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In His Own Words: Daniel A MacDonald
Now retired from retail store management I have finally been able
to realize my dream, which is to paint. Throughout my life Painting
in oils has been my main hobby, then you could call me a Sunday
artist. Little time even for that being the father of five children,
four girls and a boy. But now I have all the time in the world to
paint and I do not waist a second of it. Painting on canvas has
led to other art forms such as folk art. Having retired to Providence
Bay on Manitoulin Island, my wife Claire and I rented a house for
a few years right on the sandy beach in Providence Bay. Coming across
drift wood, and slabs from a lumber mill that once was a 100 years
ago, I would create folk art. The slabs had endless possibilities
as well as the drift wood and even cedar logs, all of which I would
sell right from my lawn. The logs were turned in Scottish Pipers
complete with kilts and bag pipes. Branches were turned in musicians,
fiddlers, guitar players, entire bands. But the most successful
folk art I have created has been my Scottish Pipers, so much so
that they take up most all of my time filling orders. Pipers have
been sent to the East Coast, West Coast and even to California,
Detroit, New York,Calgary, Toronto, and are extremely popular throughout
Glengarry County here in Ontario. Now they are beginning to get
noticed here in Kingston. I will however never be a mass producer
of these pipers, I spend a great deal of time with each and every
one, for the biggest pleasure I get is to see the expression on
the face of the buyer when they receive their own piper, wearing
their own personal Clan Tartan. In most cases you will see tears
in their eyes.
We moved from Manitoulin Island three years ago to a small village
called Maxville, located halfway between Montreal and Ottawa, and
home to the Glengarry Highland Games. Naturally my pipers have gone
over very well in this predominantly Scottish community. Pipers
can be seen in front of businesses and even the bank, the Chamber
of Commerce, and many homes in the the village. A large piper greats
you as you come into the village from the north side of town.
It has always been my dream to live in Kingston, to me it is a mini
Toronto. It has everything to offer, now Claire and I want a bit
more than what a small village has to offer, and we can find it
all here in Kingston, so we moved here several months ago. Having
been here only a few weeks I landed a contract to create some of
my folk art, paintings, and murals for the new Gleneagles Scottish
Restaurant and bar. That was indeed a thrill for me. I keep in close
touch with my friends from Glengarry as well as those on Manitoulin
Island, to the extent that we have a seasonal campsite on the Island.
The Island is a magical place where every artist should visit.
I was born in Alexandria Ontario March 31st 1938, then at the age
of eleven, right after the war, we moved to Cornwall Ontario. I
attended school at St Columbans Boys School, then on to CCVS High
School. I left High School and joined the F.W.Woolworth company
where I took a management course, and began managing stores at the
age of 23 until I retired at 58. I didn't stay with the same company
throughout those years.
Danny MacDonald |
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