Bon Echo, Lake Mazinaw & Mazinaw Rock Art Project 

Contemporary Art Narrative

By Shelley Leach © 2024

I'm currently creating an art project series focused on Mazinaw Rock, located within Bon Echo Provincial Park in Southeastern Ontario. Through this project, I weave together historical research, personal reflection, and creative expression, which I update regularly. My series will consist of 3 to 4 paintings, watercolours created on location, a wealth of photographs, and importantly, a contemporary narrative.

My narrative is crucial to my project, embodying an interdisciplinary approach that enriches my artwork and fosters deeper connections. It enhances my artwork by providing depth, cultural relevance, emotional engagement, and a unique perspective. 

This narrative reflects a contemporary art approach that inspires dialogue about the artwork created and also creates a multidimensional experience, significantly contributing to the overall impact of the original artwork I create. While many artists focus on the visual aspect alone, I approach my art in a way that mirrors how we engage with stories in other mediums. Movies, books, and other narratives often create a multi-layered experience. In this project and past projects, the narrative serves the same purpose, enhancing the visual elements of the artwork and offering a more immersive experience.  

This unique approach to my art projects was developed by me from the challenges of having dyslexia, where the written word on paper was often difficult to navigate and understand, leading me to create my own stories and ways of communicating. This unique approach has become core to my artistic projects, combining narratives and visual art to express deeper meaning.  Instead of fitting into a framework that wasn’t made for me, I created one where the experience fits my way of seeing. 

This project is self-funded, reflecting my unwavering commitment and determination to develop a body of work that embodies my artistic ideals.

 The sale of my art directly supports my professional work and future projects. 

 This November work from this project is being exhibited in Renfrew, Ontario, a short distance from Bon Echo and Mazinaw Rock during this time you can find some of my original location sketches and the first two paintings create as part of this project.

Mazinaw Rock rises approx. 330 ft above Mazinaw Lake. Mazinaw Rock is known for its indigenous pictographs and the imposing size of the cliff. Mazinaw rock was opened as a public Provincial Park in 1965 and is the largest indigenous rock art site in the southern Canadian Shield in 1982 it was designated a National historic site of Canada. Ontario Parks staff provides a interpretive boat tour of some of the pictographs where you can learn about possible meaning of some the pictographs. 

This area has a colourful past also engraved on the cliff is a very large quote by poet Walt Whitman. In 1919 commissioned by early feminist, and successful business woman Flora McDonald Denison, stone masons carved this poem below into Mazinaw Rock, Denison had started the Canadian Suffrage Association and was also a  proponent of the arts, especially writing. When she and her husband owned the Bon Echo Inn it was turned it into a haven for artists and thinkers, an artistic and intellectual retreat in the Ontario wilderness where they could work and relax and create. Flora MacDonald Denison died in 1921, her ashes were scattered in the lake at the base of the Old Walt poem. In September 1936, lightning struck the Bon Echo Inn. The whole building burned within 1 to 2 hours, and the Bon Echo Inn was no more.

The quote says... 

“MY FOOTHOLD IS TENON’D AND MORTISED IN GRANITE
I LAUGH AT WHAT YOU CALL DISSOLUTION
AND I KNOW THE AMPLITUDE OF TIME.” 

 As I work on my Bon Echo - Mazinaw Rock Project I came across another fascinating piece of history, I’m reminded that the narratives we celebrate need to be updated and expanded.

The inscription on the back of this photo to Harry S. Truman in the link below says —“whose high reput like Walt Whitman is ‘ten’d and mortised in granite’”— reveals a connection that deserves renewed appreciation.  trumanlibrary.gov/photograph-records/2003-133
Bon Echo ( Mazinaw) Rock is not just a monument to the past; it is a vibrant part of our past, present and future cultural heritage that should be properly attributed and celebrated and possibly a conversation about how we honour and reinterpret our history! 

 Lake Mazinaw has a permitter of 49 km and an astounding depth of close to 500ft. making it one of the deepest lakes in Ontario.  Mazinaw Rock, rising 330 feet above the waterline, means likely it extends a similar distance below the surface. While I haven’t yet found the exact underwater depth of the cliff, it is reasonable to assume it is comparable.  As someone who is curious it certainly has peaked my intertest to know what it looks like below the water. 

The lake is located in the headwaters of the Mississippi River watershed. Mazinaw lake is also a habitat for Lake Sturgeon, they are a "species at risk" and considered threatened. Lake Sturgeon are bottom feeding fish, with the depth of Mazinaw I was told it would be rare to see one, it was explained to me when at the park by park staff the largest one recorded at Lake Mazinaw to date was 9ft, 500lbs and approx. 103 yrs old. I think this size could be more legend and possibly a bit exaggerated. However, they are extremely large fish and I would expect with the depth of Mazinaw indeed there are some very large sturgeon lurking in its depths. 

Most certainly the dinosaurs of Mazinaw.

 The lake is divided into two basins and is home to Bon Echo Provincial Park. The Boundaries of Bon Echo Provincial Park protect is approximately. 20,000 acres of this diverse ecosystem with its natural rugged beauty. 

The park is within the boundaries of both North Frontenac and Lennox & Addington county. 

I've spent most of my career painting "wilderness" Bon Echo Provincial Park is a beautifully maintained provincial park, well worth visiting for anyone. I continue to work to create my artistic representation of Mazinaw Rock and the surrounding area.

Bon Echo was named for the acoustic properties of the rock surrounding the Lake.  Mazinaw, comes from Algonquin words “Mazinaabikinigan-zaaga'igan,” meaning “painted-image ,picture” or “writing,”  The Rock ( Cliff)  on Lake Mazinaw, and the surrounding area, is significant for the region’s Indigenous Peoples, evidenced by the more than 250 pictographs. 

The pictographs were painted on the rock ( cliff) at or close to water level with red ochre , pigment made from clay rich in iron oxide. The creators of these pictographs used animal fat or plant material as binding agent to adhere the paint they created to the rock surface.

  Out of the almost 260 pictographs, one stood out to me: a turtle depicted in an orange tone, contrasting with the deep red ochre of the others. It was explained that the ochre may have originated from different locations, with only two known sources in the area. I questioned whether the colour difference might instead be due to the binding agent used in the pigment. As an artist, this was my initial thought. I found it intriguing that this one orange tone pictograph represents a turtle, a significant symbol in Indigenous cultures, embodying creation, wisdom, protection, nurturing, and balance.  Mazinaw Rock holds profound meaning, interpreted in our own ways, the essence of its captivating presence. 

Something else about the pictographs and why in some respects I believe my project is timely. Many of  pictographs have faded over the years, especially when compared to the vibrant colours they once had. Many of the images found online show them as a deep oxide red, but in reality, the colours have dulled significantly. 

This deterioration isn’t due to natural weathering or environmental factors; rather, it’s primarily caused by human interaction when touching the pictographs. As visitors touch the pictographs while exploring the area, the oils and dirt from our hands contribute to the fading leaving some barely visible today.  

In 1982, this site was designated a "Historic Site of Canada" and the largest Indigenous rock art site on the southern Canadian Shield and the only major pictograph site in Southern Ontario. " Mazinaw Pictographs was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1982 because: it is the largest rock art site on the southern Canadian Shield and the only major pictograph site in Southern Ontario; and, it is a very complex site containing many more abstract and geometric symbols than is normally the case. " refer- Mazinaw Pictographs National Historic site of Canada - Parks Canada and ontarioparks.ca/parksblog/bon-echo-inn/.

 Despite this heritage designation thousands of visitors engage directly with the pictographs each year, leading to accelerated deterioration. These pictographs are estimated to date back anywhere from 300 to 1,000 years, but in under a century of human interaction, many have become barely noticeable. 

This observation underscores a crucial point about our curiosity—it can sometimes lead to unintentional harm. While it's natural to want to connect with these artifacts, it’s essential to consider the impact of our actions and encourage more respectful engagement with these cultural treasures, ensuring they can be appreciated by future generations.  

 Although I don’t consider myself a conservation artist, my projects and artwork are often deeply intertwined with important issues.

I think some of this happens by happenstance; it’s inevitable that there will be some human impact when we’re out in nature that can be concerning. 

I believe that the deterioration of pictographs is concerning, and there is a direct lack of meaningful interpretation surrounding them for those who go to see them, a stark contrast to visiting Petroglyphs Provincial Park. Someplace I also visited this past summer. Although, I felt park staff do to the best of there ability try to convey the importance.  Perhaps the vague descriptions of the pictographs hinder a deeper understanding of their true importance, leading to interactions that fail to convey the critical message of respecting and not touching them. 

  I initially felt a disconnect regarding the pictographs in the stories found online. While it often seems that this is just how things are, I’ve always been curious about the deeper stories. Perhaps others will share this curiosity, creating an open dialogue about it. For me, the pictographs are essential to understanding Bon Echo and Mazinaw Rock. They have been part of the area for an estimated 300 to 1,000 years, while the Bon Echo Inn existed for only about 36 years. I appreciate all aspects of Bon Echo’s history and am now adding my own perspective as a visitor to the park and a Canadian artist who painted Bon Echo! 

Although most of my time was spent on the Mazinaw side of Bon Echo Provincial park there are in fact two sides to the park,  Bon Echo features: Mazinaw Lake, Bon Echo Lake, Abes Lake, Essens lake, and Joeperry Lake, alongside numerous trails leading to smaller bodies of water and lakes. I spent some time in these areas of the park, Bon Echo Lake is a smaller lake within Bon Echo, all the campsites at Bon Echo lake are Cabin Rentals.

 As you go beyond this to the other sites on this side of the park the areas get more distant and rugged from that of Mazinaw Lake.  Exploring these less-traveled areas deepened my appreciation for the entire park, highlighting the balance between its popular attractions and the serene, untamed beauty of its wilderness.  In 2022, a storm called a "derecho" devastated this area of the park, characterized by widespread, long-lived winds from rapidly moving thunderstorms, producing winds exceeding 100 km/h (62 mph) and altering landscapes. 

This experience deepened my connection to Bon Echo, reminding me that beauty often lies in the unexpected nature of its weathering.  As I traveled through this area, for reasons I could not explain, I actually felt closer to nature. You can find a blog I wrote on this here  artists-journal/f/seeing-bon-echo 

Beyond my blog - artistically, I found this areas transformation similar to the beauty found in wetlands, where change and renewal are essential to the ecosystem's vitality. Just as wetlands serve as vital habitats for species like frogs, turtles, dragonflies and countless others, the weathering of this forest reflects a dynamic process in which beauty emerges not in permanence but in the evolution of the land. 

The change in the landscape as a result of the storm brought new species and opened spaces for sunlight to nurture growth, creating a new landscape that showcases resilience and adaptation. In my view, this area of Bon Echo deserved a visit for the same reasons I explored any other; it invites to engage with nature differently than other areas of Bon Echo. While wetlands often serve as a living classroom for many, this area offers similar insights into biodiversity and ecological interconnections, I think this rugged landscape reminded me of the lessons in the complexities of nature much like ourselves. 

To look beyond immediate visuals and appreciate the underlying processes at work. As a landscape artist, I thought this area in particular is a reminder that nature’s artistry goes far beyond what meets the eye, revealing complexity and wonder, just waiting to be explored.

I spent from July - Early October in the area exploring Bon Echo, Lake Mazinaw and beyond. My vision and goal are to create a series of artwork that is original, painted from more than a visual perspective, and understands to the best of my ability the area, the history, and its significance.  

This project was started during my 2024 Artist Residency in the area.  

You can find previews of the Original paintings created following this narrative.

I'm now working on completing my " project" two paintings were done during my residency, not including all my sketches. 

I plan to do at least two more paintings from the area, possibly three.

Bon Echo/Mazinaw Rock represents my third major art project, each project being a unique exploration in its own right. 

You can find blog posts I've created on the next page " Artists Journal" 

and you can find me on Instagram @canadian.artist.shelley.leach

My last day at Bon Echo and Mazinaw Rock for purposes of experiencing and gathering reference was October 9th, 2024. While in the area I completed two significant paintings and numerous field/location sketches as well as lots of notes.  I have more paintings to go and am presently working on painting 3. 

  As much as I said October 9th would be my last day, I’ve actually returned twice since and plan to go back again. The more I paint, the stronger my connection to this place becomes, and the more I feel drawn to return, whether to sit, reflect, or re-examine what I’m painting. On November 18th, I spent some quiet time there, with no campers around, and only saw three people and one dog (besides my own) in this vast park. It deepened my sense of how truly inspiring this project is for me, and how much it continues to guide my work. I look forward to sharing the completed project publicly in 2025 and having the opportunity to talk with people about what I experienced, learned and how this is infused into the artwork I created.

 By connecting with the various stories behind each piece, I aim to create art that invites you to celebrate the beauty, complexity and multifaceted stories that make Bon Echo such a artistically captivating area. For those who value not just the artwork, but the stories and experiences captured within each piece.

The best way to learn about my project is here online though my narrative. I will be showing my completed art series in the spring of 2025 as we all once again think about our summers adventures, details will follow in 2025. Upon completing this project, the narrative and documentation will remain online, highlighting the insights and provenance woven into my original artwork created from this project. 

© Shelley Leach 2024