Happy Birthday Emily Carr!

One of my favourite Canadian artists is Emily Carr, and today is her birthday. Several years ago Marianne and I made an art doll of Emily; Marianne sculpted her head, hands and feet, and I did the rest. I decided to take some photos to celebrate her birthday. Here she is on the beach, reworking one of her totem pole paintings, while two native girls keep her company.

Emily Carr was born on this day in 1871, in Victoria, British Columbia. She studied art in San Francisco, London and France, and decided to make it a personal goal to paint and document as many of the native poles along the coast, as she could. She travelled up the coast by boat, to remote villages to paint on location. I love many of those earlier paintings.

Emily's hope was that the government would buy the entire collection for the newly-built parliament buildings, but a critic declared her work as "too colourful". Emily was devastated. She totally gave up painting and turned to making a living by building a rooming house, and raising dogs. Fifteen years later, at age 50, she was invited to participate in a show about Native Art of BC at the National Gallery in Ottawa. There she met the Group of Seven, became good friends with Lauren Harris, and her joy of painting became rekindled. She reworked many of her older paintings and sketches in a completely new style. My favourite is her "Big Raven"....

Violin Day

Since today is also "Violin Day", my girls decided to throw Emily Carr a birthday party 
in her studio, and serenade her with their violins as she works on her painting.

 Emily was very eccentric. She had many pets, including a monkey she named Woo, who she dressed up and took for errands around town in a baby buggy. The little sock monkey is my nod to Woo. And those chairs - in case you are wondering - to make room in her studio, and keep the floor clear of clutter, Emily would hoist her chairs up by ropes and hang them at the ceiling.