Fool's Paradise has been home, studio and inspiration to Canadian landscape artist Doris McCarthy for 65 years.

The Artist
Doris McCarthy began her career in 1926 with a full-time scholarship to the Ontario College of Art. She was taught by Group of Seven artists Arthur Lismer and J.E.H MacDonald and began teaching at Central Technical School in 1932, retiring in 1972.

She joined the Ontario Society of Artists in 1944, becoming its first woman president. She was also elected president of the Canadian Society of Painters in Watercolour in 1956 and was inducted into the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts in 1974. She was proclaimed the 1983 Canadian Woman Artist of the Year, was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 1986, and graduated in 1989 with a BA in English (Honours) from the University of Toronto. In 2004, the Doris McCarthy Gallery opened at the University of Toronto, Scarborough Campus.

Surrounded by federally protected ravines, this 2.5-acre property
(I hectare) is of provincial heritage interest for two reasons - its location along the brow of the ecologically sensitive and scenic Scarborough Bluffs, and its long and close association with McCarthy and her work. As a living and working environment, Fool's Paradise has inspired McCarthy to create a substantial body of work that enriches all Ontarians.The combination of the property's natural and cultural attributes makes it a unique heritage site.

The pedestrian walk down the ravine on the east side of the property has been officially named "Doris McCarthyTrail".The walk ends in a peninsula visible from the bluff that is the site of a large public sculpture erected in honour of Doris.

Protecting Fool's Paradise in Perpetuity
In 1999, McCarthy donated Fool's Paradise to the Ontario Heritage Foundation, along with a generous charitable remainder trust. McCarthy will continue to live at her home for as long as she wishes. Fool's Paradise will eventually be managed by the Foundation as a retreat for individual artists of all disciplines and for heritage activities.The Ontario Heritage Foundation preserves, promotes and protects Ontario's cultural and natural heritage for the benefit of present and future generations.

The Property
McCarthy bought the property in 1939, naming it Fool's Paradise because her mother thought it extravagant for the young art teacher to spend $1,250, "more than she earned in a year", for pasture land on the Bluffs. Moving in permanently in 1946, McCarthy has added several additions over the years. Unsurpassed views of Lake Ontario have inspired many of her paintings and writings.

For more information on this renowned artist,
please visit www dorismccarthy.com.

Previous Showcase Gardens:
Robert's Pesticide-Free Garden
Ms. Demers, North Bay Garden
Ezio's Garden, Fanshawe Pioneer Village