Howard Rideout Architect

04/21/2026

Earth Week at *here | there – Papermill Gallery – April 22-26, 2026

Earth Week at "here | there" begins tomorrow, April 22—Earth Day—and continues through April 26. The exhibition, on view at the Papermill Gallery, brings together drawings and photography that introduce nolevelon, the Rideout Winters Preservation Initiative....

Earth Week at “here | there” begins tomorrow, April 22—Earth Day—and continues through April 26. The exhibition, on view at the Papermill Gallery, brings together drawings and photograp…

04/16/2026

Anyone who follows my social media knows that I don’t exactly subscribe to the saying, "a picture is worth a thousand words". But, in this case, the image below sums up the first City Talks on Forest Walks lecture series held last Sat. April 11th 2026, which was for me, one of the best days of my life.

Anyone who follows my social media knows that I don’t exactly subscribe to the saying, “a picture is worth a thousand words”. But, in this case, the image below sums up Saturday April 1…

03/06/2026

Howard Rideout’s exhibition nolevelon — here | there transforms the Papermill Gallery into a journey through his vision for a nature preserve and sculpture garden in Muskoka. Charcoal drawings, photography, and film guide visitors through three “realms” of wilderness, offering a rare opportunity to experience an ambitious landscape vision unfolding both in Toronto — and beyond.

Howard Rideout’s exhibition nolevelon — here | there transforms the Papermill Gallery into a journey through his vision for a nature preserve and sculpture garden in Muskoka. Charcoal drawings, pho…

10/16/2025

After months of preparation, the artwork for night light II is finally framed and ready for installation. While it won’t be hung at Canela, at 792 Carlaw Avenue, here in Toronto, until the eve of the November 15th opening, I’m excited to finally have the images ready. I’ve been placing them in my living room as they have been framed and have been visiting Canela nightly to install groups of framed charcoal drawings and photographs to ensure they look comfortable within the space. I had so many people say that the last show looked like I had designed the interior to match the pieces displayed, but both of these installations are about making the work feel comfortable within the existing room. As part of this effort, I’ve created a drawing specifically for Canela for the night light II show. The other photographs, architectural sketches and charcoal drawings on display within this exhibition provide the context for the much larger Diana: Monument to Cabin charcoal. I’ve created this drawing for you, the viewer, placing you squarely within the imagery. You become a participant in the journey through a small part of nolevelon which connects the Diana Monument to the Diana Cabin. I write about how I’ve composed this drawing in my latest blog post.

https://howardrideoutarch.wordpress.com/2025/10/14/night-light-ii-an-exhibition-of-charcoal-drawings-that-will-move-you/

10/14/2025

It isn't a figure of speech when I write that my drawing “will move you" in the title of this blog post. I mean it quite literally. The signature drawing in night light II is entitled Diana: Monument to Cabin. It's imagery, as well the placement on the wall at Canela, will prompt you to physically move your body. I will write more about this later in the post. But, when I conceived of this artwork, I had another goal. I also hoped this drawing would elicit an emotional response from you, as you pondered its imagery. This post describes the compositional devices I've utilized throughout my drawing to prompt this movement, but only after a visit to night light II will you find out if I've succeeded. I hope to see you on the 15th of November.

nIght light II – An exhibition of evocative charcoal drawings I’ve created for nolevelon – a nature preserve and sculpture garden in Muskoka. This exhibition focuses upon a site-s…

05/20/2025

I am excited that the night/light exhibition of my charcoal drawings, currently on display at Canela, has been extended to July 31st. Join me on Saturday May 31st at 7:30 for an artist talk and book launch for the second printing of our zine entitled, nolevelon: the charcoal drawings. This latest printing of the zine includes my latest charcoal drawings some of which are on display at Canela. I hope to see you at our event later in May.

05/06/2025

This post describes the process of naming a wilderness park and sculpture garden that I have been designing in Muskoka. It involved creating a new word that had the depth of meaning that an existing word wasn't able to describe. This post details what is "In" the name nolevelon....

This post describes the process of naming a wilderness park and sculpture garden that I have been designing in Muskoka. It involved creating a new word that had the depth of meaning that an existin…

03/06/2025

The journey depicted within The Bear Trail charcoal begins at the three arches of the Diana Monument. While this drawing focuses upon the route through a shaded valley at our property, there are times when hikers will glimpse people walking along the other two trails which lead towards the Shirley Temple. This video captures one of these moments. Here, hikers view the hilltop Diana Cabin which is on axis to the upwardly arching pergola. This marks the threshold to Wolf Trail. While the Diana Cabin is visible at this early point along the journey, it isn’t accessible until the hiker traverses a much longer route around the steep cliffs that initially confront them. I’ve drawn a line that delineates this connection since this element will remain in the hikers memory as they make the climb up 40m vertically to the top of this rocky outcrop. The Diana Cabin, which will accommodate an artist in residence, is represented conceptually as a a triangle with a beam of light shining from the sleeping loft inside. The beam is directed across the Lake of Bays to the Dorest Fire Tower, which is a local landmark. While the walk along the Bear Trail is introverted and enclosing, the hikers travelling upon the Wolf Trail can see far and wide. In my drawings of these elements are often represented conceptually as symbols of what they represent, instead of literally depictions of the proposed constructions. My goal is to evoke the feelings you would experience as you traversed these trails at night. This drawing can be seen at my show of work entitled night / light until April 20th. Come and visit. Kyle and I haven’t yet completed the creation of this journey on our property so until we do, these drawings will have to do. To learn more about this drawing and how the election of Trump shifted my drawing style, please refer to the link to my blog post. https://howardrideoutarch.wordpress.com/2025/02/24/night-light-the-drawings-of-nolevelon-by-howard-rideout/

02/24/2025

The "nightlight" exhibition features my charcoal illustrations which depict a forest landscape at night, illuminated by various light sources. This collection represents five years of artistic exploration, illustrating the evolution of my ideas for a nature preserve and sculpture garden. Key pieces, including The Bear Trail illustration, reflect my environmental anxieties and emotional responses to current events, inviting viewers into an interconnected journey through a nature preserved that I've named nolevelon....

The “nightlight” exhibition features my charcoal illustrations which depict a forest landscape at night, illuminated by various light sources. This collection represents five years of a…

11/03/2024

In November, I will be a guest critic and lecturer at the McEwen School of Architecture in Sudbury. I will present two architectural/landscape projects, one a pedestrian link on the Niagara Escarpment in Hamilton and the other a forest preserve and sculpture garden in Muskoka. My talks will focus on the relationship between architecture and landscape, encouraging students to explore within their own designs the rejuvenated environment of Sudbury....

In November, I will be a guest critic and lecturer at the McEwen School of Architecture in Sudbury. I will present two architectural/landscape projects, one a pedestrian link on the Niagara Escarpm…

11/01/2024

I'm heading north to Sudbury for the first week of November to spend time as a guest critic and lecturer at the Laurentian University, McEwen School of Architecture. There, I will be presenting two architectural/landscape projects to first-and second-year students, where the notion of passage (or movement through the landscape) was a guiding principle. Afterwards, I will be spending time with the students individually, as I advise them on their evolving design projects....

I’m heading north to Sudbury for the first week of November to spend time as a guest critic and lecturer at the Laurentian University, McEwen School of Architecture. There, I will be presenti…