Hespeler author and historian Paul Langan admits he doesn't know much about art, but when he began researching the subjects of his latest project, he couldn't help get drawn in by the history and characters.
His new booklet, The Four Artists of Hespeler, includes a brief history and paintings from renowned landscape artist Frank Panabaker.
The Hespeler born artist who was inspired to paint by family friend Homer Watson, struggled to make a living with his paintings but eventually saw his work reach the halls of the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario and numerous other galleries and private collections across Canada. Langan interviewed Panabaker’s daughter Frances for the book.
The book also features Vera Rosenberger, a Hespeler school teacher in the 1960s whose sketches and paintings reflect views around town at the time.
The work is similar to Shirley Brent, whose depictions of community events and local landscapes are like a window on the time period.
"It's such a vivid capturing of a time in history," Langan says. "She just nailed it."
The contemporary watercolours of Debbie Ellis follow in the same vein, capturing scenes around the village that are instantly recognizable and often nostalgic.
While getting drawn into his latest topic, the prolific author of local history booklets was further intrigued when he began searching for older paintings related to Hespeler online and stumbled across a painting being sold on Facebook Marketplace.
The painting of a winter scene by Sarah Brewster shows storm clouds parting over a frozen section of river where skaters and walkers gather. Snow covers the ground and rooftops and a massive tree bends in the wind next to a rustic cottage where the glow from a fire warms visitors.
Langan hasn't figured out the inspiration for the bucolic landscape yet. It could be the mill pond or other wide section of the Speed River at a point where it wound through a local farm. Chances are it's simply a scene pieced together in the imagination of the artist.
The important fact is the artist grew up in Hespeler and was a daughter of one of the town's founders, A. J. Brewster.
It also came with a valuation certificate authenticating the provenance of the painting.
Langan says the owner wanted it to go to a new home, so he told him it was going back to Hespeler, just a few blocks away from where it might have been painted.
The author of such titles as his three part History of the Chantones and Forgotten Monorails of Canada says the niche topics of interest he chooses to write about are the perfect fit for Amazon's Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP) service which only prints physical books when they're purchased on the site.
"There's no reason not to publish," Langan says, noting how he might only sell 100 copies of a certain title and net $100 for his work.
Writing about local history has never been about the money. "It's a labour of love," he says.
Langan is planning a Dec. 3 book launch featuring photographs of the four artists adorning the label of a special blend coffee by Sparrow Brewing and Roasting Co. More details about the release party are expected soon.
