I am the great grandson of Carl Ahrens and the 1st cousin of Kim Bullock. The Website is awesome, Kim!!!
Chris Keith - Los Angeles, CA USA
Very interesting site - can't wait to see the book! We own one of Carl's prints, and live in his former house 'Big Trees' in Cambridge (Galt).
Nancy Tellier Cambridge, Ont Canada
Great site. As you know, I am a serious fan of his work. I look forward to hearing more about your book. Thanks for letting me know about the site.
Fred Downes - Barcelona, Spain
Loved seeing Carl's exquisite use of color in his paintings, reading the history, seeing the family pictures–the whole website is so well done. Looking forward to the book.
Betty Long - Phoenix, AZ USA
Carl Ahrens is my second cousin, once removed because he was the son of my grandmother's brother, Herman. Am I genealogically correct? I refer to Carl as, "The Painter of Trees"--he loved trees! I truly believe he's one of our overlooked great Canadian painters--perhaps because he painted so frequently out of his native country Canada. He often painted in England and the United States. I feel he mastered the art of mixing his oil paints, and succeeded in capturing the reality of Canada's colorful foliage on his canvasses in a unique and impacting way.
Paula Niall - Owen Sound, ON, Canada, Canada USA
Fascinating site! As you well know, I'm a big fan of your work, as well as Carl's. Can't wait to read the book!
Deborah Downes - Dallas, TX USA
Kim, I am one of your biggest fans and your drive to complete this book was exciting and pleasing to see, a deep heartfelt LOVE of someone you never met!! Awesome attitude in writing....the TRUTH! Good ole' truth...
Pam Marie - Dallas, TX USA
Thank you for introducing me to this wonderful artist. I love landscapes and his are brilliant. Your website is very user friendly and informative. Great job!
lisa s. - grapevine, tx USA
Congratulations, Kim! You have produced a wonderful web site that reflects your passion for Carl Ahrens' work. I hope that more of his paintings will come to be known and appreciated, especially in this part of Canada where he lived and worked for so many years. I look forward to your book!
Liz Hardin - Kitchener, ON Canada
The website is great. I can't wait to read your book!
Angela Bullock - Kansas City, Mo USA
hope that info provided by the Elbert Hubbard, Roycroft museum has been helpful
donald meade - e. aurora, ny USA
How wonderful to see the results of all your hard work in the artworks, photos and text of your web site. It's very exciting to learn more about one of Canada's almost forgotten artists. Keep up the good work Kim; we look forward to the book.
Gillian Reddyhoff, Curator, Government of Ontario Art Collection, Archives of Ontario - Toronto, ON Canada
Kim, this is really wonderful. I wish Mamma, Daddy and Granny could see this site. It means so much to me I could just cry. You are doing what everyone else wanted to do but couldn't. Bless you my darling niece.
Sieglinde Downes Baca - Los Angeles, CA USA
Great and beautiful site!
Nancy
Nashville, TN USA
Very interesting site! Good work.
Susan Hoffman - Kitchener, ON Canada
Congratulations! Fascinating material, beautiful art, great job on the website, and I will be really excited to read your book when it appears. Has anyone ever told you that you resemble Carl Ahrens physically? At least, from the family photos, it appears so.
Prof. Kathy Hickok, Iowa State Univ. - Ames, IA USA
What a wonderful site to get to learn more about this artist.
Lorna Johnson - St Charles, IL USA
What beautiful art. I can only imagine other pieces hung on walls where the owners don't know the real story behind what they have. I hope you surface others!
Nikki Baird - Denver, CO USA
Kim, We are always excited to aquire works by Carl Ahrens for our gallery. We are even more thrilled to have had you find us. It is invaluable to have you documenting Carl's life and works. It has been a true pleasure working with you and we look forward to the book!
Grace Meibohm - East Aurora, NY USA
I am the registrar at the Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, and I am very pleased to see that this resource has been made available on the internet.
Robert Steven - Kitchener, ON Canada
Wonderful and Informative website! I look forward to the book!
Jill Peters - Buffalo, NY USA
Very nice page, Kim. Good luck with your book.
Martha McGowan - Rochester, NY USA
The Tom Thomson Memorial Art Gallery in Owen Sound also has Carl Ahrens included in its permanent collection. I will have our Collections Manager forward you details on those works. Congratulations on your site -- well done.
Stuart Reid - Owen Sound, ON Canada
Kim - I remember Grandaddy Carl. I was three when he died; I do have my own memories as well as my Mother, Father and our Granny (Madonna). I was acutally named after her. I couldn't pronounce the nickname Donna and called myself Nonna. You did a wonderful job honey. Carl Ahrens and Madonna are proud of their great-granddaughter. Love and more. Nonna and Karla
Nonna Downes Lindquist - LA, CA USA
Hey Kim: You're doing great work in reviving interest in one of our area's long-and-sadly-neglected artists. The Ahrens family name is very prominent in Kitchener (Berlin) Ontario's history and Carl and his family branches deserve more attention. Be sure to let us know when the book is released as I am sure many of our Waterloo Historical Society members will be wanting to buy. Next time you travel to the area let us know and we'll meet for some Ahrens' chit-chat. -rych mills, president, Waterloo Historical Society
rych mills - Kitchener, Ont Canada
Great to see family heirlooms!
Sheree Rabino - Makati, Philippines
I was referred to your website by Janice McDuffie and was very impressed with all the work/research you have done. This kind of persistence indicates a real passion and I commend you for your efforts to bring Carl's story to us. Best of luck.
Ethel Ingalls - USA
A web site on Carl Ahrens was long overdue. Thanks for all your hard work.As a collector of Canadian art i have found this site very useful. I look forward to the book and any other future updates to the site.
Austin Lyles - Vancouver, B.C. Canada
Kim this website is really awesome!!! I wish you had started it years ago, it would have helped me with research on my art project when I was in school. The art is incredible!!!
Keila Baca - Los Angeles, CA USA
I became very familiar with Carl Ahrens paintings and sketches through dear friends of mine, his daughter, Chloris Downes, and her daughters, Nonna and Siegie. The walls of their homes were lined with the art. I am very happy to see that his work is getting the recognition it deserves. Good work Kim!
Eleni Pappas - Los Angeles, CA USA
I am the Curatorial Assistant at the MacKenzie Art Gallery in Regina, Saskatchewan, and on behalf of the MacKenzie I would like to express how wonderful it is to see this resource on Carl Ahrens' life. I look forward to your forthcoming publication!
Aimee Steininger - Regina, SK Canada - Friday, March 03, 2006 at 17:46:18 (EST)
Kim, this is a wonderful sight and your great-grandfather's paintings are breathtaking. Your book project sounds like a true labor of love--best of luck with getting it published. I will most certainly buy a copy!
Helen Hensley - Bryan, TX USA
...and although I'm a fellow member of WLT, please don't ask me for editorial help, since I make too many errors of my own! Your great-grandfather's paintings are indeed a wonderful "sight", as my first posting stated, but what I intended to say was that this is a great website. So much for trying to communicate at 6 a.m.
Helen Hensley - Bryan, TX USA
I am a fellow WLT'er as well as a painter and sculptor. I enjoyed and admired Carl Ahrens' work--absolutely beautiful. Kim, your website is well done and informative. I share your frustration w/agents re publishing fiction. I am in the same boat but perhaps some day! Your proposal relating to Carl Ahrens should receive positive responses. Hope to see you at WLT Conference in June. Betty Gordon/a native Dallasite - Alvin, Tx USA
Site looks great. Good job!
Max Bullock - Dallas, TX USA
Any biography of a Canadian artist is very useful. This is a welcome addition to the small body of information that exists for Canadian artists. Keep up the good work, Kim. Sincerely, John Sewell So, What's It Worth?
John Sewell - Stratford, ON Canada
Thank you for contacting us, Kim. Having the largest collection of Lapine's work, we are delighted to find connections to him. I hope to follow through with an exhibition with Carl's and Lapine's work - friends together again.
Laurie Carmount - Minden, ON Canada
Carl's life is incredible. I await the book with the greatest interest.
Rick Taylor - Mississauga, ON Canada
I was referred to this site by my friend, Rick Taylor, who owns an Ahrens painting. I am an e-Gallery visitor and was quite impressed with the beauty of his work. The colours are so delicious. I'll be adding this site to my "favourites."
Adriana Rinaldi - Oakville, ON Canada
I am Carl's 2nd great-grandson and 2nd cousin to Chris Keith and Kim Bullock. His biography and artwork has so much depth and mystical elements. A real unique and innovative personality he had.
Dan Loya - Los Angeles, CA USA
My friend and fellow artist Rick Taylor just told me about Carl Ahrens and his fascinating life. I am a member of the Arts & Letters Club and I understand he was as well. I can especially see the influence of Innis on Ahrens work and appreciate many of the images that are displayed on the web site. I gave Rick the A&L email address for you and hoping they may have some information about your gr. grandfather and hope you will be able to discover more information about your great grandfather
Sam Paonessa - Toronto, ON Canada
I'm Rick Taylor's niece, he directed me to this site. I'm very interested in local history, and the art collection in the archive where I work has a couple of Ahrens, which I plan on viewing. Good luck with the book!
Kimberly Taylor - Canada
I am in one of Rick Taylor's classes and he directed his students to this site. I am very glad he did so since the paintings are inspiring both from an artistic and historical perspective.
Ann Nunes - Mississauga, ON USA
Feel privileged and grateful to have been introduced to this amazing artist and his work. Hope the publication of the artbook will be a whirlwind success. He deserves it. Thanks - Cecil and Olga
olga dey-bergmoser thompson - Etobicoke, ON Canada
Kim, Thanks for developing this website in tribute to your great-grandfather. It's the best web reference on Carl Ahrens currently available. Thanks also for your biographical work - I can't wait to read the book! Carl Ahrens has an important place in Canadian art history. His influence on the body of work by the Group of Seven has been largely ignored. I hope your work, and the interest it will generate, will focus attention on the man who was the grandfather of the first truly Canadian art movement. We aren't related, but I wish we were!
Michael Ahrens - Marshalltown, IA USA
Kim, this is a really great site - very informative and what beautiful paintings and prints!
Dena Fender - Dallas, TX USA
I love your website and am very excited to learn about Carl Ahrens. I grew up in Kitchener, Ontario and always loved Homer Watson's work, but never heard of Ahrens. WOW! It's about time! Thank you very much.
Fred Lenz - Canada
Thouroughly enjoyed the website after reading the article in The Record. I am looking forward to the show, and the book at the Kitchener Waterloo Aer Gallery on April 28th, 2007. Great story and artwork!
Paul de Souza - Cambridge, ON Canada
Kim, this is the most wonderful website and you are doing such an honour for your Great Grandfather. My father, Ben Graham, was a friend of Carl's daughters, Chloris and Sigrid in Galt, Ontario in the 1920's. He spoke of them often and wrote about them in his columns for the Cambridge Reporter which he contributed to from the age of 89 to 94. I am so sorry he will not be able to meet you (he died in 2002), but you and I will this weekend when you come to talk about him at the K-W Art Gallery. I'll give you his photos of Chloris and Sigrid!
Maxine A. Graham, President, Waterloo Regional Arts Council - Kitchener, Ontario Canada
Kim, fabulous job on the site. Very informative and impressive. Congratulations on all your hard work.
Susan C. - Frisco, TX USA
Hi Kim! This is a terrific site and you are doing a wonderful job with it. You have been blessed with the talent and conviction to create this testament to the Carl and his work, but also to bring to life for others, just who the man was and what he means to you and all of us. We are proud to be a part of the legacy. Kathleen and Kevin
Kathleen Mortensen - Kitchener, ON CAN
Hello, Wonderful website! Looking forward to reading the book! We have a Carl Ahrens oil on board 10x 12 titled Woodland Springtime. Painted in Doon. Let us know if you'd like to see a photo.
Pascal David - Toronto, ON Canada
Great site and keep up the good work!
Don Meade - East Aurora, NY USA
Congrats Kim on your website. I find it to be very educational and interesting. As you already know, I own two of Carl Ahrens' works (oils). I truly believe the man has been overlooked as a great painter and should be put on the world's stage alongside other renown famous artists.
Dan Legros - St-Charles, ON Canada - Monday, April 06, 2009 at 22:32:50 (EDT)
Great job on the site face-lift. The new background colors really highlight the art. It is also great to see you are now approaching 10,000 site visits. You certainly have renewed interest in a great but forgotten artist.
Fred Downes - Siena, Italy
What a beautiful site this is, with the new background colours to set off the paintings, which they do so wonderfully. It truly is amazing how a community can gather together to share information and even find precious items like these paintings, and all through the magic of the internet. Well done, Kim! You do your great-grandparents proud!
Lorna Ferguson - Kitchener, Ontario, Canada