David Milne: Painting and life on Six Mile Lake
January 14, 2015
If I’m allowed to pick my own heaven, this is it.
– David Milne, 1933
The painting here by the influential artist David Milne (Canadian, 1882-1953) is now on view in McMaster’s exhibition It’s My Vault. Its dry brush line, sparse expanses of orange, gray and purple hues and the limited view are characteristic of the important paintings produced by Milne in the 1930s. The exhibition’s guest curator, artist Chris Cran selected this work (one of 5 by Milne in McMaster’s collection) because Milne is one of his favourite artists and because the painting, with its landscape turning to abstraction, struck a chord with him.*
It was created while Milne lived at Six Mile Lake on the Severn River – a place he loved. With archival material from the Milne family, The Art Gallery of Ontario produced a short, beautiful video below, sharing Milne’s own words and images from that time.
* find out more about Chris Cran’s selections by visiting the exhibition, picking up a brochure, and attending Cran’s free, public talk at the McMaster Museum of Art on March 24 at 12:30 pm.
Fall 2026 Exhibitions at the McMaster Museum of Art
September 4, 2026
Connected Histories, Research, and Archives—Interview with Nnamdi Nnake
September 1, 2026
What stories can the telegraph tell? More than a century after telegraph lines began to stretch across Nigeria, Connected Histories: The Telegraph in Nigeria invites visitors to take a fresh look at a technology that helped shape modern communications, colonial governance, labour, and everyday life. Drawing on the doctoral research of McMaster University PhD candidate Nnamdi Nnake, the exhibition brings together rare artifacts, archival […]
M(M)A Education Staff Teresa Gregorio Shortlisted in City of Hamilton’s Arts Champion Awards
June 23, 2026
Please join us in congratulating M(M)A’s Educator for Campus & Community Engagement, Teresa Gregorio, for being shortlisted in the Arts Champion Awards in City of Hamilton’s Arts Award 2026. The Arts Champion Awards may be conferred annually to living individuals who are outstanding supporters of the arts in Hamilton as volunteers, advocates, or board members. […]
