By Volunteer Writer Katherine Wadden

This month we had the absolute pleasure of speaking with Ron Kuwahara, who has created a Legacy Gift by naming the Nova Scotia Nature Trust as a beneficiary in his will. Ron hopes his story will inspire more people to leave a legacy gift to the Nature Trust. No matter the size of the gift, it will have a real impact on saving and protecting ecologically important land!

Ron is a third-generation Japanese Canadian who grew up in Calgary, Alberta. Throughout his life, Ron has always loved drawing and painting but also enjoyed the sciences, and he has managed to include both of these passions in his life.

After completing a Doctorate in Physics, Ron pursued a career as a research scientist which took him around the world and ultimately to Nova Scotia where he still resides with his wife. Then, after retirement, Ron enrolled in art school! He graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor of Arts from NSCAD University, and he now sells his paintings through the Secord Gallery in Halifax.

When talking about his art, Ron notes, “It’s the patterns that objects create that intrigue me. Mostly I just want to reveal what I see as beauty, or harmony and that nature or the world is inherently beautiful if we just pause and look for it.”

He noted, “How we see or feel things is so very personal and defies description. What is interesting to me is that if a dozen artists are given the same scene to depict, twelve unique works would be created. That’s so very different from science where there is a single truth that needs to be discovered.”

Ron believes that it is important for people to connect to the natural world. He noted, for example, that there are many studies that show that being in nature calms the nerves and soothe the soul and went on to say, “The physical beauty of the landscape in Canada is very different than the tropical beauty of palm trees and white sands. But what we have here in Canada is certainly satisfying, and it inspires me to find that beauty and pass it on.”

“In our current society, there are so many conflicting wants and demands. And it’s so easy to be demanding without giving. As much as we have a right to something, we also have a duty. And preserved natural areas are what future generations deserve to inherit,” summarized Ron. This idea is especially important to Ron as he is a father and preserving nature for his own son (as well as for all Nova Scotians) is vital to him.

Ron’s gift in his will ensures his estate will donate all his unsold, nature-themed paintings to the Nature Trust. These paintings celebrate the beauty of nature and Ron will allow the Nature Trust to do what they feel is best with his paintings—keep them or sell them to raise funds for land conservation.

Making a legacy gift to the Nova Scotia Nature Trust creates a wonderful and lasting gift. To learn more about how you can create a legacy gift or to receive a copy of our Sample Bequest Language reach out to us at: barbara@nsnt.ca

If you would like to follow along with Ron’s journey, have a look at his blog: https://agingartist.com/  You can also find Ron’s work featured at Secord Gallery, upstairs at 6301 Quinpool Road, Halifax, NS.