For the first 8 years of my life, I lived in a wonderful neighbourhood. We were not wealthy, actually far from it. Some were more financially comfortable than others but in my Fairville, people were judged by what was in their heart, not their pocketbook. I went to Catholic school but had friends of different religions. As a child, I was not aware of any divisions. We all played together and were all treated as equals. When school let out the firemen and all the women in the neighbourhood watched to make sure we got home safely. Being unsafe usually meant a skinned knee from running or rough housing. You didn't have to wait to get home to get a bandage. The whole neighbourhood cared for you and you were looked after by someone looking out their window.
Our fire station was close to the schools. The firemen were usually outside to wave to us on our way to and from and we knew we were being watched over. At Halloween, the fire station was the place to go. There were treats galore and I remember a few costume contests. Santa showed up at our fire station at Christmas with really nice bags of candy for all of us. A lot of the kids have memories of sliding down the fire pole. Some used the fire house's bench to hang around and eat fries from Bob's and they were welcomed there.
This painting is my interpretation of the firehall as it was when I was a child. My memory was helped by photos provided by Harold Wright and Al Babineau but by and large my memories were accurate. Painting this brought back memories of Tommy Joyce, my god father and one of the fire men.
This painting has hanging hardware attached and continues around the sides of the gallery wrap canvas.
Shipping can be arranged. Contact me for shipping charges to your address.
For the first 8 years of my life, I lived in a wonderful neighbourhood. We were not wealthy, actually far from it. Some were more financially comfortable than others but in my Fairville, people were judged by what was in their heart, not their pocketbook. I went to Catholic school but had friends of different religions. As a child, I was not aware of any divisions. We all played together and were all treated as equals. When school let out the firemen and all the women in the neighbourhood watched to make sure we got home safely. Being unsafe usually meant a skinned knee from running or rough housing. You didn't have to wait to get home to get a bandage. The whole neighbourhood cared for you and you were looked after by someone looking out their window.
Our fire station was close to the schools. The firemen were usually outside to wave to us on our way to and from and we knew we were being watched over. At Halloween, the fire station was the place to go. There were treats galore and I remember a few costume contests. Santa showed up at our fire station at Christmas with really nice bags of candy for all of us. A lot of the kids have memories of sliding down the fire pole. Some used the fire house's bench to hang around and eat fries from Bob's and they were welcomed there.
This painting is my interpretation of the firehall as it was when I was a child. My memory was helped by photos provided by Harold Wright and Al Babineau but by and large my memories were accurate. Painting this brought back memories of Tommy Joyce, my god father and one of the fire men.
This painting has hanging hardware attached and continues around the sides of the gallery wrap canvas.
Shipping can be arranged. Contact me for shipping charges to your address.