In September 2019, Dennis Merchant passed away while participating in a mud race in Paris. He will be missed by all members of KWSA.
Dennis Merchant
Originally from Bruce County, near Walkerton, I have lived in Kitchener/Waterloo for the last 40 years.
I began taking weekly drawing classes in October 2011 which got me serious about art again after many years away. During my teens I did a lot of work in various mediums (most of it not worth keeping!!) but during my university years that gradually faded away. Over the years since I have occasionally tried to get back, but never succeeded until I started the drawing classes.
The drawing classes eventually led to working with acrylic paints and over the last few years I have done a number of mostly landscape paintings based on photographs I have taken. I still enjoy working with graphite on both paper and canvas and do both people and animal portraits.
My holidays are spent exploring Ontario, particularly Algonquin Park, the Bruce Peninsula, and Manitoulin Island I also do a lot of hiking and have hiked the entire Bruce Trail in Ontario (815 km at the time). I always have a camera with me on vacation and hiking trips and now frequently a sketchpad too, so I have accumulated a lot of material to work from.
I began taking weekly drawing classes in October 2011 which got me serious about art again after many years away. During my teens I did a lot of work in various mediums (most of it not worth keeping!!) but during my university years that gradually faded away. Over the years since I have occasionally tried to get back, but never succeeded until I started the drawing classes.
The drawing classes eventually led to working with acrylic paints and over the last few years I have done a number of mostly landscape paintings based on photographs I have taken. I still enjoy working with graphite on both paper and canvas and do both people and animal portraits.
My holidays are spent exploring Ontario, particularly Algonquin Park, the Bruce Peninsula, and Manitoulin Island I also do a lot of hiking and have hiked the entire Bruce Trail in Ontario (815 km at the time). I always have a camera with me on vacation and hiking trips and now frequently a sketchpad too, so I have accumulated a lot of material to work from.