2012 Martin Zimmer
2011 Catherine Weber, Morrison Trail
2010 Fran Roelands, Along the Banks of Mud Creek
2009 Bill Nieuwland - My Back Yard
2008 David Bannister - Morning, Ausable
2007 Tim Clark, Mystery Path of the Ausable
2006 Teresa Marie, Big Red
2005 Rae Ann Ladouceur, Water Wall
2004 Elisabeth Tonner-Keats, Radiant Beginning
2003 Randy Jones, Nature’s Tapestry
2002 Fred Negrijn, Carving - Silent Vigil
2001 Ken Jackson, Artist’s Perspective
2000 Kent Wilkens, Evening Glory
1999 Barry Richman, Silent Passage
1998 Flora Doerr, One More on The Ausable
1997 Tim Clark, Huron Summer Past
1996 Peter Etril Snyder, Sharing
1995 Tammy Laye, Bannockburn Bridge
1994 Tammy Laye, Nature’s Harvest
1993 Tammy Laye, Wetland Steward
1992 Tammy Laye, Watershed Scene
1991 Tammy Laye, Fisher in Flight
1990 Tammy Laye, The Cedar Waxwing
The Conservation Dinner Committee is honoured to announce that the 2012 Featured Artist is Martin Zimmer.
Posted January 5, 2012
 The Conservation Dinner committee has announced that acclaimed London painter Martin Zimmer will be the feature artist at the 23rd annual charitable dinner and auction taking place April 19th, 2012 in Exeter.
“We are honoured that Martin Zimmer will be the feature artist for the 23rd Annual Conservation Dinner,” said Bob Radtke, chairman of the Conservation Dinner Committee. “His fine watercolours are found in collections around the world and we are privileged that he is sharing his talent at our dinner and auction.”
The feature art is usually one of the most coveted pieces at the charitable event’s live auction. The charity gala dinner and the auction has featured many talented featured artists over a history spanning more than two decades.
Martin Zimmer is an accomplished water-colour painter and also a nature and fitness enthusiast who said he is “surprised and pleased” to be honoured as this year’s feature artist.
He grew up in the Black Forest region of Germany (not far from Basel, Switzerland and Freiburg, Germany) where his parents ran a café. He says the beauty found in the Black Forest and the beauty found in Pinery Provincial Park in Grand Bend or the South Huron Trail in Exeter may be different but they have their own beauty and provide inspiration to an artist.
Zimmer was born to be a painter. As a kindergarten student he surprised his teacher by having already completed a painting complete with houses, moon, and stars and a bold name, ‘The Night.’
He came to Canada in 1957 at the age of 24 as a pastry chef and he used his creative talents in that profession decorating cakes before becoming a history and geography teacher at Sir Adam Beck Collegiate High School and Saunders Secondary School. Even during his years baking or educating he never strayed far from his love of painting. “I’ve always painted,” he said.
As a young man he painted with water colours because it was less expensive than oil paints. He switched to oil paints for a while but he eventually switched back in 1978. He loves painting water colours but he says the medium is unforgiving.
“To switch from oil to water colours is a 180 degree turn,” said Zimmer, in an interview at the studio in his Byron home. “With oils you start with the darker colours and with water colours you start with the light colours and then move towards the stronger colours,” he said. “Water colour compared to oil is unforgiving – once you make a major mistake it’s game over – you might as well start again.” Since switching back to water-colour painting he has learned to avoid the mistakes and also to develop his own technique.
The themes of his paintings range from Lake Huron scenes to works of art that capture his adopted home in London.
The London artist is never too far from nature. Even his backyard is an oasis of nature in the middle of a city.
This year’s artist is a good fit with a conservation event. Not only is nature one of the favourite themes for this painter but he and his wife have two children working in the environmental field. Martin and his wife Anneliese have three children: Christine, Martin, and Susan.
Martin looks younger than his 78 years and maintains a level of activity that most people half his age would find it hard to keep up. When the writer of this article caught up with Martin he had just completed 60 lengths swimming in a pool that morning. “I hike, I cross-country ski, I downhill ski, I swim … I roller-blade,” he said, during an interview at his London home.
He also works out at an athletic club and – oh, yes – he also paints.
After painting for a hobby for many years Zimmer said he had to decide whether to put his time into studying music or to dedicate himself seriously to the visual arts. He decided art was his true passion and true talent. He began exhibiting with a group of London artists, called the London Art Associates, and learning from them. “When I retired from teaching in 1995 I dedicated myself to painting full-time,” he said.
Zimmer has painted many pieces over the years but has 20 that have been reproduced as limited-edition prints.
The charitable Conservation Dinner is a partnership of the Exeter Lions Club, Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, and community volunteers, donors, and patrons. The dinner and auction will be held on Thursday, April 19, 2012 at the South Huron Recreation Centre in Exeter. To purchase tickets and support this local conservation effort, phone 519-235-2610 or 1-888-286-2610 or visit www.conservationdinner.com. Tickets are $60 each and buyers receive a $25 charitable gift receipt for income tax purposes. Donations of art, memorabilia and other items are also welcome. Proceeds raised support increasing environmental and health benefits for the Ausable Bayfield community.
The announcement of the feature artist follows on the heels of a recent announcement that Exeter native Doug Brooks, CEO of Certified General Accountants of Ontario, will return to his home watershed for the event as special guest host that night.
Distinguished featured artists in the history of the Conservation Dinner have included:
- Catherine Weber – 2011 – Morrison Trail
- Fran Roelands – 2010 – Along the Banks of Mud Creek
- Bill Nieuwland – 2009 – My Back Yard
- David Bannister – 2008 – Morning, Ausable
- Tim Clark – 2007 – Mystery Path of the Ausable; 1997 – Huron Summer Past
- Teresa Marie – 2006 – Big Red
- Rae Ann Ladouceur – 2005 – Water Wall
- Elisabeth Tonner-Keats – 2004 – Radiant Beginning
- Randy Jones – 2003 – Nature’s Tapestry
- Fred Negrijn – 2002 – Carving – Silent Vigil
- Ken Jackson – 2001 – Artist’s Perspective
- Kent Wilkens – 2000 – Evening Glory
- Barry Richman – 1999 – Silent Passage
- Flora Doerr – 1998 – One More on the Ausable
- Peter Etril Snyder – 1996 – Sharing
- Tammy Laye – 1995 – Bannockburn Bridge; 1994 – Nature’s Harvest; 1993 – Wetland Steward; 1992 – Watershed Scene; 1991 – Fisher in Flight; 1990 – The Cedar Waxwing
The Conservation Dinner in Ausable Bayfield watersheds began in 1990 as a partnership with the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters. The Exeter Lions Club stepped up to the plate for the second year of the successful charitable fundraiser and the club now organizes the event in partnership with the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation, the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority, community volunteers, donors, and patrons. This annual event has been going strong for more than 22 years and continues to fund important conservation projects throughout the Ausable Bayfield community, having raised more than $600,000 to date.
Donations support such local conservation projects as:
- Maintaining accessible trails
- Outdoor conservation education
- Commemorative Woods
- Stocking of fish for family-friendly fishing derby
Last year’s dinner set a fundraising record for the gala auction event, raising net proceeds of more than $53,000 for local conservation efforts. Tickets usually sell out for one of the most important charitable events of the season.
For more information visit conservationdinner.com or abca.on.ca
The Conservation Dinner Committee is honoured to announce that the 2011 Featured Artist is Catherine Weber.
Posted February 14, 2011
Exeter-area artist Catherine Weber likes intense, true colours of pastels
 The Conservation Dinner committee has announced the feature artist for 2011 is Catherine Weber, a Swiss-born artist who lives near Exeter.
“We are extremely pleased and honoured to name Catherine Weber as feature artist for 2011,” said Conservation Dinner Committee Chairman Bob Gehan, of the Exeter Lions Club. “The Conservation Dinner is a great opportunity to support local conservation projects such as accessible trails, commemorative woods, the annual fishing derby for families, and conservation education – but it is also a great chance to showcase the talented artists of this area.”
The dinner is a gala auction of art and memorabilia which supports conservation in Ausable Bayfield watersheds. Recognition as the year’s feature artist has been bestowed upon some of the area’s brightest creative lights over the 22-year history of the dinner. Past honorees have included Fran Roelands, Bill Nieuwland, David Bannister, Tim Clark, Teresa Marie, Rae Ann Ladouceur, Elisabeth Tonner-Keats, Randy Jones, Fred Negrijn, Ken Jackson, Kent Wilkens, Barry Richman, Flora Doerr, Peter Etril Snyder, and Tammy Laye.
“I’m truly honoured and I thank the Conservation Dinner Committee,” said Catherine Weber, after learning she had been selected.
Catherine and her husband Franz have three children and are dairy farmers in RR 1 Exeter. She works on the farm, she paints, and she has also sewn costumes for professional theatre companies in Ontario.
Catherine Weber grew up in Europe, where she had the chance to see original paintings by great masters in museums there. She was greatly inspired by French Impressionists such as Renoir. She began creating art work as a child, and she earned a diploma in fashion design in Switzerland, but it was after moving to Canada in 1992 that she began pursuing fine art seriously. She has continued to develop as an artist and study and teach art in the years since.
The relatively flat farm land of southwestern Ontario was a change from her native terrain in a mountainous, German-speaking region of Switzerland, but she has found inspiration in painting figures, portraits and landscapes here in Canada. The former clothes designer has created works in several media, and says each art medium has its own advantages, but she most often returns to the rich, true, and “intense colours” of pastels.
She has exhibited in more than 50 invitational and juried art shows since 1995 and has been an award winner at several shows. For more information on Catherine Weber visit her web site at artcweber.com
The Conservation Dinner features a live auction, silent auction, special raffles, general raffles, a wonderful meal, an honoured feature artist, and a celebrity special guest. Past special guests or emcees of the event have included Order of Canada recipient John A. MacNaughton, Canadian hero John Davidson (of Jesse’s Journey), CTV sportscaster Randy Tieman, local broadcaster and overseas volunteer Kristylee Varley, Canadian statesman Jack Riddell, and other individuals of note.
The 22nd Ausable Bayfield Conservation Dinner takes place Thursday, April 14, 2011 at South Huron Recreation Centre in Exeter. Tickets are $50 each and purchasers receive a $25 charitable gift receipt for income tax purposes.
Anyone wishing to donate to the Conservation Dinner or purchase tickets is encouraged to phone 519-235-2610 or toll-free 1-888-286-2610 or speak to a committee member. For information on the Conservation Dinner visit conservationdinner.com or abca.on.ca
The Conservation Dinner Committee is honoured to announce that the 2010 Featured Artist is Fran Roelands of Creamery Road Studio and Gallery in Ailsa Craig.
The Conservation Dinner committee has announced that popular painter Fran Roelands is the feature artist for the 2010 gala dinner and art auction.
The North Middlesex area artist has painted an original water colour, called Along the Banks of Mud Creek, for this year’s auction. The painting depicts a colourful late winter scene at the back of her family’s farm. The work shows that vibrant colours and the promise of spring can be captured even in a winter scene.
“I wanted to show the warmth of that February sun,” she said of the painting, which depicts the rich blue of the water and the bold yellows, oranges and reds of the sun streaming through the trees. Her painting captures intricate detail and uses vivid, contrasting colours – and it also captures positive emotion. “I was drawn to that scene by the warmth of the sun and I wanted to portray and emphasize that feeling I had at that time and in that place,” she recalled.
Fran Roelands is owner of Creamery Road Studio and Gallery near West McGillivray. She has been painting for close to twenty years. An interest in art has always been in her family, she said, and early in her life she benefitted from a good arts program at North Lambton Secondary School in Forest where she attended high school. Since that time, she has been a “lifelong learner,” taking art classes over many years, including lessons at the St. Lawrence College Summer School of the Arts and from artists such as Frank Webb and Arne Westerman.
“They’ve been a real asset for me, to have learned from them and to have influenced the contemporary style of painting that I do,” she said. “I have a passion for design.”
Fran, and her husband Matt, have five children, all married. The Roelands have run Creamery Road Farms, located not far from Ailsa Craig, for the past 30 years. Fran Roelands keeps very busy farming full-time and creating art that is in demand. “My art started off as a hobby and it has turned into an exciting business,” she said.
Her artistic inspiration is often drawn from rustic scenes of old buildings and from the natural, and sometimes underappreciated, features of rural communities, often reflecting memories of simpler times. Her paintings don’t just draw on the details of that local landscape – they capture the emotion that is attached to a view, locale or heritage feature. She loves to use colour, and to portray light, and create a positive feeling in the viewer.
“I feel really honoured to be chosen as this year’s feature artist,” the artist said, in an interview at her home. “On our farm we try to be good stewards of the land and the water and I really appreciate the beauty of our own countryside and I try to show that beauty of nature in my paintings.”
Many fans of her art say they are drawn to the fact her paintings capture the sentiment of rural scenes that have a sense of familiarity.
“People seem to be able to relate to what they see in my paintings,” she said. “They tell me, ‘that reminds me of when I was a kid and we used to have a barn like that, or a farm like that.’ ”
The local artist’s work may have been conceived and completed in Middlesex County, but her original works have travelled to different corners of the globe – from the United States to the Netherlands. The people who have those paintings consider them family heirlooms to be treasured.
More information on her art can be found by visiting franroelands.com. Viewings at the gallery are by appointment. Giclée prints by Fran Roelands are also available at Baillie’s Picture Framing, in Grand Bend, and at Beside Mom’s café, in Parkhill.
The Conservation Dinner committee is very honoured to have such a talented painter as this year’s feature artist, according to dinner committee chairperson Teresa Ondrejicka.
“Fran’s work is much loved across the entire watershed, and beyond, and her involvement in this year’s dinner makes it very special indeed,” she said.
The Conservation Dinner is a local success story with donors, patrons and volunteers working together to support environmental health through accessible trails, commemorative woods, fish stocking for youth, conservation education and other conservation initiatives. This year’s 21st anniversary gala charitable dinner and art auction takes place on Thursday, April 15, 2010 at the South Huron Recreation Centre in Exeter.
Tickets are $50 per person and patrons received a charitable gift receipt for half that amount. For tickets, talk to a Conservation Dinner committee member or phone 519-235-2610 or 1-888-286-2610.
The Conservation Dinner committee is made up of community volunteers including members of the Exeter Lions Club, the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation and the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Authority (ABCA).
The gala Conservation Dinner includes a live auction of art and other unique items, a silent auction, special raffles and general raffles. Individuals and businesses wishing to sponsor auction items or contribute donations to the event are encouraged to contact Ausable Bayfield Conservation.
For information on the Conservation Dinner visit conservationdinner.com or abca.on.ca
 The Conservation Dinner Committee is pleased to announce that the Featured Artist for the 2009 20th Anniversary Conservation Dinner is respected Grand Bend painter Bill Nieuwland. (See 'News' for story on Bill's work.)
The 2008 Feature Artist for the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Dinner was respected Grand Bend artist David Bannister. For information on the many talented artists who have been featured at the Conservation Dinner scroll down to the bottom of this page.
The feature piece this year is called 'My Back Yard.'.
The volunteer Conservation Dinner Committee of the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation and Exeter Lions Club has been very proud to have a number of talented artists featured each year at gala live auction and dinner. The Conservation Dinner committee was honoured in 2007 to have Tim Clark - on the eve of his 90th birthday - return as feature artist after having been recognized with the same title in 1997. Other feature artists have included Teresa Marie (2006), Rae Ann Ladoucer (2005) and many more over the 19-year history of the auction.
The 2009 feature art, 'My Back Yard'' is shown above.
 Respected Grand Bend artist David Bannister has been selected as feature artist for the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Dinner. Bannister will be completing an oil painting as the feature piece at the 19th Annual gala art auction and dinner. He said the medium of oil painting allows for great depth and thoughtful use of colour. “The use of colour is of great interest to me,” according to the artist, who said he has been influenced by the Group of Seven and impressionist painters.
The Nairn-area native not only paints in oil and water colours – he is also an artist in the photography medium. The longtime Southcott Pines resident, who is a charter member of the River Road Gallery, has recently self-published a well-received coffee-table book of his photography, called The Other Side of Grand Bend.
Bannister has had a successful career in the advertising field, having worked as a Senior Creative Director with Agripress and served as President and Creative Director of a London-based advertising agency, Bridge Communications.
Bannister, who started painting seriously in 1985, was trained in fine arts and begin his advertising career as an illustrator. As he became more immersed in the writing and management side of the advertising business he found he was less involved in the visual arts side of the industry. “I got into painting because I didn’t have much time to do commercial illustration at work,” he recalled.
This year’s feature artist said he has been pleased to see his paintings enjoyed by commercial and individual collectors in different parts of the world including Asia and Europe. “One of the most enjoyable things for me is seeing a painting I have worked hard on go to a good home where it is appreciated,” he said.
Bannister sold his advertising agency in 2000 but retirement isn’t a word that could describe his activity since that time. He continues consulting internationally with advertising clients. He has also been active in local community organizations. He served as Chair of the Grand Bend Area Community Health Centre Board from 2005-2007 and now serves as Chair of the Grand Bend Community Foundation.
The active local artist and sailing enthusiast said he is pleased to take part in an environmental cause like the Conservation Dinner. “I am certainly very pleased to be asked to participate in such a commendable event,” he said. “I enjoy the natural environment. Water is dear to my heart – especially as a sailor.”
Tickets to the gala event usually sell out early so to find out availability phone 519-235-2610 or 1-888-286-2610 or talk to a Conservation Dinner committee member. Tickets are $50 each and there is an income tax receipt for a portion of that. The deadline for the early-bird draw for early purchasers is before Monday, February 25.
The Conservation Dinner Committee includes representation from the Exeter Lions Club and the Ausable Bayfield Conservation Foundation and supports environmental causes such as conservation education, fish stocking, accessible trails and commemorative woods.
For information on the Conservation Dinner visit the new website in development at conservationdinner.com
Date of issue: January 21, 2008
  
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