when his parents decided, after some period of marital strife, they had irreconcilable differences. Richard was to live with his mother and, while the couple did get back together shortly before the death of her husband, he was only seven when he stood at the side of the hospital bed, wondering what was about to happen. He was pretty young to appreciate the full scope of the loss he had just incurred. In only three years, Richard Sahoff Karon had endured being uprooted from the family home, leaving Muskoka, being transplanted in the city, living apart from his father, having his father return, only to die a short while later. It's should be no wonder, that he has invested several years now, trying to find out more about this father. It was two years ago that he first contacted me, about the possibility of helping him find more information out, about his father's painting accomplishments in Muskoka. It was the case, we didn't get together until January of this year, but in the meantime, I had been thinking a lot about previous articles I'd written on Richard Karon, dating back to my years with The Herald-Gazette, and the Muskoka Sun. I had two years to think about, whether I could help him or not. After meeting him here in Gravenhurst, in early January, I was convinced this was a young man who needed to know more. As an historian and art admirer, who had some time on his hands, I had signed onto the project after the first five minutes of our meeting. The story was an interesting one, and something different for me, after writing loads of political critiques and scathing editorials in the months leading up to this biographical research. I needed some unique story to immerse myself in, and use the winter season hiatus, in the antique trade, to start some digging into the past. I have been fascinated ever since.

     What I have stated, from the beginning of this project, is that it is, above all else, a Muskoka story. Richard Karon Sr., chose building a home / studio in Muskoka, tucked into the woodlands of the beautiful Township of Lake of Bays, when he could have worked more profitably in commercial art in Toronto. He had many friends and colleagues in the art community in North Bay, and potentially backers for his idea of creating a school for the arts in the city. He decided instead, to invest in Muskoka. We're glad he did. It is very much the case today, that the artist's son has a strong passion for the Muskoka his father painted, and each year, makes many trips here to visit the places he remembers as a child; the former home he lived-in for those first few years of life, and of course, a stop in the Village of Baysville, where his father had many friends.  Although he doesn't live here, at present, he has a place in his heart for the lakeland where his own biography began.

     When he was in High School, he wrote a short essay about Muskoka. It was very much influenced by the reality, his father had been one of the region's well known representative painters, from the late 1960's to the mid 1980's; and the fact he had very much enjoyed his short time living in this beautiful hinterland of Ontario. I felt it was appropriate to publish this essay, as part of his father's biography, as I think the elder Karon, would have very much appreciated that his son had been so enthusiastically influenced, by this beautiful region on earth. Now in the words of Richard Sahoff Karon:

When ever I, see any pictures or things which are related to Muskoka, I, feel this great joy, this pride which to someone who is not Muskokan or familiar with the region may not understand.  This land which has touched so many people’s lives is quintessentially Canadian in character.  Muskoka is a land of sparkling lakes, thick green forests, thundering waterfalls and rocky granite outcroppings.  The elemental piece of Muskoka, the one thing that I, and many other Muskokans feel is essential to the beauty and character of Muskoka, is the huge chunks of granite. These beautiful pink, black, and crystalline granite rocks look like giants frozen in time.  The attachment that I, have for these rocks is something that is very difficult to explain and perhaps only something that a true Muskokan can understand.  

Over the course of time, natural events have shaped this place into a land of many lakes.  The mist which can be seen hovering over the lakes in the morning, is so very typical of the area.  My father was fortunate enough to capture this essence onto canvas with oil paints and a palette knife. He was an artist, and like so many other people was drawn to the beauty of this land and decided to call it home.  Making a living in Muskoka is not an easy task, for the terrain is not one that is accommodating to people.  Perhaps this is why this land has remained so undeveloped. However its beauty has not been ignored, and every summer flocks of people migrate ‘up north’ to relax and enjoy the tranquillity of the lakes and the sounds of nature.  

Muskoka is a wonderful place to visit any time of the year, not just in the summer.  

In the spring life slowly begins to emerge from its wintery sleep.  The sounds of chickadees and other birds fill the spring skies.  One by one the cottagers and tourists also begin their migration north from their winter grounds.  The leaves from the previous fall begin to shine through the snow, carrying with them a musty smell.  The black depths of the lakes begin to reveal them selves through the melting ice.  It is difficult to predict when the last snowfall of the year will come as the spring weather is very unpredictable.  When I, was one year old the last snowfall came at the commencement of June.  Spring is the time when all life returns to the land.

Summer is by far the busiest time of the year.  One is no longer obligated to wear layer upon layer of winter, weather protection.  Summers in Muskoka can be as hot as the tropics in the day and a comfortable cool at night.  The lakes beacon people to take a dip in their sparkling freshness.  The dense green forests summon visitors to explore their seemingly endless reaches, where each steps seems to bring you closer to God.  The rocks beg to be climbed and explored.  If one is daring and fortunate enough to find an adequate depth of water beneath a rock face, one can experience what its like to be a bird for a few seconds before crashing into the refreshing water.  The taste of a Kawartha’s ice cream is one that can never be forgotten, and perhaps one that your t-shirt will never forget either.  The summer rains also bring with it them a smell that is engraved into habitants of Muskoka. 

The fiery colours of the autumn foliage brings around the second wave of tourists to the area.  The decomposition of chlorophyll in the leaves of deciduous trees attracts many painters, which also included my father.  He said that this was the best time of year to paint because of the contrasting colours, as opposed to summer which is just a sea of green.  This past autumn I, brought my cousin ‘up north.’  This is his first visit to Canada.  He lives in Acapulco, Mexico, and was astounded that the colour of the leaves could be so bright.  When I lived in Baysville, a small community of some 250 permanent residents, I would go out with my mother and collect leaves.  We would place them in books so that the leaves would retain their colours.  To this day the leaves are almost as colourful as the day we collected them.

Wintertime in Muskoka is just as exciting as any other season.  The blankets of snow which cover the land grow with each snowfall.  It is not uncommon for the depth of snow to reach a meter or more.  There is a picture of my mother in a shoveled out walk-way with snow up, past her hips.  The cold clear winter nights reveal a beach of stars which are impossible to count.  Without the bright lights of near by towns the god like arms of the Milky Way are plainly visible.  However not all is asleep.  Snowmobile tracks abound on the numerous lakes, and  ice can grow thick enough for cars and trucks to cross.  I even recall seeing a large dump-truck on a lake once.            

The drive ‘up north’ is impressive enough.  One leaves the populated regions of the south and travels up the 400.  It is easy to see the changing terrain from factories, buildings and houses to farms and the rolling hills of the Oak Ridges moraine. Barrie and Orillia are the last two large towns that one crosses before arriving in Muskoka.  Just before crossing the Severn River one can begin to see the pink beauty of the granite rising from the ground.  As soon as you cross the bridge you get your first site of a large outcropping.  It is at this point that you know that you’ve made it home.  When I, was about 14 years old I, hadn’t been back home for nearly 6 years.  When I, finally convinced my mom to go, my eyes began to water as I, crossed the bridge and saw that big royal blue sign which reads, “Regional Municipality of Muskoka.”  It was the combination of vegetation, water and that gorgeous granite which convinced me that this was indeed my home.

TO BEGIN, WE MUST CREDIT THOSE WHO ASSISTED OUR RESEARCH

     The biography, in chapters, published on this blogsite, was done without compensation for any of the research assistants, the song writer, singer, guitarist, video creator, and for me, the primary writer. This was not designed as a project for profit, and we have depended on the generosity of painting owners to advance the graphics portion of this biography. Many of these contributions have been included in the YouTube tribute video, which you can access from this site. What this inventory of Richard Karon's paintings will provide, in the future, is a reference collection for those who may wish to learn more about the artist, and his range of paintings from abstracts to landscapes. This is not a site to set prices for his paintings, because only the market place, and the principles of supply and demand can determine this. We would be eager to learn of recent acquisition prices, and what auctions of his work may have established, as a price ceiling. But we will refrain from providing evaluations and estimations, for works today, via this biography. We will most certainly assist, where we can, to provide information to auction houses when requested. 

     In March 2012 I was getting a little concerned about the volume of art work available, to advance our research, and then to companion (as graphics) the eventual online biography, of former Muskoka Artist, Richard Karon. I decided to seek help from our local newspaper, here in Muskoka, known as "The Weekender," which is a free and home-delivered publication, serving our region of Ontario. The news staff was kind enough to publish my letter to the editor, seeking out those readers who might have an original Richard Karon painting, they wouldn't mind sharing with the public, via this planned biography. Within hours of the paper hitting the driveways, through Muskoka, I began receiving emails, with offers, and attachments of original paintings, from their private collections. As well, I was also receiving personal information about Mr. Karon, from those art patrons who had met with him personally, to buy his artwork, during the period of his studio / gallery, near the Village of Baysville, in the Township of Lake of Bays.

     In fact, the response from The Weekender's letter was so significant, that we went from having twenty images of his originals, to more than fifty in just over one week, including a photograph sent by well known Muskoka Artist, Janet Stahle-Fraser, also of Lake of Bays, showing Richard Karon's original art easel, that he had given her personally, after the closure of his studio in the mid 1980's. Janet even invited the artist's son, Richard Sahoff Karon, to her studio, to see the easel once used daily by his father, who had died when he was only seven years of age. We are greatly indebted to the kind folks of Muskoka, like Janet Stahle-Fraser, for helping us develop a preliminary biography of an artist few knew much about previously, despite the fact he was one of the region's most prolific painters, during the period of the late 1960's to shortly before his death in March 1987. The biography has been set up, on this blogsite, with the plan to update the text, whenever new information becomes available in the future. It will eventually be re-published on a special "Richard Karon" blogsite, sometime prior to July 2012.

     The purpose of this biography, is to help researchers looking into the careers of Canadian, and Ontario regional artists, and will be offered to the research libraries of both the National Art Gallery in Ottawa, and the Art Gallery of Ontario, in Toronto, as an information resource. It will additionally benefit the many hundreds of painting owners, who greatly appreciate Mr. Karon's palette knife landscapes, but would like to know more about his life and career in the arts. We expect, over time, to be offered more images of his work, to publish on the blog-site, to provide a more diverse cross section of paintings for comparison's sake. We hope to draw on experts in the art field, to make comment on his paintings, which will also be published, on this site, for future reference.

     With the larger than expected number of art (image) submissions, thanks in large part to The Weekender's readership, we were also able to create a short music video tribute to Mr. Karon, which you can link onto through this blog. The music was provided by Gravenhurst singer, Dani O'Connor, and guitarist Robert Currie, who also created the video. Both volunteered their time and talents to help out with this interesting biography.

     I want to also thank Gravenhurst Banner columnist Fred Schulz, one of the true patrons of the arts in our region, for giving us some needed promotion prior to today's online publication. I must also thank my wife Suzanne, who is my effervescent research partner, who has always been there to guide the frustrated writer past obstacles, onward to yet another completed project. Son Andrew, my eldest, is always a reliable source of information, when I'm looking for music advice, and youngest son Robert, who can pull rabbits out of the hat when only a perfect rabbit will do!  The angelic voice of Dani O'Connor, well, she had us in tears. What a kind heart she has, to have volunteered to help us with the tribute video.

     When I met Richard Sahoff Karon, for the first time this winter, at our boy's music studio, here in Gravenhurst, it's like we'd known each other for years. It wouldn't be a stretch to say we both felt the presence of his artist father, that afternoon, as we planned-out a preliminary plan of action, to create a biography based on, what could only be described as, "thin information," held between us, about his father's life and work. With many coincidences occurring over three months, and serendipitous offers of assistance from unanticipated sources, and all the public kindnesses received, we both felt something wonderful had just happened that, frankly, had caught us by surprise. Richard and I both want to extend sincere and heartfelt thanks, to all those who have offered, in some way, to advance this biography. Before we begin our story, we would like very much to recognize those people who have contacted us, and generously made images of their original art pieces available, to include throughout this biography. Your participation has greatly broadened the gallery collection, and this will benefit visitors to the Karon blogsite for many years to come. And as well, your kindness will inspire other painting owners, to join this collective of admirers, and submit images of paintings they own, to be included in the ongoing project to document his diversity of art work.

     Please accept our thanks. As images of art work are still being emailed and posted to us, at this time, we will provide a complete list of all those painting owners, who have loaned us images, at the conclusion of the biography, for easy reference. If for reasons of security or personal choice, you have sent us the image of a painting, and do not wish a credit in this biography, please let us know in advance, and we will omit your name. The photographs of original art work, contained in this blog, are not for re-production, and copying for profit is prohibited. Portions of this biography may be quoted, and in the case of larger sections used, this must be by permission of the author. As it was originally intended, we welcome use of this material by researchers at the National Art Gallery, and the Art Gallery of Ontario, and other art institutes and reference libraries in Canada.

Richard Karon Part 6

THE MYSTERIES YET TO SOLVE -

THE ONGOING BIOGRAPHY OF RICHARD KARON

"The calm, unruffled river quiet flows,

Save when some sudden breeze mars its repose,

Or when some sudden breeze mars its repose,

Or when some scale tenant of the flood

Darts forth his shiny length in quest of food;

Or o'er its smooth and placid surface glides

The fragile bark canoe the skillful Indian guides.

But see now, bursting through the narrow gorge -

Its' wildly rushing torrent seethe and surge,

One boiling mass of foam, from rock to rock,

It falls, it bounds, with quick successive shock,

The thundering noise the rocky banks resound,

And waken countless forest echoes far around."

(Thomas McMurray, 1871, "Muskoka and Parry Sound")

Dating back to the mid-1970's, I have been writing about Muskoka, its history, the settlers who carved out the first homesteads from the thick pine forest, and the resolve of its first resilient citizenry, to build those early hamlets, some that became towns and thriving villages; some that disappeared over time, and remain in name only today. In reality, my interest in representing Muskoka, then and now, has never diminished over time, and no matter how many specific and regional histories I might research, and write into feature stories, each year, I never find myself in a retiring mood. I am eager to find another area or aspect of local history, to delve into, that advances the knowledge of life and times, in our region of Ontario, from its pre-history onward. It is impossible that I might arrive at some unspecified conclusion, one day, and find myself with nothing left to write about. This region offers a bottomless well of opportunity, to those who have a sincere interest to know more, and experience it all…..as Richard Karon kept up his search for intriguing, powerful places to interpret, for our benefit. There are Karon paintings of waterfalls, and thunderous, foaming rapids, that parallel the poem penned by Muskoka's first confessed voyeur, Thomas McMurray, as if it was the author himself, who led the artist to that spot on the Muskoka River, to watch the writhing, tumbling water flow himself. Photographs of these original paintings are included on this blogsite and in the YouTube tribute to Mr. Karon's Muskoka paintings. 

I am not an artist. It is my one sincere regret, that I had not asked Richard Karon, if he would assist me in this regard, as he did for other aspiring painters he knew. For this reason, I have instead, spent most of my writing career, in a variety of pursuits, attempting to represent the region I adore, in the compositions, histories, and biographies I offer the public. I could only ever hope to be half as competent at this representation, as Richard Karon was at his easel, painting scenes like the one described above by pioneer author, Thomas McMurray. I was drawn to the biography of Mr. Karon, because I appreciated his own discovery of what McMurray found in Muskoka, as far back as the 1870's. It was what a legion of artists, writers, musicians and artisans have continually found in abundance within our district. Those sources of inspiration that generated poetry from writers such Charles G.D. Roberts, Bliss Carmen, and Wilson MacDonald, in the 1930's, are the same natural qualities and quantities that have helped create the large and thriving Muskoka Arts and Crafts community today, and the ongoing Muskoka Autumn Studio Tour, which began in 1979, with Richard Karon, as one of the member artists. Muskoka has long been an inspirational place in which to work and to create, and it was discovered by the young, aspiring Richard Karon, in 1962, after deciding his art career was suffocating in the city. He discovered what so many others had found in these healing, restorative woods. An escape. A spiritual rekindling with nature. The kind of alluring landscape that offers the creative ambition, virtually unlimited opportunities to explore and discover, to pursue adventure, to live life as art. Richard Karon loved Muskoka, and this biographer has no doubt, that if circumstances had been different, he would have spent his final days, doing what he was passionate about…….sketching at the base of some magnificent sun-bathed cataract, amongst the vibrant evergreens and venerable birches, he painted so well.

"Come to the land of rivers,

And groves of goodly pine,

A land to last forever,

To be both yours and mine."

"No artist worth the name can afford to stand still. The world is too wonderful, too surprising in its new potentials for revelation of new vistas in the visible world," wrote Group of Seven painter, Arthur Lismer. "The new function of art has little to do with conventional appearance, or even beauty. We should, indeed, think it a strange world if our scientists stopped discovering, or if in industry, science, and technology, there was nothing new. But everything is expanding, including the horizons of vision and art."

It may be perceived, at this point, in the biography of artist Richard Karon, that he was a man haunted by his past. Those who lived through similar circumstances, during the war years, might agree that it was impossible to survive unscathed by what had been witnessed, in occupied countries such as Poland. But it would be unfair to suggest Karon was unhappy or dissatisfied with his new life in Canada, and the successes he was experiencing each year, as a professional artist. The establishment of his home / studio was a milestone in his career, and at times, he made a substantial amount of money selling his landscape paintings to eager customers, who greatly admired his interpretations of the Muskoka they loved. I am reading these testimonials. Many of them. From people who purchased his art more than forty years ago, who still cherish them in their homes and cottages. In the past three months of research, I have been continually impressed, by the number of emails we've received from painting owners, eager to share their stories and images of their art, to benefit the resources contained in this biography. But like many artists, he died too young, and did not benefit from these glowing validations of his work. Fortunately, his son Richard, is the beneficiary of these opinions today, and this has been a pleasing reality of the biographical work thus far. There is more to come.

From all accounts so far, and with input from family, Richard Karon lived a generally contented life. He loved his polka music, light reading when opportunity prevailed, his whisky, talking, nice clothes, modest luxury when they could be afforded and traveling. His wife Irma, believed his desire to travel was a form of escapism, that came from those unfortunate years in Poland…..where he was confined. He was a resilient artist, who learned from others, and paid attention to critiques, and he was willing to put in long hours to perfect his panels. Before he had his studio, near Baysville, Karon would host exhibitions in motels, hotels, lobbies, and even from a trailer, in North Bay, to make a living. He had even set up a large "Karon" art sign, beside a large posted banner for a golf range, and had a photograph taken of this unique coupling of landscape painting and the art of golf. He wasn't shy about trying new ideas to sell his work, and although his successes were by no means enough to survive and support a family, in the early years, it was his initial positive foray into the art market. From what may have only been, at best, a marginal success, he found enough potential in those years of the late 1960's and early 70's, to push-on to purchase property, and construct a studio / gallery near Baysville. Now while he wasn't the only artist doing this, at the time, he was committing to the full time occupation of being a professional artist. In 1972, years before the Autumn Studio Tour, of which he was involved, his "back to the land" project was a big gamble. But he had taken bigger gambles. He evaded death in Poland. He staved off starvation, and freezing to death, escaping the communists. With pennies in his pocket, he was continually able to find work on the brink of his own collapse, and find lodging and afford provisions to help his traveling mates. He was generous in this way. He had a strong sense of humanity, and his kindness bestowed on others is well documented. Through these early years, he had the companionship of several German women, one who he had a common-law marriage, named Fredda Karon, who stayed at his side through the miserable time of trying to find safe refuge. It is known that Richard Karon was named as a benefactor on the last will and testament, left by Fredda Karon, of Toronto. The will notes that if Richard was to pass before his son, also named Richard, that his son would become the benefactor of what possessions remained once he reached the age of eighteen. In a box with the artist's copy of his wife's will, was a letter from one of his sisters, in Poland, dated October 1967, which she had sent her brother at the last known address of his common-law wife. For the purposes of this biography, we have made attempts to find Fredda Karon, but have been unsuccessful. He was a survivor. It can be said he helped others survive, especially in Occupied Poland, though he wouldn't admit this, as it wasn't extraordinary to him…..but rather, what he felt defined him in life. In later life he developed personal qualities and quirks, that made him seem indifferent or distant, arguably anti-social at times, when it came to his neighborliness. He found his confidants and used them to unburden himself of perceived problems in his life. Eva Scheel, was one of these close friends, he felt comfortable talking with…..and she, by all accounts, found him an intellectual equal, and they had many long discussions about business and local politics.

      The artist's son, Richard Sahoff Karon, noted that "My father also produced a number of wood products, stools, night tables and chests. Many of which my mother and I still own. The nicely crafted chest is a particularly important piece to me, as it now houses most of our family photographs, my father's slides, and newspaper clippings.  It is also very nostalgic for me, as every time I open it up, I'm immediately transported back to my childhood, when I lived in the house my father built in Baysville. It has a strong pine scent, which persists to this day, which is perhaps one of the most special smells in my life. It's amazing how only slight smell can evoke these memories. It sits in our livingroom, and I'm so happy to have this piece of my father's craftsmanship. He did eventually decide to make cloth lampshades, on the urging of Eva Scheel, owner of the Log Cabin Gift Shop, on Lake of Bays (overlooking Bigwin Inn), of which I have referred earlier in this biography. At the auction, held at the Karon property, quite a few bidders that day, left with these hanging electric lamps, without knowing the connection between artist and crafter. It is known that he had been involved in the hat trade in Poland, and for a cotton firm located in Hamilton, Ontario, according to citizenship documents, post 1951. So he did have the skill with industrial sewing machines to do this work on the fabric lampshades. We have found out recently, it was the Log Cabin owner who urged him to diversify, but we aren't positive whether it was a successful venture. It was known that Eva Scheel was a big supporter of his work, and may have handled some of his art at her gift shop. When I was working for a publication, known as The Muskoka Sun, I conducted a business interview with Eva, and following this, we talked about our mutual respect for the art created by Mr. Karon. I suppose this might have been initiated when I found one of his business cards, or that she found reason to mention her association, as part of the business interview. This was some time after the Karon family had moved to Southern Ontario, but I can't be confident whether or not my interview, at the Log Cabin, followed the news of his death. I can remember her telling me how much the move from Muskoka had disheartened him, and that losing his young son, in the marital separation, was one of the most devastating things in his life. It was her opinion, of the situation, after having several conversations with the artist before and after closing his studio. She was sorry to have lost a friend, who frequently dropped in for a chat, when in her picturesque neighborhood, looking out over the expanse of Lake of Bays.

I have heard it often said, that one can die of a broken heart. Although it might be presumed, this was what ended his life, it is factually untrue. He died of lung cancer. If he suffered in this way emotionally, the evidence may be found in his general abandonment of the art he had used as an outlet, since his boyhood in Poland. When he allowed the sale of his cast-off paintings, damaged and rolled in storage, anyone with a background in art, and the general protocols of practicing artists, would have seen this as a clear sign he had given up on both a career, and the dreams it had always inspired. Those like Eva Scheel expected he was, at this point in his life, living  a through a nightmare, but there was no exit. No means of escaping this time. The gravity of his illness kept him from traveling, which had long been one of his ways of escaping even temporarily. Being intimate with this story, compels me to be honest, even if it seems blunt and uncaring. All I know of this period, beyond his physical illness, is that he was suffering from severe depression, regarding his perceived failures. I have great respect for the feelings of the Karon family, who are well aware of these circumstances he faced at the end of his life. Yet no matter how tragic it all seems, I can sit and scan through his paintings, and feel the passionate determination of a beautiful life, emerging from his interpretations……and sense, that in those minutes, hours and days he spent finishing the panels, his had been a good and fulfilling life. He gave us his impressions of the region we live, and of this we are grateful.

Admittedly, there are still many aspects of Richard Karon's life we are currently unaware. We know, for example, that he was actively involved in art, while still in Poland. We have no examples of his work from this period, from about 1939 to 1951, when he arrived at the Port of Halifax, to begin a new and free life. We are aware of some of the early "human form" paintings (sketches of nudes), from his first years in Canada, and we have viewed some of his experimental art pieces, and abstracts, but ninety percent of the traded art work, involved landscape studies. We wish to have some of the early sketches he did, while in Poland, when he copied the images he found on used postcards. It is assumed that when he fled Poland, for Germany, in 1948, and then onto France,  he left his art work behind. While he claimed to have exhibited his art in numerous European countries, we have nothing to confirm this, at the present time. We do know, from an early business card in the possession of his son, that the elder Karon did paint for profit in Europe, including some time spent in Czechoslovakia, Austria, Poland and France. There is no indication he held shows, as he did later in Canada. And as this is an ongoing research project, with no firm conclusion, or point we will stop accepting submissions, from those who knew his work, or have stories of the artist they wish to share, we can hope that at some point, this present gray area is revised with new information.

On the 23rd of March, 2012, a widely circulated Muskoka regional newspaper, known as The Weekender, published a letter I had written, requesting assistance from the public, for any information they might have about Richard Karon, including images of paintings they might possess, for purposes of this biography. Within only hours of the paper hitting driveways around the district, we had three important responses from painting owners, generously offering to share their stories and photographs, of the paintings they owned. After one week, we had been offered more than thirty images of Richard Karon paintings. One kind artist, in the Lake of Bays area, offered to take a photograph of the easel, Mr. Karon had given her, many years earlier, after closing-out his studio / gallery. She was so kindly willing to meet with the artist's son, who very much wanted to see, once again, the easel his father used daily at the family's Baysville studio. He has been cordially invited back to the original house the elder Karon, had first set-up as a studio, prior to 1972, opposite the property he would eventually purchase (across the road), and build his family estate. The week so far, has been amazing for Richard and I, receiving so many emails, with such kind offers, and generous intent, to help us build a thorough inventory of his paintings….., and make his biography as complete as possible, especially the Muskoka years. I know at times, Richard has been speechless, when reading some of these offers of assistance, many of them with warm and respectful remembrances of his father, and the art work he created for their viewing pleasure. While we were expecting it, and had prepared ourselves in advance, we were shocked by the fact all the folks who contacted us since The Weekender article, never made one single request as to "how much are they worth?" These emails were coming from people who had little interest in the monetary side, as the paintings they were sharing with us were "not for sale." For some, the paintings were family heirlooms, passed on to family by parents and grandparents. One Bracebridge woman, phoning from a local retirement residence, was so proud to tell me that the original Karon landscape, she and her husband had purchased, in the early 1970's, was presently hung over her bed……and would remain in the family in perpetuity. It was evident from what we were reading and hearing, that after all these years, and with little information about Mr. Karon to be found, they still had enormous respect for the art he had created. If there was a true measurement of pride, I'm reasonably sure Richard Karon Jr., must now be a hundred pounds heavier under its comforting weight.

"He left the bustle of city life for the Muskoka area, and began to devote all his time to painting. It was in this scenic part of Ontario that he began to capture the beauty of the natural landscape, in his own rare style of palette-knife painting." (undated, North Bay Nugget) "Richard Karon's brilliant color combinations and versatility of styles have set him apart from many artists favoring the more realistic landscape form. The years spent in Muskoka have enabled Richard to capture the area's outstanding spectrum of colors and magnificent sunsets in this favored land." Richard Karon, 1928-1987.

What gives every appearance of a sad story, and a re-telling of an unfortunate life, is the furthest thing from the truth of this biography. Every life has its tragic moments. Each mortal existence endures its suffering. Just as each life has its brightness and contentment. As the biographer of this brief biography, I would never find myself indecisive about the quality and successes of his life. He was a survivor of what should have killed him. He managed to eke out a living, despite some discouraging wrong turns and misadventures. Richard Karon was capable of working at many professions. He might have found favorable income from working in a factory, or becoming a professional hair stylist, hat maker, or baker. But he chose art. He didn't see it as a gamble, because he was confident his work was competent, and there would always be buyers for good and representative art. Karon knew there was a magic in Muskoka, and he tapped into it at a time when it was all beginning to bud and bloom. By the time the Autumn Studio Tour was launched, in 1979, an exciting new art community was presenting itself…….artists like Richard Karon invited to be a part of this new initiative, to invite patrons into the home / studios of regional artisans, painters, potters, sculptors, glass blowers and stained glass artists. Some might suggest he was slightly ahead of his time, and that if he had opened his studio later, his profits would have been greater. This is a folly of speculation.

We hope you will continue to submit images of Richard Karon paintings you may possess, or come to own some time in the future. If you wish to share a personal story about Mr. Karon, please email us. I hope you have had an opportunity to visit the YouTube video tribute to Richard Karon, the music being provided by singer Dani O'Connor and guitarist Robert Currie, both of Gravenhurst. Robert Currie created the video. Thank you one and all, for making this a true adventure in the arts, and such an enjoyable odyssey of discovery, at home in one of the most beautiful districts on earth……Muskoka.

Please let your friends know about this blog-site. Your comments are appreciated.

More Tomorrow!