the gallery on the lake

This art gallery is a hidden gem. It is quite large with all original oils and some stained glass and other items. Very impressive. Everything for sale.

When we entered the Gallery the owner quizzed us on whether we'd been before or if we'd purchased anything before as she tried to decide whether or not she should charge us an admittance fee. We were made to feel very small for even daring to come. After browsing around for about 20 minutes we were told to get out our wallets and be prepared to buy something. When we said that we were just browsing we were asked in a very rude tone "Why would you come to a retail outlet if you didn't plan on buying anything?"There is some lovely Canadian art and a lot of so-so art that's been there for 20 years (you know the sad landscapes and portraits with the brassy gold frames from the 1990's). The rudeness of the owner has guaranteed that we'll never be back.It's a shame, this is a nice property that was a really special place when owned by the renowned Edwin Matthews but Mr. Matthews would be ashamed of what it's become.

We made a pit stop here to see some art and take a break from a long drive. The property is beautiful and there are lots of interesting pieces of art. The owner told us about the gallery, how things are set up, etc as soon as we walked in. She also gave us a brochure. We were free to roam around. We also noticed that there was a space for tea but it was closed when we were there. The tea room did have a beautiful water view though. You will have to climb up stairs to see the different pieces of work though. The owner seemed friendly and wasn't too pushy.

What a fabulous place. My friends and I were just awed at the amazing collection of Canadian art. I had been to the gallery before but it was the first time for my friends and I was so pleased to witness their reaction. The views of Lower Buckhorn Lake are breathtaking and the owner was very gracious and spent some time chatting with us. Such a beautiful spot in cottage country. A must for anyone visiting the Buckhorn area.

A fabulous place to lose yourself in colour, shapes, texture, etc. From room to room, styles and artists change, giving the viewer a great selection upon which to base his choice, or even just to make some decisions about personal preferences. The new satellite location in Port Perry is floor to ceiling paintings, just like the salons of Paris at the turn of the century!

My wife and I have been collecting art here for the past several years, and I'll never forget our first piece we bought, a Tim Packer original. At the time, we were not sure whether we should jump into art collection, but the pleasure it has brought us and our guests is immeasurable. Now I collect for my business assets and all the pieces I have bought have increased in value. What more could you ask for?

Thank you for your kind review on the Trip Advisor website, your words were touching and reflect what we would like our gallery to convey to visitors. We noticed you rated us as four stars and hopefully on your next visit you can upgrade your rating to five stars ;) Thank you and hope to see you again soon, let us know how we can accommodate you better.

I was checking out local attractions for the Buckhorn District Tourism Association and was very impressed with the quality and quantity of their collection and they have special collections all the time!

The original pieces in the gallery need to be maintained at a certain temperature in order to preserve the integrity of the art. In order to do this, at times we need to turn lights off to conserve energy (i.e. the air conditioning bill for 15000+ sq ft is nothing to shake a stick at), so we think this review was taken out of context.

We believe this review was taken out of context and that the staff was trying to be friendly in a joking manner. Our staff are not on commission, so we are all trained to take a no-pressure approach to addressing our patrons. We always try to educate and accommodate visitors to the gallery by telling them about how some pieces can be sentimental or investment pieces, but we always take a no pressure approach when we have guests.

We are sorry that this visitor had this experience, and we always take a no-pressure approach because the staff here are not on commission. In many cases, we ask people such questions to start a conversation and not to offend them. We are a retail gallery and our main focus is to find the perfect piece of art for your home, so we will ask questions to help people do this. The gallery is very large, so people can get overwhelmed, so we tend to ask a lot of questions to take away that anxiety.