Canadian Folk Art Outdoors

The Front Lawn

Folk art intended specifically for the front lawn has the essence of a performance. This is street theatre at its most elementary. Lawn folk art not only satisfies the personal artistic impulse of its creator, but also catches the attention of neighbours, visitors and casual passers-by. By placing the folk art here, the owner enhances his or her own property, while at the same time clearly defining it as different from that of his or her neighbours.

Pink Flamingoes - Photo: H. Foster A Pair of Pink Flamingoes
John Hummel
Maryhill, Ontario
Ca. 1940
CCFCS 77-740, 77-741
 

Mr. Hummel was a well-known Mennonite carver whose engaging pieces predated the plastic lawn flamingo movement by many years. This charming pair speak eloquently of folk carving and of its place in the garden of the imagination.

Penguin
Acquired in Hemmingford, Quebec
Early 1970s
CCFCS 75-1034
 
Penguin - Photo: H. Foster

This piece may be the work of Alcide Saint-Germain of Saint-Antoine-Abbé, Quebec, who was well known for his carvings of exotic creatures such as giraffes and tigers. His front yard was a veritable menagerie; his creatures were often embellished with plaster or even concrete, and were always painted.

Bear - Photo: H. Foster Begging Bear
J. Seton Tompkins
Singhampton, Ontario
1970s
CCFCS 79-1839
 

Mr. Tompkins' distinctly non-threatening bear has all the gentle characteristics of a devoted Labrador retriever.

Spotted Peacock
Alcide Saint-Germain
Saint-Antoine-Abbé, Quebec
Ca. 1970
CCFCS 80-156
 
Peacock - Photo: H. Foster

An intuitively painted peacock. Note the clever prop that keeps him upright.



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