We are thrilled to formally unveil 5 newly acquired portraits from Gould’s remarkable body of work to our permanent collection. Best known for his expressive, improvisational mark-making and deeply personal drawings, Gould captured human connection like few others could.

Special Event Highlight: Alongside the portrait unveiling, we will host a screening of his film, Waubaushene Faces! Followed by a discussion with Ingi Gould.

Following his work drawing legendary mime artist Marcel Marceau in New York, Gould settled into a cottage in Waubaushene around 1970. It was right here in our community that he observed local life, filled his journals, and created his most ambitious masterpieces.

Come experience the art, watch the film, and celebrate a pivotal chapter of local creative history!

Don’t miss this opportunity to look, observe, and connect.

A little more about the artist:

John Gould (1929–2010) was a Toronto-born artist best known for his expressive drawings and experimental films. He travelled extensively, making field drawings in places such as Mexico, Spain, Peru, Japan, and Ontario. His international experiences shaped his work, but Waubaushene, Ontario, became one of the most important places in his artistic life.

Around 1970, following his work drawing mime artist Marcel Marceau in New York, Gould moved to a cottage in Waubaushene. It was there that he began creating the Ancestor Series, the most ambitious and significant body of drawings of his career.

The Ancestor drawings were large, densely crosshatched works combining autobiographical memories, dreams, film references, literature, and observations of people around him. They represented a major development in Gould’s approach to drawing, bringing together his technical skill, imagination, and interest in spontaneous and improvisational mark-making.

Waubaushene was also important to Gould as a place of observation and human connection. His journals recorded encounters with local people, and one Waubaushene acquaintance inspired the memorable phrase, “Can’t you hear me looking at you?” This captures Gould’s broader fascination with looking, observing, and portraying people.

The importance of this period was recognized publicly in 1978, when four works from the Ancestor Series, together with films based on them, were included in the exhibition The Work of Art at the Art Gallery of Toronto.

In short, Waubaushene was a pivotal creative setting for John Gould. His move there around 1970 provided the environment in which he developed the Ancestor Series and produced some of the most personal, complex, and technically accomplished work of his career. It connected his life experiences, local observations, memories, imagination, and international influences into a distinctive body of work.