GORE BAY—When it comes to rich and vibrant experiences, Manitoulin Island contains an abundance of natural and cultural treasures, many of which local artist Ashley Whyte has captured in the latest volume of the Manitoulin Colouring Book.
The self-published series has roots that date back as early as 2004, when Ms. Whyte’s late father-in-law Jack Whyte (1939-2018) was experimenting with digital mediums for the first time.
“My father was learning how to draw on a Wacom tablet that hooked up to his computer back in those days,” said Dylon Whyte, Ms. Whyte’s husband, who has also contributed to the original artwork featured in the series. “He completed an entire book at the time but never got around to publishing it. Several years later Ashley and I decided to shake the dust off and share it with the world, which was volume one and we kept going with four more colouring books of our own.”
The first volume of the Manitoulin Colouring Book was launched in 2016 with subsequent volumes produced each year. Ms. Whyte had planned to publish the fifth volume in 2020 but everything was put on hold due to Mr. Whyte’s sudden cancer diagnosis in the fall of 2019.
“We were ready to start work on the next book when our world sort of fell apart. It was just impossible to manage everything, so we decided to give ourselves a break and focus on Dylon’s health,” said Ms. Whyte. “I’m so glad we did because it took everything we had to get through that period of time, especially with the pandemic, happening right in the middle of it all.”
Nearly five years later, Mr. Whyte has officially been declared cured and is taking his retirement from the cancer ward seriously. “At the end of this year I will no longer be a cancer patient and I couldn’t be happier to be getting kicked out.”
Ms. Whyte shared some fun facts about the new addition to the series. “It took nine months, roughly 250,000 or a quarter million pen strokes and hundreds of hours to complete. I have poured my heart into this book, and I hope everyone is as thrilled about it as I am.”
Each volume of the Manitoulin Colouring Book contains unique and original illustrations by the Whyte family and is truly encapsulating works of art appropriate for anyone who loves the Island.
Books will be available in stores and at markets across Manitoulin. For a list of retailers or for more information please contact Ashley Whyte on Facebook or by email contact@whytesonline.com
