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Phoebe Watson
1 July 1944
Doon, Ontario

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Eldon Leis was a young boy of seven years of age when he lived across the street from Phoebe Watson, who was essentially the first curator of Homer Watson's gallery.

Eldon remembers giving tours of the Watson Gallery to visitors. Eldon took his first art lessons from Phoebe Watson. Although Homer Watson had already passed, Eldon was greatly influenced by the artwork that hung in the gallery. Eldon says that he became a landscape artist because of Homer Watson.

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Eldon Leis
2005

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On June 5th, 2005 Eldon Leis came "Full Circle" by having an art exhibit of the same name at Homer Watson House & Gallery.

Eldon is represented by Gallery on the Grand, which can be reached at:

www.galleryonthegrand.com

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Eldon Leis 2
2005

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Eldon Leis - Artist Statement

My passion for painting in oils began at a very young age when I was first introduced to the works of Homer Watson. As a child I wanted nothing more than to paint like him. I began by painting scenes close to home around Doon.

As a teenager my family and I moved near Sault Ste. Marie in northern Ontario, where my favourite subject became the landscapes of the northern region. After that my subjects were inspired by my travels across Canada from east to west. I returned to Waterloo region to settle after exploring Canada and the United States at a young age.

My love of nature and the trees of northern Ontario inspired my interest in the Japanese Art of Bonsai—creating living sculptures with trees—which also satisfies my creative needs.

My interests and style of painting evolved with age and experience. I discovered some of the most beautiful subjects are in our own back yard. Now I like to paint farm scenes, river flats, bush trails, old mills, old bridges and anything that catches my eye and imagination. I feel I have come full circle.

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Eldon recalls his time with at the house with Phoebe Watson.

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Eldon Leis remembers Homer's gallery.
2004
Doon, Ontario

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"My first impression of the gallery was amazement…I couldn't believe what I saw! All these big paintings, big pictures as we thought of them in those days, I'd never seen anything like it. So I asked Phoebe where she got all the pictures. She said that he brother painted them, he brother Homer. I couldn't believe that a human could do something like that. I thought they must have had some giant camera or something. And she that no her brother had painted them and I asked her how he had painted them and she said with oil paints.

At that point, my mother took over the conversation, and I didn't get to ask her any more questions. We went back home and I sneaked away from home and went around to the back door, or the front door…I knocked on the door and Phoebe answered the door and she said "and what do you want?" So I told her, I asked her if I could see the paintings again, so she brought me in and showed me, and then she really started talking about her brother and how he painted and some of the things that he did when he was little. About how he used to draw pictures in his mashed potatoes when they were eating and in the mean time, it was time for me to go home."

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Eldon Leis recalls art lessons from his neighbour Phoebe Watson, Homer Watson's sister.
2004
Doon, Ontario

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"So every chance I had after that, I'd come over to see the paintings. Finally I convinced her to show me how it was done. So she took out some of Homer's oil paint. Some white, red, blue and yellow, and showed me how to mix colours. And that was it for one session. Months later, she showed me how to draw, "do a little bit of a drawing first and then paint it's' sky". And I think after that it took a few more months before she showed me more. She never did teach classes; it was only when I could convince her to teach me a little bit and that went on for a couple of years. And when I was a little older, I started working for Phoebe…all the kids had jobs. I cut the grass for her and trimmed around the flower beds sometimes. In the winter time, I tended the furnace, so I got to see the paintings all the time. I was free to roam through the house."

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Eldon Leis on becoming an artist and Homer Watson's influence.
2004
Doon, Ontario

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"When I found out that Homer painted the paintings himself, by hand, I told my mother I was going to be an artist, and I never changed my mind. It took a long time before I finally sold a painting, but the idea wasn't to sell paintings, it was just to paint them. In fact, when I sold my first painting, I thought it was like stealing money, getting paid for something that you like to do so much!"

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Eldon Leis on his own art and his love of nature.
2004
Doon, Ontario