Beautiful Places in my Neighbourhood

Mainville House, acrylic, 16" x 20"

Blog 32

As August is still a holiday month for many, I decided to write about some scenic spots in the Ottawa area that I have visited for plein air painting but that are also worth the visit to take a walk while enjoying different aspects of our beautiful city.

If you are like me and many friends I have talked to, you know most of these spots and intend to visit them but somehow never go, except if you have out of town company.

As I live in the east end of the city, I will start with the spots around the Cumberland area. The one that will probably become a new favourite of mine is the newly opened Humanics Sanctuary and Sculpture Park, 3468 Old Montreal Road, Cumberland, Ontario, K4C 1H9 (http://www.humanicsinstitute.org).

The park with its walking trails contains many sculptures of different religious faiths as well as those representing families, friendship, and human state of minds. There are some beautiful areas of tranquility to clear your head and meditate.

Hélène and I painting (photo of Humanics Institute)

Last Sunday, my friend Hélène and I went there to paint along the little creek. It was just wonderful, even though we were surrounded by mosquitoes. During my walks, I had not noticed them too much but if you are sitting still, you definitely need a good mosquito repellent.

Here is a photo of my painting at the time we left our spot because we had enough of the mosquitoes. I still have to add the dark colours as well as some bights to bring out the contrast and give the illusion of space. I will show you the finished week in next week's blog.

The second place worth a visit is the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum, 2940 Old Montreal Road, Cumberland, ON, K4C 1G3. This outdoor museum contains many buildings of the 1920s and 1930s (and in the summer even some farm animals) and gives you a glimpse of the life at the time. Regular events make an outing fund fur the whole family.

I enjoy going there to stroll through the village, especially during the Christmas season when the whole museum is lit with thousands of lights. I have already painted many of the buildings as well as one of the vegetable gardens but still have some building to capture on canvas, especially the sawmill and the the blacksmith forge.

If you enjoyed my blog please share it with family and friends. Next week, I will present to you two other spots in the east end. Hopefully, I have inspired you to head out to do some sightseeing in your own town. If you have any special spots you like to visit in the Ottawa area, please share them with me. It is always interesting to find some new scenes to paint.

If you are looking to add some original artworks to your home to bring you continuous joy every time you look at them, I would like to let you know about my painting sale that I have in preparation for our move next year. Every Monday, one of my paintings will go on sale for a week, with a reduction of 15% off the original price. Shipping and handling fees are added, except if you pick up the artwork or live in the Orleans area. I usually do not discount my artworks, so this is a great way to buy an artwork you like while saving some money.

This week's painting is "Wolkenspiel - Cloud Formations", the painting that I wrote about in last week's post. The original price is $375. You have until next Monday, August 7, 2017 at noon to purchase it for $318.75. The painting is painted on a gallery canvas with the sides painted in the colours of the painting.

To buy the painting, please send me an email to kpeters@domingoinformatics.ca. Payment can be made in cash, by check or e-transfer.

Photos of each new painting are posted every Monday on my website www.KerstinPeters.ca as well as on my Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KerstinPetersPaintings/.