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on Amherst Island; m ;_. CONTINUED FROM PREVIOUS PIGE . Another painting is called Repub- lic of Amherst Island: a row of colourful cars are leaving the island republic to get on board the drab gray ferry and go back to the rest of Canada. , ' - ' "It's a little joke at parties," Cul- bert says. "Someone will say we should form our own republic." Hole By Noel is inspired by mas- ter back hoe operator Noel Mc- ' Connick, who worked on the cou- ple's home overlooking Prince Ed- ward County. McCormick's flowing blond hair extends around the painting to its next side. And then there's Amherst Island Sweater . I' Farms in which Culbert's favourite animal is clothed in a nice check- ered sweater. "I can't accept that they can be . eaten," Culbert says. '.-'I think they're only here to give us wool." There's also a portrait of the Is- i land's most celebrated artist, Daniel Fowler, a 19th-century landscape artist who became famous both here and abroad.' Culbert's Pie Island celebrates the many accomplished pie makers on the island and that includes Hoege- nauer, who served a terrific apple and raisin pie duringmy visit there. My favourite is New Year's Eve on Amherst Island, a picture of people dancing at a dance, complete with guitar player and singer with a dan- gerous decolletage. Culbert says sometimes he gets ideas for paintings just looking at different shapes of canvas at Wal- lack's Art and Drafting Supplies in Kingston. One time he saw a tall slender canvas which became House For Sale, a painting of a large house perched on tOp 0f a high hill. Another time he tilted a square can- vas to make it diamond shaped and i paint Scottish Crossing, based on a caution Sign for the elderly which he saw while visiting Scotland last year. It's easy for Culbert to describe gremettwrad his Pair"- 1 REPUBLIC ' of AMHERST i; Terry Culbert ls an animal lover with a "I love people," he says. "As a jour- nalist, I loved to tell the'little stories and make pe0ple smile. I "And on the Island, there are a lot of characters who have a great sense of humour. It's so inspiring to sense 0t humour, as The BackK =95 ttests. ' s be 'here and near the'wgte seme- times newComers aren't flea-lire; ce'ived here because they 'f t 11¢) change things. But I co'me froni'a farm family and a village of'900. ~I don't want to change anything."'|' ~ I';