Commissioned by a company for their founder, this piece shows his cottage retreat in Muskoka. I included the man himself, and from family photographs I added his grandchildren playing in the water. Because this painting, like many commissioned paintings, was presented as a surprise, it was necessary for me to visit the property when he was not there. At times projects like this turn into a bit of a cloak and dagger operation. On other commissions there is much detective work as I struggle to dig out long buried information. On occasion it is necessary for me to hire a researcher to comb through libraries, archives and company files.