NEWS RELEASE
ORILLIA MUSEUM OF ART & HISTORY
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Earlier in the year, Wil Kucey, a consultant with Canadian Fine Arts Gallery in Toronto, contacted OMAH board member Doug Frost to tell him that a Franklin Carmichael watercolour painting, Old Barns, Miner’s Bay, was going on the market.
Doug recognized the value of this painting to both the history of Canadian art and the history of Orillia. He pledged $20,000 – half the cost of the artwork – and OMAH had to match his donation.
Thanks to our supporters, we not only raised the $20,000 but we exceeded our goal and have now established an acquisitions fund that we will use to buy art and objects relevant to the history of the Orillia area when they become available.
Old Barns, Miner’s Bay, painted in the La Cloche Mountains area in Northern Ontario, is a vibrant watercolour and a prime example of Franklin Carmichael’s style. His progressive vision led to his stylizing the rugged wilderness of Ontario within his canvases when interpreting the unique features of Ontario.
Carmichael was born and raised in Orillia and spent his early years working in a local carriage shop, Orillia Sleigh and Wagon Works. The painting is now on view until Jan. 17 in the Carmichael Canadian Landscape Exhibition: Tradition Transformed at OMAH.
OMAH is open Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 3 p.m. To pre-plan your visit, feel free to contact the museum by calling 705-326-2159.
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