The World of Myth Magazine

Surprise! As our regular Art Reviewer Michael is on holidays, I have taken over his duties for this month. I hope I can do his column justice!! I have decided to tell you about something that for the longest time I took for granted as do most who live there, I assume. We would see them every day and think nothing of them. Until we lost one. I lived in Midland Ontario for the better part of my 49 years. We moved there when I was going into Grade 8 and I moved away when I was 48. So I spent a lot of time in and around town.

Midland is set in on the shores of Georgian Bay. It is nestled between Penetanguishene and Port McNicoll. I could give you the history of the town, but I will let my art review do that. Anything else you want to know, you can Google. The art pieces I am going to be writing about are the larger-than-life murals in and around Midland and Penetang. There are 41 in total, but the historic murals are what I want to focus on, one in particular. They depict what life was like in the area over the years. There are 34 in total, but I could only find information on 32 of them.

Midland and surrounding area is land that is rich in history. There are two Native Museums and if you drive around the area you will see many things that point to the Indigenous influence. The Huronia Museum and Sainte Marie Among the Hurons are two of the biggest examples. Because of that rich history, the piece I have chosen to review is the Mural painted on the grain elevators in Midland harbor. It is titled Huron Native and Jesuit Priest at Sainte Marie.

I chose this piece not for its complexity or intricacy of design, but for the sheer magnitude of the mural. While being a beautiful piece to look at, there were far more detailed ones that I could have reviewed for technical skill and ability, but this piece spoke to me.

To a writer, a book, a full book, ranging from 70,000 to 100,000 words can be a daunting experience. I know artists face a similar feeling. My grandfather was a painter, and so is my aunt and my mother so I spoke to both at length on this. A blank canvas to an artist is like a blank page to the author. Full of possibilities and fear.

Now imagine that canvas is an 80-foot high, 250-foot-wide grain elevator.

When an artist sits to plan a large piece, they map out each section into squares and they work that grid across the canvas. Even though you have something to follow, it still doesn’t promise that everything is going to be proportionate and resemble the sketch you have done.

I remember watching this piece being painted and would get a pit of fear in my stomach watching Fred hang on his scaffolding to do it. How focused he was on the spot he was working. I couldn’t imagine being able to see the vision of the completed project on something of that magnitude. Now over time, it has weathered but it does get retouching every so often. By other artists and by his son. Who painted one of the murals when he was just 14 years old.

Over the years, some of the murals have fallen away to progress. The one on the old Roxy Theatre being one of them. It was knocked down to make room for the Midland Cultural Centre and Quest Art Gallery. Yes, I see the irony. The others that are distributed around town kind of become part of the background and you forget they are there.

But this one doesn't let you forget. It is larger than anything else in town, save maybe the apartment buildings, and it is colorful and depicts what life was like in our area in the 1600's. You can't pass it without looking at it, and appreciating the talent that Mr. Lenz had to be able to do a piece that large and have it turn out like it was on paper. This always made me smile when I lived there, and I would spend many hours sitting at the harbor looking at the piece and imagining all sorts of stories. I would suggest, if you get a chance to travel to Midland, that you take in the Mural Tour. Each one listed below tells a different part of Midland's rich history and it is well worth it. If you can't make it to Midland, you can to the virtual tour at: https://www.midland.ca/Pages/Midland-Mural-Tour.aspx

I love art for the sake of art. I am not an art critic or claim to know anything beyond what I like and what speaks to me. I know you are all used to reviews that delve into the technical aspects and the history of the artist, but I wanted to do my review on just the art. That and finding anything on Fred Lenz is near impossible.

Murals and street art are some of my favorite types. They require a vision bigger than the sketchbook and that is something I think is a rare and wonderful talent.

I hope you enjoyed my review on the art that surrounded me for many years.

Below are the names and brief description of the 32:

1. Rotary Mural This mural is a collage of all the tourist attractions in Midland. In honour of the late Fred Lenz (original painter), an image of him painting on a canvas can be seen in the bottom left corner of the mural. Located at the bottom of King Street.
2. Runner of the Woods This mural shows fur traders meeting and working with the Huron Indians. The rocks in the picture are similar to those in the Canadian Shield.
3. A Day for Mary This mural was a reproduction of the oil painting done by Norman Rockwell. A real wooden frame was created to help the painting stick out.
4. Brebeuf Lighthouse This lighthouse was built in the 1900's to help guide ships on course from Giant's Tomb to the channel serving Midland Bay.
5. Saw Mill This mural displays what a typical saw mill would look like in the 1900's. The lumbar industry played a major role in the growth of Midland and the surrounding areas.
6. Midland Railway Corporation This mural shows the engine house. The men working are repositioning the turntable to allow the locomotive to exit the yard.
7. View of Midland Harbour Based on a photograph taken by J.W. Bald in the early 1900's – It reveals how much the local resident's lives centred on the Midland Harbour. Since Midland was situated at the southern end of Georgian Bay it was predicted that Midland would become the "Chicago of the North."
8. Midland Post Office and Postmaster This mural was created to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Midland Post Office. The postage stamp in the mural displays Midland in the era of 1885. The gentleman in this mural is Tomas Gladstane – he was Midland's first postmaster.
9. James Playfair Shipyard This mural shows the late James Playfair. He has had a monumental impact on the growth of Midland. He was a successful businessman owning lumberyards, Great Lakes Shipping, and co-owing a general store in the early 1900's.
10. Playfair Lumber Mill in 1890 This mural displays the Playfiar Mill (1871). This was the first lumber mill in Midland.
11. H.M Schooner Bee The original Bee sailed Georgian Bay from 1871 to 1931. A replica has been made and is docked in Penetanguishene Harbour at Discovery Harbour.
12. The Water Fountain This painting represents the same corner as it would have looked like in the 1920's. The water fountain was a place you and your horse could stop to take a drink.
13. S.S.. Lemoyne This ship was built in 1926. It is measured as 663 ft long, 70 ft wide and 73 ft deep. It was the largest bulk carrier on the Great Lakes until 1950.
14. Fishing in Midland Harbour This mural depicts a boy fishing while his dog is looking onward. A lot of murals done by Fred Lenz have dogs or cats to showcase his love for those animals.
15. Benjamin Moore Paints This is a re-creation of the first in-store advertisement for Benjamin Moore Paints. The original tagline for Benjamin Moore was "Quality-Forever-Moore"
16. The Wye Marsh This mural shows a view of the Wye Marsh as well as the Martyrs' Shrine in the background.
17. Canadian Guides This mural represents the Girl Guides of Canada and Canandian Guiding. The pictures along the border outline tasks the Girl Guides did.
18. Local Photographers These are two famous photographers. Both were important in recording the history of Midland. The gentleman to the left is Budd Watson – known for his photographs of Georgian Bay. The individual to the right is J.W. Bald, majority of the murals are based on photographs by Mr. Bald of Midland in the late 1800's and early 1900's.
19. Bourgeois Motors Dealership through the Years. This mural is painted on the back of the dealearship and it shows the history of Bourgeios Motors throughout the years. It began as a garage and gas station and has evolved into the successful Ford Dealership. Bourgeois Motors is now located at the intersection of Highway 12 and King Street.
20. Rediscovery of Sainte-Marie Viewing this mural it shows the excavation of the southwest bastion. This mural was painted by Fred Lenz son at the age of 14.
21. The Cleaners This mural depicts the cleaners in the early 1920's . The owner of the truck is seen loading clean clothes into his truck for delivery.
22. Butcher Shop This mural shows what a butcher shop looked like in the 1900's. Inside it was common to see the butcher cutting fresh cuts of meat.
23. Livery Stable Depicting the early years of a 20th Century Livery Stable and the introduction of the automobile when it started taking over traditional transportation.
24. The Playfair Preston Company This shows the general store that was in this specific building in the early 1920's. There was originally three storey's but the third story collapsed in 1928.
25. The Playfair Preston Company This general store was in operation from 1895 to 1950's.
26. Winter at the Harbour This is a view of the Midland Harbour in the 1920's & 1930's. The workhorses were used to break the ice so that the ships can come closer to shore.
27. Midland Harbour and Pier This mural shows Midland Harbour and Pier as it was in the early 1900's. This was the last mural Fred Lenz painted before he passed away.
28. Great Lakes Cruise These two ships belonged to the Detroit based Georgian Bay Lines. These two ships would pick passengers up from Great Lake cities and transport them to quiet picturesque waters.
29. Huron Native and Jesuit Priest at Sainte-Marie This mural measures 80 ft high and 250 ft wide and is the largest outdoor historical mural in North America. It displays Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons as it would look like in the 1640's.
30. Woolen Mill In this mural you will see a woman working on an early model sewing machine while her cat stares out the window across the road at the Woolen Mill Store.
31. Drugist On the second floor of this building is a view into an apothecary shop. The gentleman in the mural is one of the many druggists who acted as a chemist by mixing their own cures as outlined by the physician.
32. The Beauty Salon This is what a typical European Beauty Salon would look like in the 1940's. All salons showcased the most current fashion trends.