STEWART JONES AND REBECCA HUNT : WELLINGTON

I met the painter Stewart Jones a few years ago in Toronto; fancy finding him running an open mic night in Prince Edward County. Turns out he and his wife Rebecca Hunt sold their home on Greenlaw Ave in Toronto, decamping to Wellington's Main Street. They now run a guest house and are becoming entrenched in the growing pre-retirement community.

I dropped in one morning, finding Stew busy preparing canvases for new paintings, Rebecca enjoying a relaxing birthday coffee and the newest edition to their family -- Kenney (a kitten) -- immediately breaking my heart.  Kenney was found by the side of the road.  He became an overnight phenomenon when Scott McGillivray (of the TV program Income Property), who was hosting a show following Stew and Rebecca's renovation of their guest house, posted a video of the kitten.  You can watch it here.  

The lifestyle adopted by this couple serves as lure for county living.  Rebecca is able to continue her work in television documentary production from a home office, where she is currently production managing a project for CBC's Doc Zone.  Her office is central to their stunning Georgian-style house that backs onto a vast yard and pool.  You can see the proximity of the house to Lake Ontario in an old postcard below.  The community of Wellington is slowly changing as younger couples move in to live year 'round.  With Stew planning weekly events like his open mic night -- Memphis Tuesday -- and a Friday life drawing session at the Devonshire, he is energizing the long winter nights.

Stewart Jones will be exhibiting his paintings at LoveArt, Toronto this April 17-19 with Canadian Art Collective.  You can view some of his dramatic cityscapes here.  I'm excited to see the influence of the country landscape on his work.