An immensely talented man and fervent aviator, Toni Onley, was lost this past Sunday when his Lake Buccaneer was involved in an accident on the Fraser River near Vancouver, British Columbia. Onley, 75, was enjoying some touch and goes when his LA4 Buccaneer when it went down in 35 feet of water near Maple Ridge.

Onley was justifiably famed for his work in watercolors, a distinction that won him the Order of Canada and numerous honors from around the world. His abilities as a pilot allowed him to access parts of the earth unseen by many and available only through talents such as his. He'd often do quick sketches of a location, from the air, before landing to paint it in detail. His love of art coupled readily with his love of flight and brought great appreciation for the craft of flight to all those who came to understand how he came to find the locations that inspired his craft.

Denise Leclerc, Associate Curator Of Modern Canadian Art at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa said that, "His contribution was to create this kind of very good technique of British watercolor that he has in fact transformed for his own end... Because he had a plane, a little floatplane, he was able to travel to all these places where the majority of people don't have access." She also noted that Onley, "...was showing us very evocative, minimal, Oriental, elegant views of places that we can only dream of going some day."

An official biography notes that, "Flying has been a hobby which has enabled him to travel to various centres to conduct classes and a variety of other activities. Many of his pencil sketches have been done from the air. Marguerite Pinney made this note of them: 'Lovingly executed, these pencil drawings are sketched while piloting his plane over the coast, mountains and valleys of B.C. Sure and delicate, they are a delightful and vital addition to a comprehensive and articulate exhibition.'" Joan Lowndes also described his drawings as, '…fantastic little pencil drawings, eight inches by six, that are the jewels of the show. They are so even in quality they might be compared to beautifully matched pearls. Onley presents nature in an undisturbed prepollution era, heavy with the stillness of primeval times. The lonely rocks send their reflections into the lake.'"

This was not Onley's first brush with hazard... in 1983, his ski-plane went down while taking off from a glacier, breaking his leg and stranding him and a passenger overnight.

Onley is survived by two daughters, Jennifer and Lynn, from his first marriage and a son, James, from his second marriage, to Gloria Knight. A link to his web site is attached below and ANN recommends that our readers spend a little time there to appreciate and remember an amazing talent.

FMI: www.tonionley.com