2020 Festival Artist
Don MacKenzie

In January, I was honoured to be asked if I would be the 2020 Image Maker for the Huntsville Festival of the Arts.

As it happens, January is Alzheimers Awareness Month and I have Alzheimers and Vascular Dementia; fresh new thoughts are not always easy for me to formulate. But, when given an idea that is within my long term memory banks, I am able to accomplish many things.

Typically, in my wood carvings, I recreate wild birds in their natural habitat as well as leaves and feathers—the leaves of fall became my theme. The undulation of the musical notes is reminiscent of the sound of the leaves as they are blown about by the fall winds. The leaves are a music unto themselves as they dance through the air with complete abandonment.

The musical score with the leaves as notes was Pam’s idea, but, as memory kicked in, the leaves and acorns just seemed to flesh out the space.The lifelong thrill of nature is deep in my memory banks and allows me to recreate the magic I feel when walking through the forest.

There is a child-like dance to leaves as they are blown about, and a deep serenity of beauty while they are still on the trees; it is a stunning tapestry when seen from a distance. This beauty is what brings droves of visitors to Muskoka every fall. It is a beauty that must be seen time and again.

The Festival of the Arts brings us music and dance that allows us to not only enjoy the moment but, also, to dream of possibilities, if only we tried. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to show you that we should never give up on our dreams…and that we should take every opportunity to dance like leaves in the wind.

I wish the Festival of the Arts many more years of success bringing enter-tainment and dreams to all of us.

Don MacKenzie