Alison Kendall; 1961 - 2014.

     A few years ago I took on the role of a student at Lakehead University. One night I stayed late to work on a print. I stepped out of the printmaking room of the visual arts building for a minute and returned to what I expected to be an empty room. I was confronted with two massive and beautiful Great Danes, the size of horses! They gave me a blank stare. I stood in awe, but wondered if I was seconds away from becoming food. Then Alison Kendall stepped into the room smiling and apologized for leaving her dogs unattended. In her presence the massive dogs were just big puppies.

     With every one of my brief encounters with Alison, I sensed she was wrapped in a story, and she happily extolled an opinion on how she fit into it. She was a bigger than life person who lived a life less ordinary and lived it well, so it was no surprise to hear from her close friends that she was angry that life would be taken away from her far too soon.

     For Alison, the brain cancer that dug into her was just that, part of a story, with an ending she was determined to change. Alison fought back and she took precautions not to exacerbate the cancer with a cold or the flu.

     One of the last times I saw Alison, she was packing art supplies into her dragon trike outside of Gallery 33/The Painted Turtle. Her trike was an electric three-wheeled bike with pedals. Due to her condition, she wasn’t allowed to drive a car any longer. But she remained mobile and certainly ready to work on new art pieces, as well as promote her work. For last year’s Walkabout tour she made a point of delivering flyers door to door. Alison was inspiring.

     Alison taught for over twenty years at Lakehead University, retiring in 2013. Alison’s former students, those who were truly interested in drawing and painting well, think the world of her. She was not only as an excellent teacher, but also a prolific artist who produced both very personal works and successful commercial work. She also served as an example for the students.

      Alison admitted to some of her former students that early in her career she was probably too tough on them. More than a few students knew she was getting them to think hard and work hard because she wanted them to succeed as artists and in life. Like many professors at Lakehead University, Alison was demanding because she felt the high-school system was giving students short shrift, kicking students through the system who could barely write.

      Often, under the pretense of inviting a student over for a discussion about the student’s art or to show her work, Alison would get her husband, Brian, to cook a healthy meal for a student. Alison and Brian never let on to the young student that they served dinner because they were worried about that student’s health. At Christmas and graduation they put on a feast for the students, cooking up a giant pot of stew or chili.

     “Alison was always concerned about the students in more ways than one,” says Brian. “She might have been tough on them, but she cared.”

     Along with walking their dogs and discussing art, people, and life, Alison shared an office space with Sarah Link at Lakehead University for 14 years.

     “Allison was very intelligent and had great insight into human behavior coupled with an incredible sense of humour…” says Sarah. These qualities manifested in Allison’s ability to give wonderful toasts, interviews, eulogies and act as MC for annual student shows. “She always rose to the occasion and not only nailed the content, but kept her audience entertained with her edgy and sometimes irreverent wit.”

     Forever producing and trying out new things, she was obsessive with her art, finding time to write regularly and support the arts, curating shows and writing essays for catalogues.

      Alison’s most personal work made for a great show at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery back in 2008 called “In the Name of Healing.” Alison dealt with other health issues for a number of years and with a great deal of research, resolve and creativity, she bought and collected glass pieces and glued them together to make freakish looking structures that were covered in red beads. There were strange looking oversized test tubes, wine glasses, read beaded syringes.

     One of her great contributions for a number of years was to host drawing exhibitions of her student’s work at the Definitely Superior Art Gallery. Students, beginning as novices, produced drawings that by the end of the school year were worthy of hanging and selling. This was an amazing confidence booster.

     As much as Alison was capable of producing contemporary self-expressive pieces, Alison would overextend her interests into book making, etching, watercolours, figure paintings, and much more. “Overextend” because Alison had friends who knew that she too, like her students, needed some discipline in order to focus on the great work she was capable of producing.

     Sadly we won’t see what could have been, but we may at some point see the great work that she has produced over the years.

     Duncan Weller is a writer and Visual Artist. His latest picture book for children is The Ugg and the Drip.       Forever producing and trying out new things, she was obsessive with her art, finding time to write regularly and support the arts, curating shows and writing essays for catalogues.

      Alison’s most personal work made for a great show at the Thunder Bay Art Gallery back in 2008 called “In the Name of Healing.” Alison dealt with other health issues for a number of years and with a great deal of research, resolve and creativity, she bought and collected glass pieces and glued them together to make freakish looking structures that were covered in red beads. There were strange looking oversized test tubes, wine glasses, read beaded syringes.

     One of her great contributions for a number of years was to host drawing exhibitions of her student’s work at the Definitely Superior Art Gallery. Students, beginning as novices, produced drawings that by the end of the school year were worthy of hanging and selling. This was an amazing confidence booster.

     As much as Alison was capable of producing contemporary self-expressive pieces, Alison would overextend her interests into book making, etching, watercolours, figure paintings, and much more. “Overextend” because Alison had friends who knew that she too, like her students, needed some discipline in order to focus on the great work she was capable of producing.

     Sadly we won’t see more of what could have been, but we may at some point see the great work that she has produced over the years.