Navigations of Iron

Navigations of Iron
by Gary Blundell

Agnes Jamieson Gallery
August 12 – September 26, 2020

Between 1870 and 1900, there was a great hope that the iron ore found between Kinmount and Tory Hill would bring prosperity to the area. Many men came here seeking the location of valuable iron deposits, digging test holes in the ground and setting up mine sites. The most notable was Chalres Pusey, who as a young man had worked for the new railways in both England and the United States. He came in hopes of becoming a true mining and railway baron. Sadly, despite setting up a home here, building a church in Irondale and the IB&O Railway linking Howland Junction to Bancroft, the iron deposits were poor at best and the entire venture went from hopeful to abandoned.

The area today is littered the the remains of these activities. The mine test-holes and mine sites can be found throughout the woodlands. There are still the remains of railway beams, intact bridges and decaying waiting rooms.

As an artist interested in the collision between human and natural patterning on the Earth’s surface this local endeavor has intrigued Gary Blundell since moving here in 2000. This exhibition is all about what remains.

Artist Bio

E. G. Blundell was born in London, England and immigrated to Canada in 1962. Gary is a hyrdogeoloist by training and has a degree in Earth Sciences. In 2014 he received the Chalmers Fellowship. His work has been exhibited across the country, the UK and can be found in numerous public and private collections throughout Canada.