Local artist brightens up Sharing Place with Lightfoot portrait

A local artist hopes his talents can brighten the world around him, and that’s what led to a new Gordon Lightfoot portrait being displayed at the Sharing Place.

Orillia resident Mark Logan recently donated the painting to the food bank; it is now displayed prominently in its member services coordinator’s office.

“With the passing of Gordon Lightfoot … he was a big part of our community, and I found that I could relate with creativity and my art, sort of like Gordon Lightfoot did as an a musician,” Logan told OrilliaMatters. “That was his gift, I found, to the community and the world, and I wanted to do something similar.”

As he looks to share his art and brighten the lives of others, Logan thought the Sharing Place was a “good place to start.”

“It’s just something that was really inspiring, that I thought could help people, and that was by donating a painting of somebody that meant a lot to our community and our world.”

Logan said he made use of the Sharing Place earlier on in his life, and nowadays he hopes to use his passion for art to help brighten the lives of others.

“My artwork is my gift. That’s what I can give to other people,” he said. “I want people to do things they care about because it makes so much difference when you try to do something that you are passionate about.”

Along the way, he has found art has connected him with the community, as well. Last Christmas, he auctioned his art for charity in the Ho-ho Hope campaign that donated its proceeds to the Sharing Place.

“It’s a tough time right now. We’re all going through something, and if somebody can’t find that light, then I would like to help them,” he said. “The light, for me, was art and trying to help out in the community.”

Sharing Place executive director Chris Peacock said Logan’s work is a welcome addition to the food bank.

“With the renovations that we’ve done here at the Sharing Place, it’s come with a lot of white walls,” he explained.

“There’s an opportunity to be able to make this place a very welcoming, dignified space that can provide people with a sense of comfort, and art is a really important part of that,” said Peacock.

“It was very nice of Mark, very generous, and it’s just kind of inspiration for local artists to get their pieces up on on walls through our community, too.”

Beyond adding a creative touch to the food bank’s space, Peacock said he appreciates the work’s connection to a local icon.

“Mark’s piece on the wall … not only represents local art, but it also represents some great history in our community,” he said. “(Lightfoot) brought a lot of creativity and inspired a lot of creativity locally, so it’s kind of neat to be able to have our own little piece of that history here.”

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