
DUNNVILLE—There are a number of paddles on display throughout Dunnville and beyond, bearing the creativity of a wide variety of artists, as part of Paddles of the Grand.
“We just celebrated our third anniversary,” said local artist Gina McIntee. She, along with Tamara Lovegrove, Francis Porter, Karen Prine, and Sue Wilkins, form the organizing core of Paddles of the Grand, which is registered as a business but runs as a community arts initiative.
“All of us are a team. There is no hierarchy. We’re just a circle.… Many hands are working with that paddle to have it reach its destination,” McIntee said.
The paddles – which are made to be two, four, or six feet long – are initially crafted primarily by students at Dunnville Secondary School and McKinnon Park Secondary School in Caledonia (though McIntee noted there are also some woodworkers in the community who will make the paddles as well).
After that, the paddles go to one of Dunnville’s two long-term care homes, Grandview Lodge or Edgewater Gardens, where they’re sanded in preparation for painting. Next up, “they go to a blacksmith to be branded with our logo, which (reads) ‘Made in Haldimand’ and (has) a blue heron with two water ripples,” McIntee explained, with paddles then going to the artists to be painted.
Melissa Baisley, Supervisor of Programs and Support at Grandview Lodge, said being involved with Paddles of the Grand has been a boon for residents, particularly the men.
Baisley said residents will sometimes have a hard time making social connections and building friendships while their abilities decline, “as they often think of themselves (in terms of) what they can’t do.”
However, several rooms at Grandview have been converted into a ‘garage’ space, where residents can engage in activities like woodworking, crushing cans, tinkering, painting, etc. while enjoying one another’s company.
Helping to sand the paddles gives the residents purpose and a way to help in their community.
“(With) their generation, it was common to lend a helping hand,” Baisley said. “Explaining to the residents how the process works gives the men great pride in the hard work they do, as it goes to the immediate community.”
Wanting to acknowledge how important the paddles are to the residents, Grandview purchased a full-sized paddle and asked artist Ron Wilkie to paint it.
Wilkie worked as an illustrator and graphic designer for 30 years; “the actual painting portion of it, I didn’t pick up until after I was retired,” he said.
While he currently lives in Hamilton, Wilkie did live in Cayuga for a number of years and still has connections to Haldimand County.
In the end, Wilkie ended up doing not just one painting for Grandview Lodge, but two – one on each side of the paddle.
Baisley noted that Grandview is split into four different home areas: Hillview, Bridgeview, Creekview, and Marshview.
“Our talented (artist was) able to capture all four areas, including the walking trail on the paddle, which really encompasses our home,” she said. “If you’re ever in our home, please look for our paddle and see the beautiful artistic talent that was put into it.”
Baisley said the teams with Grandview and Paddles of the Grand are both hopeful that this will prove to be the first of more pieces of paddle art on display in Grandview.
“We have organizations within the community who are willing to purchase a paddle for an artist to paint. We have so many artists throughout Haldimand,” Baisley said, adding that the painting program at Edgewater Gardens has also brought a few more people’s talents to light.
For his part, Wilkie said this was the first time he’s painted on a paddle and will likely be his last.
“I prefer to be painting on a canvas,” he said with a laugh.
That said, he’s still glad to have done something to help brighten up Grandview for the residents and staff there.
For more information on how to get involved with Paddles of the Grand, visit the organization’s Facebook page at facebook.com/groups/paddlesofthegrand.