EDWARD JOHN BARTRAM

BARTRAM, EDWARD JOHN Ed (Ted) Bartram, 81, died Sunday, August 25, 2019, at Mackenzie Richmond Hill Hospital, after treatment at West Parry Sound Health Centre and Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre, following a brief illness. He leaves Mary Bromley, his wife of 39 years and daughter Jessica Bromley Bartram (Ian Alexander). He was brother to Bill Bartram (Janet Bartram-Thomas); brother-in-law to Carol Bromley and Bill Bromley; uncle to David Bartram (Cheryl McGowan), Mary Bartram (Chris Forbes), Erica Stone (Ed Vandenberg) and Stephanie Stone (Lyndon Bailey). Born in London, Ontario, to Dr. Edward Bartram and Olive Bartram, Ed spent his last year of high school at Neuchâtel Junior College in Switzerland, where he made lifelong friends and developed an interest in art history. Upon returning to Canada he completed a BA at Western University and an MA in Art & Archaeology at the University of Toronto. On graduation, he taught art at Lawrence Park Collegiate, then the art diploma course at Central Technical School. This was followed by 18 years of teaching printmaking at the Ontario College of Art & Design. He developed his professional art practice in the mid 1960s and continued working until his death. In 1965, after buying an island on Georgian Bay, he reconnected with the rocks of the Canadian Shield and made them his subject matter for the rest of his career. His enduring love for Georgian Bay was earlier influenced by his time at Camp Hurontario and by its late director Bernie Hodgetts, who instilled in his campers a deep respect for the natural world. Represented by Mira Godard Gallery since 1977, Ed's etchings and paintings of the unique rocks of Georgian Bay are collected across Canada and abroad. He spent his summers working in his studio on the island and delighted in taking visitors on tours of the shoreline, enthusiastically explaining the geologic history of the rocks along the way. In 2007, Ed and the island on which he worked were a part of the CBC series Geologic Journey, which highlighted the features of the rocks that had long been inspiring Ed's art. He was an incredibly generous person with his time and his kindness towards others. He was always prepared with words of advice (especially for his daughter) on a wide range of topics, from financial planning to repairing solar water pumps. He had a boundless energy for French cooking, birding, fishing and fixing things with duct tape and hope. His ever-expanding island garden is a wonder and he had a particular love for daylilies, crossing them to create new varieties artistically (not scientifically!). There will be a celebration of his life in Toronto in early November, date to be announced. Please do not send flowers. Instead, the family suggests that you plant a tree in Ed's honour. Memorial donations can also be made to the Georgian Bay environmental organization of your choice.