Blue Cod Gallery makes a splash

Among the attendees were Mayor John Leefe, Region of Queens Municipality Economic Development officer Jill Cruikshank, and authors Philip Slayton and Calvin Trillin.

The exhibition, which runs through Aug. 30, more than lives up to its name. Featuring an array of colourful photographs taken in all four seasons, the photos demonstrate Barton’s skill at capturing the rare quality of light found on Nova Scotia’s pristine southwest coast.

The photographs’ subjects include local landmarks like the general store in Mill Village, local beaches, and the ocean and waterways, as well as fishing boats and wildlife. One of Barton’s favourite photos, entitled “Foul Weather Friends,” captured the mallards that frequent the icy riverbank opposite his home each winter. “From Dec. to April I feed cracked-corn to two dozen ducks every morning. If I'm late, they march across our yard to the back door in protest and have been known to eye-ball me through the kitchen window,” Barton said. “When spring arrives they take-off and stay away until winter returns, so I refer to them as my ‘Foul Weather Friends.’”

The gallery itself is housed in a former general store owned by local resident Clarence Hotnot. The gallery’s namesake, a large wooden blue cod that Hotnot hand-carved, hangs outside. Inside, long draping fabric floats from the rafters in the ceiling, salvaged industrial lights illuminate the space, and a rusty anchor sits on stairs. The atmosphere is warm and comforting, and invites lingering.

Presented in clean, white frames, the photos themselves stand out dramatically against the rough-hewn plank walls of the barn. The framed 5x7 and 8x10 photos were intentionally sized so that they can be easily transported home or packed in a visitor’s luggage.

Barton’s desire in creating his gallery was partly to provide a showcase for his own work, which he was finding difficult to do through other galleries. “But also, I wanted to do this because no one celebrates this area, the Lighthouse Route,” he says. “All the tourism is centred on Halifax and Peggy’s Cove. You almost never see any photographs of further down the coast; and this is such a beautiful area, I want people to see it.”

The gallery is hoping to attract tourists as well as remind local residents of the beauty of the South Shore. “It’s a little early in the tourist season yet, but we’re hoping that people traveling between Halifax and Yarmouth will stop in to Port Medway, to explore the town, see the lighthouse and visit the gallery,” Barton says.

When asked about his plans for future exhibits at Blue Cod Gallery, Barton replied, “My spouse and I are fascinated with classic passenger ships and planes and have an extensive collection of memorabilia. So we’re thinking of putting on a 'Golden Days of Travel' exhibition in this space in the coming months.”

An accomplished painter and photographer, Barton was born and raised in San Francisco, California. While studying at the California Institute of Arts and San Francisco State University, he honed his talents as an impressionist painter. Exhibitions of his work have sold out in San Francisco, Carmel-by-the-Sea, and Sausalito.

Prices for the current exhibition’s photographs range from $60 to $200.

Blue Cod Gallery is located at 1627 Port Medway Road, at the intersection of Commercial St. Summer hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays, or by appointment. The gallery will also be open during special events in Port Medway. Interested patrons can make an appointment to visit the gallery outside its regular weekend hours by contacting Kenneth Barton at bluecodgallery@gmail.com.