Cumberland Heritage Village Museum

Magic Pumpkins, acrylic, 16" x 20"-  huge pumpkins next to the Forge

 Blog 28

One of my favourite spots to visit in my neighbourhood is the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum. In the museum, you feel like being in an idyllic world where life is a lot simpler and less hectic. I enjoy walking my dog on the museum ground, even though he is not allowed in the buildings.

The little village does not only have historic houses but even a working forge, and sawmill. The volunteers wear costumes are extremely knowledgeable and friendly. They put a lot of care in looking after the village, including planting vegetable gardens and feeding the animals.

I have visited the museum on several occasions with my painting buddies. We enjoy the quietness of the historic town. We do not have to worry about cars, there are shaded areas for a hot or rainy day, a picnic area, and for a day-long outing a great plus, washrooms.

Some of the paintings I created of the museum's buildings were done on site, others from reference photographs.

Mainville House, acrylic, 16" x 20"

“Mainville House” is a 16" x 20" acrylic painting which I did in my studio because I just loved the house surrounded by the beautiful pink bushes on the bright summer day. I was able to admire the scenery when I sat next to the house while painting the “Vegetable Garden” with members of the art organization Arteast. However, I just felt I had to paint the Mainville House like I had seen it on this summer day with a cloudless beautiful blue sky. 


The painting is part of my solo exhibition "Summer Destinations" at Tyros Shawarma Lebanese Restaurant at 5929 Jeanne d'Arc Boulevard South, Orléans, ON K1C 6V8. I would like to invite you to the "Meet the Artist" event on Sunday, July 19, 2015 from 2pm to 4pm. 

Duford House, acrylic, 16" x 20"

I started the “Duford House”, a 16" x 20" acrylic painting with my group of painting buddies on location. If you go to the museum these days, you will probably notice that a full veranda was added to the building after I had painted the house.

De Groot Barn, oil, 11" x 14"

The 11" x 14" painting “De Groot Barn” is one of my first paintings for which I used oil paints while being on location. While I love my acrylic paints in the studio, I found it really hard to work with them “en plein air”. The paint just dried so fast, it was frustrating. As I had worked with oil paints before, I wanted to give this medium a try.

I am not sure what went wrong but there is a small area in the trees where the paint has cracked. Therefore, this is a painting I am not selling, even though the cracks look very intentional and have not increased during the years.

French Hill Schoolhouse, acrylic, 15 3/5" x 19 1/2"

When I painted the “French Hill Schoolhouse”, a 15 3/4" x 19 1/2" acrylic artwork, I was drawn to the shadows the leaves left on the school's roof. I started the painting on site but had to adjust the perspective at home. Painting perspective is still something I constantly have to work on. It is a challenge every time. This painting found a wonderful home. I was very happy to see it at my buyer's home which is always a special treat for every artist.

Tranquility of Winter, acrylic, 11" x 14"

The White House, acrylic, 10" x 14"

Both, the 11” x 14”acrylic painting “Tranquility of Winter” and my 10" x 14" acrylic painting “White House”, are paintings of the Dupuis House. “Tranquility of Winter” was painted in the studio while “White House” was painted on location. However, just when I packed in my gear, the lady with her backpack sat on the bench in front of the house. I knew immediately that she was what had been missing in my painting. I added her at home.

Watson's Garage, oil, 8" x 10"

 
My 8” x 10” painting “Watson's Garage” is one that did not work at all like I had envisioned it. It does not excite me at all. When I prepared this blog, I realized it was not even on my website.

The Vegetable Garden, oil, 11" x 14"

The “11 x 14” oil painting “Vegetable Garden” was painted on an Arteast paintout. I am always fascinated with the range of produce that is grown at the museum. That particular day, I knew I had only a short time available to paint due to the presence of my young daughter who patiently read while I was painting. I did not feel like starting another building but painted the vegetable garden with the scarecrow.

Quiet time, acrylic, 12" x 12" - one of the animals of the museum

In case my blog makes you want to go to the Cumberland Heritage Village Museum, here is the website: http://www.biline.ca/Ottawa/content/cumberland_3.htm.

The museum is located at 2940 Old Montreal Road, Cumberland, ON K4C 1E6.