It is with great sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of James Weller at the age of 85. Jim was a past President of the Merrickville Artists’ Guild and was instrumental in helping to keep the Guild cohesive and relevant to the community of Merrickville-Wolford and beyond. His bold use of colour and original interpretation of landscapes and other subjects gave the viewer an intimate insight into his creative expression. Jim was soft spoken, thoughtful and enormously talented. We were fortunate to have produced a short video of Jim in 2020 in his studio discussing his work – viewed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Houq1HfetnA

MAG will look for an opportunity to celebrate Jim and his work later in the year. We would like to express our sincere condolences to his family. They have requested some privacy for the next few days.

Nick Previsich
President, MAG

Artist’s Statement – Biography
“The University of Toronto School of Architecture insisted that I draw, sketch and design on a daily basis. Five years of this as well as courses on colour theory constituted my boot camp training in the visual arts. This was reinforced by an annual two week sketch camp in the fall. While I was at the University of Toronto I was also the cartoonist for the student paper, The Varsity. After the demands of my professional career and family had eased, I was able to take up painting in a more serious manner. I embarked on the path of transparent water colour- a medium that has enormous personal appeal because of its spontaneity and difficulty. More recently I have taken up oils and acrylics which present their own challenges.”