Art for Alzheimer's supports York Region residents impacted by dementia

For the month of November, IG Private Wealth Management Wherry & Associates hosts Art for Alzheimer’s, an art exhibition and fundraiser featuring the original and commissioned work of award-winning Canadian illustrator and artist Doug Martin. Proceeds support the Alzheimer Society of York Region (AS York).

Art for Alzheimer’s, an Art Exhibition & Fundraiser, takes place Nov. 4 to 29 at Todmorden Mills Art Gallery in Toronto.

“Over the years I have accumulated a lot of artwork,” said Martin. “I have exhibited my work many times in the past, but with this exhibition I wanted to give back by donating my work to raise funds for the Alzheimer’s society. This is a cause dear to us as my late mother (lived with) the disease. We have been with IG Wealth for 30 years and the cause of Alzheimer’s is also one of their priorities.”

Martin participates in AS York’s IG Wealth Management Walk for Alzheimer’s, joining his financial advisor team, Wherry & Associates, on the walk, which takes place every May. It was Barb Wherry, executive financial consultant, who suggested an art show.

“In conversation (with Wherry), I questioned what I will do with all my accumulated artwork since I was not really interested in exhibiting again and I no longer depended on selling my work,” Martin said. “Barb suggested we make it a fundraising event with the proceeds of the sales going to Alzheimer’s.”

Martin retired in August of 2013 after an almost 40-year career as a freelance illustrator “having accomplished more than I could have ever hoped for in a very competitive field,” but didn’t stop painting. He had two additional art exhibits after he retired: a series of paintings for an exhibition at Todmorden Mills called, ‘Swan Song and other Expressions’ in 2014 and a series of large canvases called ‘Road Trips,’ also at Todmorden Mills, in 2019.

“His style is just phenomenal,” said Wherry who owns several of Martin’s pieces including one titled Lounge Lizard, which is a play on words, and another created for a local Vespa dealer of a couple in the French Riveria, which Wherry said is a good representation of  helping people reach their financial goals.

Martin, who said painting is his passion, said it’s hard for him to narrow down years of work to a favourite piece.

“There are a number of pieces that I felt turned out really well and stood out as examples of a successful illustration,” he said. “An illustration for the cover of Maclean’s Magazine in 1980, entitled ‘Acid Rain’ was one such piece. It shows a hand dipping into water. The fingers below the waterline are skeletal. This was a very dramatic image and won several awards.”

One of the hardest illustrations he said he had to create was a painting of the Komodo dragon for the Toronto Zoo.

“At the time of the assignment the animal was in quarantine so I had to rely on some rather inadequate reference photos supplied by the advertising agency. To add to the challenge, they wanted a perspective looking down on the Komodo. This required a lot of imagination and some guesswork to accomplish. In total, the Illustration required over 100 hours of detailed painting. In the end it was all worth it. This illustration won several awards.”

Martin said this final exhibition in support of AS York will include a diverse range of art including those created for magazines, book covers, advertising campaigns and pieces from previous exhibitions at Todmorden Mills.   

“One of the most meaningful and personal pieces in the exhibition, entitled, ‘We are all made of Stardust,’ is an image of a mother holding a baby set against a darkened night sky full of stars. The figures are merging with the background. This piece was done in memory of a friend who passed away from cancer.”

Martin said he can’t pinpoint the hardest piece to let go of as many have meaning, but “the objective of the exhibition is to raise funds for a very important cause and hopefully, to find new homes for my work.”

The exhibit kicks off Nov. 8 with an opening reception from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event includes food, drinks and live music. Martin will be there to answer questions.

“For the Nov. 8 reception my hope is that it will be well attended and that everyone enjoys the exhibition and most importantly, that people will support the cause by purchasing a painting,” Martin said. “All proceeds from the sale will go to (AS York). I want this to be a joyous and special event.”

Martin will be at gallery on weekends “to meet and talk with anyone who might be interested to ask questions about the work. It’s a chance to meet people who may not have been able to attend the opening.”

This is the fourth time that Martin has exhibited his art at Todmorden Mills, “an exceptional gallery space in an historic building set in the beautiful valley at the foot of Pottery Road.”

Martin said Art for Alzheimer’s is in tribute and memory of his mom, Kathleen, “a wonderful person,” who died in 2006 after a battle with dementia, and in memory of Margaret  tenHaaf.

“Primarily people should want to attend the event to enjoy the exhibition and in purchasing the work, to raise funds for a worthy cause.”

The opening reception and the art exhibition, which takes place at Todmorden Mills, 67 Pottery Rd. in Toronto, are free to attend. Proceeds from the sale of Martin’s work support AS York, which provides programs and services for York Region residents impacted by dementia.