The Dufferin County Museum and Archives is about to present “The Leighton Farm Project”, a unique art exhibit by Creemore-area artist Peter Adams.

Recipient of the Dufferin Arts Council’s Reed T. Cooper bursary and an Ontario Arts Council grant for this project, Mr. Adams will be exhibiting a series of paintings and photographs of an abandoned farmhouse that sits proudly on Mulmur Township’s Second Concession EHS.

Like so many modest Ontario Gothic homes of the area, this house has had a long and colourful history; though it will likely face demolition once the property is sold.

A favourite subject of many painters and photographers, the house has lured Adams to paint it many times over the last 12 years.

The artist will be showing his original paintings of the structure as well as photographs of many of the people which once called it home.

Through the eyes of an artist, this house makes a captivating subject in all seasons, but it’s tragic story is all too familiar to those that have driven the back roads of Dufferin County.

This exhibit is both a celebration of a past way of life and the people that lived it, and a contemplation of one of life’s most familiar realities, change.

Working in oils for 20 years, Peter Adams has painted portraits as well as urban landscapes. He has developed his own distinctive and expressive style and is now mostly inspired by the dramatic rural landscape that surrounds him.

He is drawn to the interplay between order and chaos, grace and tragedy, mystery and clarity. Often exploring the symbiotic and regenerative powers of the natural world, he is especially interested in the realm in which human and natural worlds meet – both in harmony and in opposition.

Mr. Adams lives on a farm south of Creemore, and is currently exhibiting at Creemore’s Mad and Noisy Gallery, Collingwood’s Level Gallery and Markham’s Tangerine Gecko Gallery. He welcomes visitors to his studio at 154 Mill Street (the back of the Mad and Noisy Gallery.)

The Reed T. Cooper Bursary in Visual Arts Bursary was established by the Dufferin Arts Council (DAC) in 2007 to assist mid-career visual artists in Dufferin County with special projects, such as mounting an exhibition of visual art works, travelling for art/educational purposes, or exploring new ideas and techniques, to name but a few.

Any professional artist who is a resident of Dufferin County, member of DAC, and who has worked for five years as an artist, is welcome to apply. Many different types of media are eligible, including but not limited to: painting, sculpture, printmaking, ceramics, fibre arts, glass, wood, photography and digital/computer generated art.

The deadline to submit applications each year is September 30. Applications may be submitted at any time during the year between January 1 and September 30.

For more information, visit the Dufferin Arts Council website at www. dufferinartscouncil.com

Peter Adams, “The Leighton Farm Project” opens on Sunday, September 12 at 2 p.m. with a reception. “The Leighton Farm Project” exhibition will continue until November 14.