The Town of The Blue Mountains, Ontario, will welcome a major art exhibition at The Gallery at L.E. Shore in Thornbury this winter. “The Last Picture Show: 54 Years as a Painter” by Orillia-based artist J. David Murphy runs from January 3 to January 27, 2026, with an opening reception on Saturday, January 10, 2026, from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m.
The retrospective traces Murphy’s journey from a legal career—he practiced commercial litigation and was a senior partner at a national law firm—to a full-time landscape painter. Visitors will see his signature oil canvases of Ontario’s north country—rock faces, rivers and forests—alongside European urbanscapes created across his career. The show celebrates Murphy’s decades-long practice (he began painting in 1971).
“This will feature a broad range of my work,” Murphy says on his official website. The Gallery at L.E. Shore, located in the L.E. Shore Library, offers a vaulted exhibition space that highlights each painting’s detail. The exhibit is part of the Arts & Culture Council’s juried monthly program at the gallery, which contributes to the region’s winter cultural offerings.
Admission to the gallery is free, and links to hours and visitor guidelines are available on the Blue Mountains Public Library art gallery page. The show adds a cultural highlight for winter visitors to nearby Blue Mountain Village, offering an indoor alternative to skiing and snowboarding.
