Artist James Lumbers, a renowned painter whose prints have been purchased by collectors for over 25 years, will be making a personal appearance at The Bevelled Edge Art Gallery in Orangeville, this Saturday, July 15.

Lumbers is documented in Who's Who in American Art and A Dictionary of International Biographies in the UK. He has appeared on numerous TV and radio shows over the years and there have been documentaries, magazine and newspaper articles produced about the man and his art. Over the years, he has had numerous exhibitions across Canada and through the United States. The one recurring theme in all his work is portraying our heritage in Canada and the traditions that make us what we are.

Lumbers utilizes his extraordinary talent and an inventive technique to paint an image you might see today with "ghosted" figures from the past. Lumbers has developed a strong sense of history while researching his paintings and has often remarked that "We are the products of our memories and traditions."

His unique style of painting that brought international recognition to Lumbers all started on a summer afternoon some years ago. When sketching an abandoned house on an island in Georgian Bay, he found a diary with some photo negatives tucked inside it. Some months later, he printed these negatives and found that someone had photographed the family sitting on the same porch as in his sketch.

The diary documented that the pictures were taken in 1913. It was this event that launched a series of paintings that is still ongoing today and called "Moments in Time".

Lumbers has painted many celebrities over the years, John Diefenbaker, Chief Dan George, Sir Edmund Hillary, Andrew Davis & the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe, and Joe Montana and several other personalities.

He established his own publishing company to market his work and to help younger artists get their creations in front of the public. A book was published in 1993 about the man and his work. Today Lumbers is a household name across Canada and recognized for his subjects around the world.

Lumbers prints are currently on display in The Bevelled Edge Gallery, located at 279 Broadway in Orangeville. The show will run from 12 to 3 p.m., with a preview starting at 10 a.m. For more information call 940-3071 or visit www.bevellededge.com .