For the first time ever, a symbolic key to the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake was handed out Sunday. It was presented to renowned artist Trisha Romance, who helped put the town on the map as a destination, attracting visitors who had fallen in love with her beloved watercolour paintings that combined the charm of the town and the embodiment of family.
When accepting the first key ever to be handled out, Romance said when she learned of the honour to be bestowed upon her, she was “overwhelmed, and truly humbled,” asking, “why me?”
Deputy Lord Mayor Erwin Wiens, one of several speakers and a member of the town committee charged with organizing the presentation, said she was the obvious choice — if not her to receive the first key, he said, “then who?” he asked, speaking not only about her beautiful art but the way she and her paintings have drawn people to NOTL over the last four decades.
Romance, being honoured 40 years after opening her gallery, recalled driving into town for the first time with her husband Gary Peterson and their first child, Nathan in the back seat. “Every time I look at this key, I’m going to be thinking of that moment," she said. “I wish you could feel what I’m feeling at this moment.”
“I’ve been so blessed from the moment we entered this town," she added "Even though I’m receiving this key today, 40 years ago the town of Niagara-on-the-Lake stole the key to my heart, and it’s been stolen for 40 years."
She thanked her husband, Gary Peterson, for being the entrepreneur who sold her work, allowing her to stay in her studio and concentrate on painting. “He deserves this key as much as I do,” she said.
And she thanked her children, speaking of her pride in them, their own careers successful thanks to inheriting their father’s entrepreneurial skills, and for Tanya and her husband Jordan, who created the Image Gallery in Virgil, allowing her work to carry on.
On the plaque presented to her by the town, which includes the gold key, is a beautiful photo of Romance and a message from the town signed by Lord Mayor Gary Zalepa which he read to her and those gathered at her event. “The Town of Niagara-on-the-Lake recognizes Trisha Romance as a distinguished member of our community whose world-renowned art has drawn countless visitors and significantly enriched our cultural heritage,” he said. “In cerebration of her contributions and the 40th anniversary of her first gallery in Niagara-on-the-Lake, she is awarded the inaugural key to the Town. This key symbolizes our deepest gratitude for her remarkable impact on the cultural and economic vitality of Niagara-on-the-Lake, honouring a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations.”
“For decades, Trisha has been more than an artist, she’s been a storyteller,” said Zalepa.
He spoke of her ability of interweaving the stories of NOTL "as the wonderful place it is, with stories of hr family, and personal stories, intertwined with the town.”
The key he added, is in thanks “for the 40 years of passion, art and commitment to our community of Niagara-on-the-Lake.”
NOTL Public Library board chair Daryl Novak spoke of the generosity of Romance and her family, for donating $10,000 to create the Trisha Romance Children’s Art Fund. As custodian of the program, he said the library is committed to “creating a warm and welcoming space for learning, discovery and creativity,” through an art program that will offer opportunities for children to explore art through different mediums. “We’re thrilled, and so appreciate to be entrusted with this initiative to encourage children to explore their creativity.”
It is not a “closed fund,” he added — library board members have already donated to what will likely be the start of other initiatives and partnerships to make art accessible to children.
Randy Hoak, town supervisor of Hamburg, N.Y., where Romance grew up, had been invited to the celebration. He explained a supervisor is much the same as a mayor — joking it's not quite as special as a lord mayor — and showed the crowd he had brought along her 1969 graduating class yearbook.
The people of Hamburg “are so proud of our beloved Trisha Romance,” the town of Hamburg has declared Sept. 15 to be Trisha Romance Day, he said.
After the outdoor ceremony, the crowd was invited into the Court House where many of the most celebrated paintings were on display, and given an opportunity to chat with Romance. One couple who were thrilled to meet her were Connie and Terry Limnidis from Milton, carrying a Trisha Romance painting.
“I wasn’t going to bring it,” said Connie, “but at the last minute I grabbed it. I’m glad I did.”
She and Terry have been married for 25 years, and when they had an opportunity to talk to Romance, Connie said, “our house is a testament to you.” They have more than 40 of the artist’s prints, 20 of them hanging at any one time and being rotated so the couple can enjoy all of them.
The very first time they dated, about 30 years ago, they were in a restaurant having dinner, and chatted about the artist, discovering they both loved her work. Terry explained they were talking about something they’d heard on the news — he couldn't remember what it was — and somehow they related it to Trisha Romance. “I said, I like her work, and I like the spirit of family in her work.” And Connie agreed.
They talked about how important family is to the artist, how evident that is in her paintings and the stories they tell, which was what attracted them both to her work.
Shortly after that, Terry bought a painting for Connie, knowing he would one day propose to her and the painting would be a gift to her at that time.
However, she spoiled his romantic idea — she saw it in his trunk, all wrapped up, and wanted to open it, which she did. What she found was Romance’s Storyteller. It depicts a grandmother reading to her three grandchildren, and now a grandmother herself, says Connie, it still means the world to her – she loves reading to her grandson Jake.
That painting was signed by Romance in the Court House, which makes it that much more meaningful, said Connie, as does the opportunity to meet and chat with the artist.
She and Terry return to NOTL a few times a year, said Connie, and she will always remember Sunday's event as a special day, thanking Romance for the “peaceful joy and thankfulness she brought to my heart. I walk around my house and see her pictures on my walls,” she said, with the stories they tell of a mother and her children, beautiful homes and buildings, and families portraying love and romance. "They are truly special."
