After seven decades of painting, Newmarket artist Mary Comarty still is inspired by the world around her to pick up a paint brush.
The 91-year-old is being honoured at the Toronto Watercolour Society's 38th annual spring juried art show at the Old Town Hall in Newmarket from March 28 to April 6.
Cromarty, who has two pieces entered in the show, has been painting since she was in her early 20s. And while she said she isn't as active as she used to be, she still paints regularly to this day.
Initially, she did a lot of work with oil painting but began working with watercolour after taking an evening class at the high school in Aurora and later joining Kingcrafts in King.
"It's so spontaneous and I just love the way it reacts on the paper," Cromarty said of the medium. "It's difficult to learn but when you learn how to manipulate it...I enjoy it so much."
She has painted a wide variety of subject matter from furniture to floral. She said a lot of her paintings were started outside, as she is inspired by flowers in her garden.
An upcoming art show and sale in Newmarket offers the public a unique look into the world of watercolour painting.
"The goal is to offer artwork to the public that normally they wouldn't see. The paintings are really high quality," said Nancy Newman, acting co-president, director and show chair from the society.
All of the artists entered are members of the Toronto Watercolour Society and Newman said some of them are known across the country and abroad, while others are newer to the scene. All the pieces on show have been juried based on quality, technique and impact of the work.
All the artists are local to the Greater Toronto Area, including Newmarket.
Cromarty's work will also be included on the honour wall, as she is being honoured as a lifetime member, something she said is very exciting.
She has been part of the society since 1996. In 2021, she received a certificate recognizing 25 years of membership.
According to Newman, artists achieve lifetime membership status when they turn 85 but she said the society realized several members are even older and they wanted to recognize them.
"What we have discovered is we still have active members who are over 90 and we thought it was time to celebrate those people," she said. "I think we're starting a new tradition here of celebrating those people while they are with us and while they are still contributing to the arts in Canada."
Along with Cromarty, 90-year-old Pauline Holancin will also be honoured at the show. She spent a lot of her time painting from her studio home in Aurora with her late-husband Jake Mol, who was also very well known.
"They have travelled the world, hosted people, collected a huge variety of artwork and you can find their work everywhere: in the hospital in Newmarket, umpteen collections, but certainly anybody has been waiting in a waiting room up at the hospital would have seen their work," Newman said.
Holancin is now living in a long-term care facility in Bradford but still paints regularly and Newman said she is an amazing woman.
A number of awards will be given out at the artists reception, which is from 2 to 4 p.m. April 1.
The show is free for the public to attend and runs at the Serpa Galleries at the Old Town Hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on March 28, 29, 31, and April 4, 5, 6. It is on from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on March 30 and closed on April 2 and 3.
