Margaret Lindsay Holton facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margaret Lindsay Holton
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| Born | 4 April 1955 |
| Nationality | Canadian |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto |
| Occupation | Artist, Designer, Author, Filmmaker |
| Years active | 1978-Present |
Margaret Lindsay Holton is a talented Canadian artist. She is known for her unique oil and acrylic paintings, which she calls 'naive-surreal-folk-abstracts'. She also creates amazing pinhole photographs and short documentary films. Besides her visual art, Margaret is a poet and author of novels.
Margaret has won important awards for her art. In 2016, she received the K.W. Irmisch 'Arts Person of the Year' Award from the City of Burlington. In 2018, the University of Toronto honored her with an Alumni of Influence award. She was also nominated for the Premier of Ontario Arts Award.
Contents
About Margaret Lindsay Holton
Her Early Life and School
Margaret Lindsay Holton grew up in a country area north of Burlington, Ontario. She went to primary school in Hamilton and high school in Burlington. After that, she studied English Literature and Philosophy at the University of Toronto.
During her third year of university, she studied in Scotland at the University of Edinburgh. There, she learned about the history of the English language. She also traveled a lot, visiting the Outer Hebrides islands, northern Ireland, and even eastern Russia. She explored cities like Leningrad (now St. Petersburg) and Moscow. After her studies, she toured western Europe.
When she returned to Toronto, Margaret worked in Canadian publishing and film. She was an assistant editor for a magazine and helped with typesetting. She also worked in sales for a book printing company and as a production assistant for a film company.
Her Creative Career
In 1978, Margaret started her own design business called MLH Productions. Through this company, she has done many different artistic things. She designs fine furniture and typefaces (which are like different styles of letters). She has also written twelve books, including poetry, stories, and history.
Margaret has also made music. She produced and performed on three music CDs. These include Summer Haze (jazz piano), CANADADA: TAKE TWO (spoken word and electro-pop), and 'GROUP THINK'. In 2015, she produced, directed, and wrote a short film called The Frozen Goose, which was about World War I.
Pinhole Photography
Margaret is a special kind of photographer. She uses pinhole cameras, which are very simple cameras without lenses. She makes all her cameras herself from cardboard boxes and tins! She also develops her own photos by hand. Each print is signed, numbered, and dated by her.
Her pinhole photos have been shown in art galleries. These include the Homer Watson Public Art Gallery and the Art Gallery of Burlington. A book about her pinhole photography, Memory's Shadow, was praised by an art critic.
Painting Style
Margaret's paintings are called "naive-surreal-folk-abstracts." This means her art doesn't fit into typical art styles. She often paints about nature, the environment, and planet Earth. A book called Canadada: A Painter's Nature shows her paintings from over 40 years.
She has shown her paintings in many group exhibitions in Canada, the US, and Europe. She has also had her own solo shows. Margaret used to be a member of several art groups, like the Women's Art Association of Canada. In 2023, she moved her home and studio to Eastern Ontario.
Designing Typefaces
In 1979, Margaret designed a typeface called 'Lindsay'. A typeface is a complete set of letters, numbers, and symbols in a specific design. Her design was one of the first to be made digital using a special computer system called IKARUS. The 'Lindsay' typeface was even used for the popular board game, Carcassonne.
Margaret has also designed two other typefaces, Gato and CANADA. These designs are still pencil drawings and have not been released to the public.
Her Writing Works
Margaret studied English literature in university, and she started writing books in the 1980s. Her first novel was published in 1985. She also helped create a book called The Spirit of Toronto: 1934-1984. This book featured essays from religious leaders about multiculturalism in Toronto.
In 1997, Margaret started her own publishing company called Acorn Press Canada. Through her company, she published her second novel, The Gilded Beaver by Anonymous, in 1999. This novel won an award! She also published two books of poetry: On Top of Mount Nemo and Bush Chord. Her third novel, TRILLIUM, was released in 2018. She later released a second edition of The Gilded Beaver and a collection of short stories called 'Sticks and Stones'.
Designing Furniture
Margaret learned how to make furniture from her father, Luther Janna Holton, who was a cabinetmaker. In 1986, she started her own furniture design business called 'MLH Productions'.
Her furniture pieces are now in important collections. Some are in the Royal Ontario Museum and the Canadian Film Centre. Her furniture has also been bought by people around the world. One of her furniture commissions, 'The Four Canadian Fireside Chairs', was even the subject of her second novel.
Making Films
Margaret started making films in the 1980s. Her first long documentary film was In the Eye of the Hunter. It was shown on TV in Toronto.
Over the past 20 years, she has made more than forty short documentary films. These films are usually less than 15 minutes long. Her films have been shown at different film festivals, like the Niagara Film Festival and the Oakville Film Festival. Some of her documentaries are about interesting people, like 'Harold Dickert: Burlington Luthier' and 'David Lambert: Fastest Knot-Tyer in Canada'.
In 2016, Margaret made her first dramatic short film, The Frozen Goose. It was based on a short story she wrote about World War I. The film was shown at the Art Gallery of Burlington and at the Hamilton Film Festival. It was also broadcast on TV during Remembrance Week and as a Christmas special.
