Peggy Feltmate
Welcome to my website – a mix of my interests, focussing on art and craft on one hand, and genealogy/social history on the other. Often the two overlap! Social history looks at “lived experiences” of the past, and I love to paint the homes where people lived, the scenes viewed, and the day-to-day items in lives well-lived.
Beginnings
I grew up in Muskoka. My mother’s people came from England, settling in northern Ontario around 1890/1900. They instilled in Mum the British love of words and literature. My father’s 3x great grandfather Fred “The Bear Killer” Feltmate settled on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia after the American Revolution. The Feltmates date back to 1835 in the village of White Head NS, where my father was born. Like all Maritimers, Dad brought a love of music and good storytelling into our family. Both Mum and Dad were creative and curious, and our home was a constant round of “projects” and “looking things up” – well before Google!
The Genealogy Bug
As a tween, my father took me visiting the old-timers in White Head. I loved their stories. Later, at Trent University, Maritime professor Alan Wilson lectured on the Loyalists. I asked him if there was any way I could explore the truth of our family stories about Fred The Bear Killer. He said, “Write to my friend at the Nova Scotia archives,” and scribbled Phyllis Blakeley’s name on my notebook. She answered my letter with a big brown envelope of “Fred info” (much of it copied out in long hand!) including a document that Fred had signed, not with an X but with an F that was just a little bit fancy. That was it. I was hooked. Ms. Blakeley went on to receive the Order of Canada for her devotion to heritage, and I went on to a lifetime of digging up more old stories.
Writing and Performing Arts
Mentored by Canadian composer-arranger Howard Cable, my professional life began with writing songs, cabaret theatre revues, and musicals for children. From there, I moved to Performing Arts Administration: production co-ordinator, artists’ manager, Assistant to the Producer for some large and exciting projects, company management for tours and shows, and back to artists’ manager. The touring took me to Vienna, Australia, and across North America. You’ll catch a glimpse of these projects in the Shows & Music section.
The Art Bug
I was five. What did I want to be when I grew up? A Christmas Card maker! A few years later I was lucky to have an aunt and uncle who gave me a set of oil pastels, and indulgent parents who let me pin up my “great works” in the upstairs hall. Some of these were collages. Then came acrylics and more recently, watercolour. As a self-taught artist (with the help of workshops along the way), a lot of experimenting takes place and learning continues. I hope you will enjoy coming along for the ride.
Today
Living in Central Ontario, summering in White Head NS, in our household today the Mom (that’s me) provides the words and the Dad (husband Harvey Kogen, a professional woodwind player) provides the music. Our son Sam Kogen is pursuing his music career as a gifted teacher and Juno-nominated keyboardist based in Toronto. Our home continues to be a constant round of “projects” and “looking things up” – only now we use Google.
