The Screaming Heads

Art is personal.  Different people are attracted to different genres, styles and mediums.  I love colour so French Impressionism is a favourite.  My youngest daughter loves using pencils to draw facial features, having recently published a few videos on Youtube of her pencil drawings of eyes and thereby generating more than 4,000 views.  Peter Camani loves making massive sculptures out of concrete.  He owns a 310 acre property just north of Burk's Falls.  In it, he has created a weirdly wonderful park full of massive art.  It is fascinating and neat, strange and evocative.  Some people find the erections creepy and reminiscent of black magic.  Others find they bring to mind medieval designs.  Unquestionably they are interesting, thought provoking and beautiful in a strange, somewhat unsettling way.

The day we were there, a lovely August afternoon, there were at least 50 cars and all sorts of families with children and dogs exploring the park.  There is a farmer's market set up beside the parking lot, and the artisans there sold us fridge magnets, shoulder bags and a mirror, all featuring the screaming heads.  The park itself is a marvelous wander.  You move from large metal scaffolds to screaming heads made from concrete to wooden bridges to serene waterways with lily pads.  Everywhere there is something to see, something to ponder, something to inspect and about which to form an opinion.  Your mind scrambles from one installation to the next, always roving and wondering what inspired such an unusual output.  The acreage is where the artist lives and his house is apparently also unusual, although we did not see it.

The same day we explored the Screaming Heads, we also toured the tiny town of Burk's Falls, a stone's throw away.  There we found good food at the Burk's Falls Cafe and Grill.  We ate a chicken Caesar wrap, club sandwich and homemade tomato rigatoni soup. It was bustling on a Monday afternoon, with about 50 people sitting inside and on the patio.

We also explored the covered bridge at the Visitor's Centre.  There are a few hikes you can take around Burk's Falls that show you the beauty of the surrounding countryside and the water from which the town takes its name.  Incorporated in 1890, it has stayed relatively stable in population over the years, with just under 1,000 residents.  Cottage country means in the summer that number swells with all the beautiful lakes surrounding the village.

My daughter and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring The Screaming Heads and the small village of Burk's Falls.  We capped the day off with ice cream before heading home.  It was yet another enjoyable northern adventure.