Michael Dumas – Realism Art Exhibition

2014 Realism Art Exhibition – MyArtContest.com

Michael Dumas – Lakehurst, Canada

I grew up in a rural environment, set against the vast wild lands of Algonquin Park. My father was a hunting and fishing guide, and had worked in the bush camps as a young man. The natural world was not something that I discovered, for I was born into it. My first memories and experiences are those of the woods, lakes, and streams, and the creatures that also call these places home. For several years, as a young man, I worked as a ranger in Algonquin’s interior, adding an intensity and a broadening of perspective that comes with the day to day living of a nomadic life in the bush, sleeping in a tent and traveling by canoe while the lakes are free of ice. As a result its influence runs deeply and profoundly through my personality, my life, and my work. I am grateful for this, embracing both the many hardships and the moments of joy and wonder, for these extremes are the stuff of inspiration.