A 'Magical" Art Gallery

I'm going to take you on a little tour today.

DOTH (Daughter of The House) and I spent a few sunny days in the Haliburton Highlands at the end of August. Known as 'cottage country,' the area is a wonderland of lakes, hills, beautiful waterfront properties, forests, bird watchers, fishermen, swimmers, boats and jet skis, skiing and snowmobiling in the winter....and I could go on and on.

(http://www.trailsandtours.com/)

One is never at a loss for something to do, and its warden, Dave Burton, calls Haliburton "A Natural Work of Art."

And speaking of art, not that I am a connoisseur or anything, but while we were there, we went to see a wacky kind of art display.

This is where it was:

Yup! In a forest. And it only gets a little more crazy from here.

That's DOTH on the left, lagging behind the rest of the tour group, waiting for mom, the avid photographer.

So, fasten your seat belts and let's head for the first exhibit.

This one's called "Fire and Ice: A Really Big Shoe"

It's a "steel and wire two metre tall stiletto shoe, adorned with red and crystal beads." No pun intended, but you do see where we're going here, don't you!

This is called "The Homesteaders"

It's "...a family created from old telephone poles and farm implements." The guy in the straw hat is not part of the family -- he's our tour guide.

(by the way, there were 20 exhibits, I am just showing you a chosen selection - you might be grateful)

This is "a large beaver contemplating a lamp post." Sorry, I didn't get the lamp post in the photo as I didn't realize its significance until I read the brochure later!

I wouldn't like to say what the tour guide thought of this one....but it's called "A Walk in the Woods in Haliburton." No nudity laws in Haliburton, I guess!

....it's official description is "a stylized limestone hiker holding a bronze cast of a maple leaf." Hmmm....is it Adam, or Eve?

This is "Shelter Shift"

"a brightly coloured wooden 3D representation of a child's sketch of a house." Ah...right. You will notice how intelligent we are all looking, as we ooh! and aah! over it.


These are titled "Curled Figures Mounted on a Large Boulder"

Sorry, but they look to me like they have a bad case of gastro-enteritis.

Just a couple more. This is "Sleep of the Huntress."

Here is her official description: "woman sleeping in Belmont rose granite" -- honest!

This is Shadow Caster:

Officially "a giant skeletal articulated pine cone crafted out of steel." I don't really get the title -- how much shadow could this cast?

Finally, my favourite -- if I have to have a favourite -- "Kinnisis: Horse and Rider"

"Near life-sized horse and rider, created out of small cuts of steel, painted bright blue."

Like I said, I am no connoisseur, and I realize that art comes in all different mediums and has a variety expressions -- but I think I would have preferred to enjoy the art of the forest without the art...indeed as, "A Natural Work of Art."