Ireland House

This house is named after a family rather than the country. It is one of the finest old houses in the part of Ontario where I lived for more than 20 years.

It is the oldest homestead within the city of Burlington, near Hamilton and was built by Joseph Ireland between 1834 and 1837.
Joseph Ireland was born in Yorkshire, England in 1792, emigrated to Canada in 1819 and purchased the land known as Oakridge Farm, on which Ireland House is located, in the 1820's. Oakridge was a mixed farm operation, which was known for its award-winning cattle and apples. The house is built with fieldstone from the farm itself and is fashioned after Joseph Ireland's home in the north of England. Five generations of Irelands lived in the house before it was purchased by the city of Burlington in the late 1980's.

The mood I wanted to achieve in this painting was one of quiet dignity, and I would hope, solid permanence. The great oak tree in front is in keeping with this feeling. Although the scene is perceived as you see it now, sadly, it is caged in with a chain link fence and is totally surrounded by suburban duplexes and shopping plazas.