As its title suggests, A Four Season County depicts our compelling Ontario region in ways that extend far beyond beautiful summer beaches, a successful, acclaimed wine industry, traditional agriculture, and vibrant, livable communities. The County is uniquely situated, no matter what particular physical, cultural, or metaphorical vantage point its observer might fancy. Gently rolling County terrain, beautiful woodlands, surrounding waters rich in fish, and fertile soils were home to indigenous peoples for over 2000 years prior to the first European explorers’ contact.

Contemporary County life is much more diverse than its largely agricultural 19th, and early 20th century predecessors, where Picton, Wellington, Bloomfield, and smaller hamlets largely depended upon farming industries as their lifeblood. It is this blend of tradition, and modern social realities that gives A Four Season County its essential foundation.

This important collaborative work also builds upon an important proposition – Prince Edward County is so much more than the initial impressions tourists might form during a summer visit. Its four seasons are at once beautiful, subtle, dynamic, and wonderful – to know the County in its full, four seasons’ splendour is the surest way to understand it. There is another, more provocative sub-text – what change actually means to a place where a successful, sustainable transformation from a largely rural area insulated from urban development pressures, into something different remains uncertain. 

The Four Season creative team has embraced these provocative project themes. Long time County resident and Picton-based photographer Peggy DeWitt has an extensive portfolio of beautiful, evocative works that link the region’s past to its present. Award-winning photo-journalist Phil Norton has made the County his home for many years, where Phil’s subjects have spanned numerous natural landscapes and County features. Wellington native Rob Garden’s love of different County elements is reflected in his art. Jason Pettit, a relative late-comer to professional photography, has developed a compelling perspective of his County, and its meanings in his delightful work.