Painter Ketha Newman knows exactly where she'd like to be buried
And it's the cabin in rural Ontario where she wants to live for the rest of her life
We often tell the stories of artists and scenes in cities and towns, but with our new series Off the Grid, we're featuring the stories of artists who live a little further out.
Ketha Newman was 19 when she first thought about becoming a painter. Taking classes with her mom's cousin, she realized that for the first time since her father's recent death, she felt good.
"I just fell in love with painting," the visual artist says. "It was like a high."
Living in a log cabin overlooking the forested hills of Algonquin Park, Newman has quite the view from her home studio these days. For several years, her family lived without hydro and running water while they turned their Bancroft, Ont. cabin into a home.
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They still live off the grid because they love the independence of it. "I just feel much more alive out here," she says. "I feel that I'm really connected to my environment."
For example, on her daily walks, she notices how the changing of seasons impacts the world around her and that informs much of her art. "I have to take actions every day to live in this environment."
"I intend to be buried on this property, at least my ashes anyway. It's kind of interesting to know exactly where I want to be for the rest of my life. I don't know how many people have that, so I feel blessed."
