Monday Inspiration: Frances Loring

Frances Loring, Inuit Mother and Child, 1938, carved 1958 (source)

Another view (source)

Frances Loring (1887-1968), was American Born, but settled in Canada early on in her career- she worked closely with (partners even?) Florence Wyle, a notable sculptor in her own right. She founded the Canadian Sculptors society in 1928 with  Emanuelle Hahn and Henri Hebert. She is well celebrated and collected in Canada, and her works are easy to see on line and in person at the national gallery and elsewhere.

I love the graceful flowing lines in her work, the feeling of lightness in such a heavy medium. She did many war memorials and public commissions too- which I will not post here as the kids are going nuts right now, trying to 'help' me type this- drinking my coffee (decaf- so it's only so bad), barking like dogs, telling me things and when I don't listen attentively enough grabbing my face between their hands and telling me again- their big eyes wide and their milk breath blowing on my face forcefully.

I sort of envy this Inuit mother with her child tucked snugly away on her back- though you can tell he's just itching to get out and make a break for it, calculating the fastest way to make his mothers hair fly out of those neat braids while she chases him. and there I suppose is the beauty of this piece in particular and Loring's work in general- they are specific people, but also they are general enough to make us relate, to represent an archetype, or an emotion and that is powerful stuff.

Monday Inspiration 2014 is all about Canadian artists. Each Monday I'll pick a new one to profile- If you can think of any that you think I ought to look up- please let me know in the comments- I'd love to hear from you. You can find a list of the artists I've done so far here. 

Monday Inspiration: Jean Paul Riopelle

Jean Paul Riopelle, untitled, 1954 (source)

Jean Paul Riopelle, untitled, 1956 (source)

Jean Paul Riopelle (1923-2002), is one of Canada's Masters really, though I hesitate to say that I don't really know much about him- didn't learn about him in school at all- I think possibly that's a reflection on French Canada vs. English Canada. At any rate I love the colours of the images, but am not overly fond of them- possibly- like Pollock, they need to be seen in person in order to really be appreciated. I think the comparison to Pollock is unavoidable, they painted at the same time, and they are really similar. However Riopelle seems to be more truly abstract, with no subject matter- but the paint itself, while Pollock's work is mostly based on an abstracted subject- with the exception of his drip paintings.

I like the methodical feeling of Riopelle's works. Even though they are abstract, they seem controlled, planned or thought out even. Think of them in comparison to Pollock's drip paintings' wild drops and sprays, which are largely accidental on purpose. I love the diaphanous quality of the watercolour example above, and the way that the black dots and squiggles interplay with the brighter sheer colours.

Monday Inspiration 2014 is all about Canadian artists. Each Monday I'll pick a new one to profile- If you can think of any that you think I ought to look up- please let me know in the comments- I'd love to hear from you. You can find a list of the artists I've done so far here.

Monday Inspiration: Walter Joseph Phillips

Walter Joseph Phillips, The Bather, 1923 (source)

Walter Joseph Phillips, Norman Bay, Lake of the Woods, No.1 (source)

Walter Joseph Phillips (1884-1963) was born in England and studied in Paris and South Africa. He moved to Winnipeg Manitoba and used the surrounding Manitoba landscape as his subject matter. I think his prints are amazingly delicate, those slender lines, and gradations of colour lend a watercolour feel to them. Which is unsurprising because he worked in watercolour also. I particularly love the images that contain people within them, and the way that he deals with that interaction. Maybe because his works are so similar to group of seven- but those works have been so criticized for not containing people, or- more rightly- for making the Canadian landscape feel wild and untamed and void of humans, when in reality they mostly painted in parks and cottage country (with a few exceptions of course).

Monday Inspiration: Mary Wrinch

Mary Wrinch, Green and Gold, 1932 (source)

Mary Wrinch, Sunrise (source)

Mary Wrinch, (1877-1969), was born in England- then moved to Ontario where she studied under Laura Muntz, Robert Holmes, and G.A Reid (her future husband). She also went to England to study the painting of miniatures, before coming back to Canada. Mary Wrinch painted at first- then moved on to Printmaking, using Linoleum and wood block to make prints, often based on nature- especially around Muskoka lake- the same area that the group of seven painted.

I think her works are stunning, stylistically modernist, but arts and crafts too. They're really wonderful,though they do feel a little frozen. Overall I like that- it seems as though they're not about capturing the life cycle or reality of nature, but about capturing a moment in nature. I think Printmaking as a medium has a sort of formal, stark feel to it, that gives it's subjects a feeling of being paused. Some would criticize the work for feeling lifeless- but I like that, and I think she takes advantage of it- to capture the fleeting quality of these moments.

Mary Wrinch is that rare thing- a well documented Canadian female artist- so if you like the works- just google her name and you'll find lots more info online.

Monday Inspiration: Henriette Fauteaux-Masse

Henriette Fauteux-Masse, 1962, Labyrinthe (source)

Henriette Fauteux-Masse, Avalanche, 1960, (source)

Henriette Fauteux-Masse (1924-2005), studied in Paris in 1951, after years of exploring painting on her own. After she returned to Quebec, she continued to teach herself to paint, and was very successful, her work is collected in the national gallery and she was a member of all sorts of art communities. I love a history of someone who is self taught- and succeeds- I often think that art school(especially the degree aspect of it) is a bit of a waste of time- but it seems that these days the degree holds sway, sometimes, nice to see that the opposite can sometimes be true.

I love these bold works, the colours are so vibrant- but restrained in quantity to make them really pop, and you just tell that these works are really juicy in person; full of marks, and slashes and smears that recall the making of the work, the process behind the finished piece. I especially love the way that the lone curved box in Avalanche makes the whole painting seem unstable, makes all the blocks feel like they're in motion. It's that moment right before everything falls where it all freezes and looks weightless.

Sorry for missing last week- I'm sort of amazed by how the addition of School (part time at that!) changes so much of our (unorganized) routine, we're settling into it, but also dealing with a cold too (she must have caught it on the first day-I'm aghast- and pumping out the immune boosting tinctures). Hope you're all enjoying these last few days of summer!

Monday Inspiration 2014 is all about Canadian artists. Each Monday I'll pick a new one to profile- If you can think of any that you think I ought to look up- please let me know in the comments- I'd love to hear from you. You can find a list of the artists I've done so far here.

Monday Inspiration: Yulia Biriukova

Yulia Biriukova, Prospector, Peter Swanson, 1934 (source)

Yulia Biriukova (1897-1972) was born in Russia, and Immigrated to Canada in 1929. She taught at the College of Upper Canada, and was well known for her portraits- which are collected by many galleries. I just love this portrait. His head is so small and his arms so big- maybe they really were like that- but I think it more of an exaggeration. It gives this enormous sense of power- that along with his solid blue shirt- which really acts as a big block of colour right in the center of the canvas adds to the feeling of strength. The minimal background with it's high colours, and the way the figure overtakes them makes you feel like this guy was a strong personality. Now wouldn't it be funny to find out that he was a mild mannered prospector?

Monday Inspiration: Louise Gadbois

Louise Gadbois, Woman with a Mandolin, (source)

Louise Gadbois, Femme au plateau des fruits (source)

Louise Gadbois (1896-1985), studied with Edwin Holgate, and John Lyman exhibited in Montreal and Quebec, interestingly she also did an exhibition with her daughter- Denyse Gadbois. She was best known for her portraits- which I think are very Modigliani-esque. I love her brushwork though, rough and choppy- I think it takes guts to let that much roughness into your portraits- most people prefer a more traditional look when it comes to that type of painting, landscapes are fine as rough as ever, but there's something about portraits that makes people yearn for a delicate touch.

Monday Inspiration 2014 is all about Canadian artists. Each Monday I'll pick a new one to profile- If you can think of any that you think I ought to look up- please let me know in the comments- I'd love to hear from you. You can find a list of the artists I've done so far here.

Monday Inspiration: Anna (Nan) Cheney

Anna Cheney, Portrait of a young Man, 1936, (source)

Anna Gertrude Lawson Cheney (1897-1985), studied at a bunch of different places, Newcombe Art College, the School of Medical Illustration, Johns Hopkins. She studied with Lilias Torrance Newton (whose influence is strongly seen here I think), Aldro Hibbard, and was a close friend of Emily Carr. She painted landscapes and worked mostly on the west coast of Canada.

I think this portrait is superb- I love that slightly off feeling in portraits. It's obviously not trying to capture an exact copy of the person- and though it's close to what he looked like I'm sure- you wonder if his neck was really that long, and nose quite so perfect. I think though- this style of portraiture is often much closer to capturing the soul of the person- or the feel of them- you get a sense of presence that you don't always get with a more exact image. It's terribly intimate, as I think a painting of another person should be, sometimes a technically perfect portrait feels cold to me- this exudes warmth.

Monday Inspiration: Florence Wyle

Florence Wyle, On The Land, 1914-18 (source)

Florence Wyle, Noon Hour, 1918-19 (source)

Frances Wyle (1881-1968) was one one of Canada's finest sculptors, she studied Anatomy in Chicago and that brings a strong sense of reality and correctness to her figures. You can see their bodies outlined through their clothes- and sense the tilt of the pelvis, the bend of the knee, the curve of the calf.  She was an exceptional sculptor in her time- and the first female sculptor to be accepted to the Royal Canadian Academy of sculpture. She also worked closely with her partner Frances Loring.

I find it really interesting how in this period of Canadian history there are several accomplished female sculptors- Wyle, and Loring, and Elizabeth Wyn Wood- it seems sort of odd- but I think that artists tend to get ideas from each other and bounce off of each other's successes. It's such a solitary pursuit- but also when you find a contemporary that you get on with- your work snowballs off the other person's and (hopefully) theirs does off yours. It's a unique thing- but each person is better for that communion.

Monday Inspiration 2014 is all about re-discovering Canadian Artists. After completing a bachelor of fine art from a Canadian University you would think that you'd be well versed in Canadian art- but actually -not so much. Ask me about renaissance, or abstract expressionism, and I'm well versed, but beyond the Group of Seven or Emily Carr I'm a bit lost when it comes to my own countrymen- (let alone country women!). If you can think of someone I should look up leave me a note in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

Monday Inspiration: Sarah Roberston

Sarah Robertson, The Red Sleigh, 1924, (source)

Sarah Robertson, The Blue Sleigh, 1924, (source)

Sarah Robertson, (1891-1948)- was a landscape painter who studied under William Brymner- and was a member of the Beaver Hall group. There's a great and thorough bio of her here. I love these paintings- so serene and calm, things are crazy here right now- big family gatherings are happening, storms are knocking trees down- the buzz of chainsaws fills the air, my spirited child is being oh so spirited- and it's really, really a lot. I was thinking of not posting, and then thought better- and I'm glad that I'm just throwing these up there- they have a haunting solitary feel- that seems just like what I need right now, I'd like to transport into the body of the woman in the red sleigh- if only for a minute.

Monday Inspiration 2014 is all about Canadian artists. Each Monday I'll pick a new one to profile- If you can think of any that you think I ought to look up- please let me know in the comments- I'd love to hear from you. You can find a list of the artists I've done so far here.

Monday Inspiration: Edwin Holgate

Edwin Holgate, Suzy, 1921 (source)

Edwin Holgate, Portrait of a Woman, 1930, (source)

Edwin Holgate, Self Portrait, 1934 (source)

Edwin Holgate (1892-1977), was a Montrealer, and a member of the Beaver Hall group, he was a prolific painter of the human form. His works have that 1930's feel about them- solid figures, with a well defined physicality. His works aren't about light or colour or texture- though that's all there of course- they're about the human form, about making you feel the round heft of a forearm, the smooth plane of the cheek and nose.

His colour palette is so similar to Lilias Newton and Prudence Heward- that there is no doubt that they worked closely together- things like a favorite shade of plum or mustard rubbing off on each other. I love seeing that and seeing a bit behind the process, I like art the best when it reveals a bit about the artist. I think that anything made by hand should contain some sort of clue as to the personality of the maker, some memento that this was made by human hands.

My main dislike of renaissance art is that it's too smooth, too slick- it looks just like the image in the catalogue- there usually isn't a single brush hair to remind you that someone made this by hand. I think that's just a concern now- of course- in this day and age of manufacturing, Michelangelo wanted the image to look foreign as though it was it's own creation, made by nature, not by him. That was the ultimate coup, I guess.

Monday Inspiration 2014 is all about Canadian artists. Each Monday I'll pick a new one to profile- If you can think of any that you think I ought to look up- please let me know in the comments- I'd love to hear from you. You can find a list of the artists I've done so far here. 

Monday Inspiration: Hannah Maynard

Hannah Maynard, Self Portrait- Trick Photography, 1893 (source)

Hannah Maynard, Captain Jack, chief of the Rupert Indians with his wife, 1868-78 (source)

Hannah Hatherly Maynard, (1834-1918), was born in England then immigrated to Ontario where she learned photography. After that she and her husband (also a photographer), moved to Vancouver Island where she opened up a portrait studio. I suspect this woman had guts, seriously, she also had four kids, which makes her one of the only female artists I've profiled to actually have children and a husband.

The Maynards did Landscape photography, but Hannah also did these wonderful 'trick-photograph' self portraits- in which there are several 'Hannah Maynards' all serving tea to each other and looking at art etc. They are really spectacular. These photos wouldn't be out of place in a modern gallery except we'd all be talking about post-modern ideas of the self, and service and motherhood, and a woman's position, or possibly mental health, or spirituality or something,  but because they're old you just sort of have the sense that they're really about the technical aspects of the medium, about exploring what she could do in the darkroom. They're probably really about both.

I think what I like best about these photos is that it gives a sense of who she was. That is so rare- to see people from that long ago and find a sense of kinship with them- that it happens with these photographs, that you feel as though you could sit down to tea and have a chat with this lady and it wouldn't be totally alien, like you get a glimpse of her as a real person, is extraordinary.



Monday Inspiration 2014 is all about re-discovering Canadian Artists. After completing a bachelor of fine art from a Canadian University you would think that you'd be well versed in Canadian art- but actually -not so much. Ask me about renaissance, or abstract expressionism, and I'm well versed, but beyond the Group of Seven or Emily Carr I'm a bit lost when it comes to my own countrymen- (let alone country women!).

 I'm not really meaning to do all women- but so far that's pretty much been so- I figure that the male artists are pretty well represented so I'll try to highlight more female artists than men- though I'm not doing only women. If you can think of anyone else you think I should look at leave a note in the comments- I'd love to hear from you! 

Monday Inspiration: Ruth Salter Wainwright

Ruth Salter Wainwright, Hauling the Nets, (source)

Ruth Wainwright (1902-1984), lived in Nova Scotia and painted watercolour paintings- she studied at the Halifax ladies college, and spent the first part of her career painting in watercolours. Later she studied at Hans Hoffman's Provincetown school in New York and began to paint in abstract forms. These works seem lovely but the only image I can see of them is here at the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia, and it's not really a complete image either, it seems to me to be a cropped section of one of her paintings. 

I love the lines in her work though- the square jaws of the fishermen, and the transparency she's managed to hint at with the nets. The colours are lovely too.

Monday Inspiration: Edith Carr

Edith Carr, Painted Jug, 1906 (source)

Edith Carr (1856-1919), was Emily's older sister, she looked after the Carr siblings after her parents death. Apparently art ran in the family because she also painted on china, and won awards and sold her pieces too. She was also a founder of the YWCA in Victoria B.C.

The painting on this piece is growing on me, nicely composed and probably at that time pretty different from other painted china. I think in 1906 china painting was a much more delicate business, (I'm thinking roses and baby's breath) with small very detailed scenes being the norm, so perhaps these chunky cherries would have been outstanding then. It's certainly a lovely little pitcher, the colour choices work well, and though now it seems a little ordinary- like I said- in 1906 perhaps it was quite special.

Monday Inspiration: Winnifred Kingsford

Winnifred Kingston, Seated Woman, 1914 (source)

Winnifred Kingsford (1880-1947), was a Canadian Sculptor- apparently before Frances Loring and Florence Wyle arrived on the scene- she was assumed to be the ONLY female sculptor in Canada- this seems totally ludicrous to me, but is it possibly true? Is it possible that no women made sculpture before her in Canada? If so she must have been terribly lonely. Or maybe it's only that if we don't know of them they must not have existed, if they were not incredibly talented or brave or willing to risk scandal, then they were only creating in private, and we will never know of them.

Every Week I find myself renewed in some sort of  high/low process; Excited to find some woman who made art that speaks to women, long before my time, only to have that excitement tempered by the fact that there is only one work of hers available to see without hours of research that I don't have (as I write this my hands are being forcibly removed from the keyboard by two very sweet and determined chubby hands- while the owner of the hands is saying " No! Milk! Me! Mommmmy!" or some variation on that theme).

I am always a bit  surprised that a whole piece of history has been totally removed from us (you'd think I'd be used to it by now) anything in the domestic sphere and so female, of course, and private, is so cloaked in mystery that even though this woman- Winnifred Kingsford- made lamp bases and 'other domestic items' in order to reach more people with her art- I can't see any of them, or find any of them. I can only imagine that they are languishing in some basement- lighting a tawdry teenage love scene- perhaps. The only piece available to view (online anyhow), is this Seated Woman- and even she looks bored, or patient maybe- waiting to see something interesting- or waiting to be noticed- or waiting to be taken seriously.

Actually If I'm honest I imagine her looking at children playing, or something else lovely and fleeting, and so I'll take this as a reminder that even though women may be almost wholly erased from history- at least they had some of the precious things in life; the adorable chubby hands pulling on them saying " MOMMY! MILK! ME!"

Monday Inspiration: Elizabeth Cann

Elizabeth Cann, The Soldiers Wife, 1941, (source)

Elizabeth Cann, Mrs Kary Wyman Baker, (source)

Elizabeth Lovitt Cann, (1901-1977) was so well educated, it amazes me, she studied at the Philadelphia Academy of Fine arts, the School of Applied Design for Women in New York, and also in England and Paris (full bio here). She had money behind her, and that really seems key for women back then (funny when all we generally have nowadays is the 'starving artist' ideal). She's mostly known for her portraits of women and girls, though she did landscape as well.

I love portraits of Women by Women, they are so different from portraits of women by men. The idea of women being painted as an object to look at instead of an actual person with motives of their own is a subject much talked about- (I spoke about it a bit here- while talking about Manet's Olympia). It's much more interesting to see women when represented by women because their physicality often takes a back seat. I don't just mean no breasts and legs on display- though that's part of it, certainly, what I mean is that when men paint women often it's about the line of their bodies, the curve of a back, or jaw, or nose, just about the simple beauty of a female subject, their grace and feminine presence. When a woman paints a woman it seems as if she's just seeing her as a person, as herself, not the 'Other'.

The Soldiers Wife is just so poignant, and the expression so real, it brings you right there to where that woman is in time. I also love the floral patterns as she painted them, not too detailed, and not too loose.  I did a portrait of my Great Grandma once and there were so many floral prints, I just about lost my mind, it was a real test to try and get them just right.  

Monday Inspiration: Roseline DeLisle

Roseline Delisle, Octet 2 Blue, (source)

Roseline DeLisle, Octet 9, (source)

Roseline DeLisle (1952-2003), was born in Quebec and then moved to California, she made these huge ceramic vessels- which were very reminiscent of the human figure- They are all quite striking when seen all together in one room (you can see her standing among them in this article- which is quite interesting too), they really relate to each other in different ways- I can only imagine what walking through them would have been like- they have so much presence. I love the smooth solid colours, and the sleek shapes- so refined and cold- yet somehow in that scale they seem warmer- more personal. The sheer technicality of them blows my mind.

 I can see in them, the influence of the early parts of this century- they are so millennial. It's a bit odd,  like seeing a movie you remember so clearly seeing when it came out, but now looks so dated, and you realize it's already almost twenty years old. These pieces do that to me. They will no doubt stand as an excellent example of artwork from that time- and I do honestly love them, but it's just too soon to overlook the dated feel of them, sort of like jelly shoes and hammer pants.

Monday Inspiration: Elizabeth Wyn Wood

Elizabeth Wyn Wood, Passing Rain, 1928, (source)

Elizabeth Wyn Wood, Linda, 1932, (source)

Elizabeth Wyn Wood, Munitions Worker, 1944 (source) also here

Elizabeth Wyn Wood (1903-1966) was a celebrated Canadian sculptor, she was married to Emmanuel Hahn- also a sculptor. Together they worked in the same medium- plaster casts- which they then painted- or cast into metal. Her works have such strength to them- and I really find that appealing- even the landscapes have a solemn feel to them. They are also very representative of the era in which they were made. I suppose there's always going to be that feel when you work from contemporary subjects- but I think that Linda, and Munitions Worker both really capture that strong female countenance which we associate with the Depression and the second world war respectively.

There was a time in my life when I sort of disliked - or maybe just 'didn't get' the strong female image of the 30's and 40's- muscled and thick limbed, serious set faces. I preferred the willowy framed women of Klimt- the seductive, twisty limbed girls of Schiele, with their small mouths, and long necks, and their stony expressions tempered by their daintiness and lady like mannerisms (or not so lady like- but certainly feminine- mannerisms in Scheile's case). But now that I'm older, now that I'm a mother maybe? I get these women- these serious strong women from some of the hardest times in recent history- thrusting forward into a new gender role- standing on their own two sturdy legs and feet- no dainty lace up boots here- and I love them.

Monday Inspiration 2014 is all about re-discovering Canadian Artists. After completing a bachelor of fine art from a Canadian University you would think that you'd be well versed in Canadian art- but actually -not so much. Ask me about renaissance, or abstract expressionism, and I'm well versed, but beyond the Group of Seven or Emily Carr I'm a bit lost when it comes to my own countrymen- (let alone country women!). If you can think of someone I should look up leave me a note in the comments, I'd love to hear from you!

Monday Inspiration: Caroline Farncomb

Caroline Farncomb, Mary Harris, 1906, (source)

Caroline Farncomb, Wild Duck, 1901, (source)

Caroline Farncomb (1859-1951), was a well exhibited London Ontario artist. That's pretty much the extent of info on her on line. No personal history seems to be out there- she studied art in London, New York and Paris, and then returned to Canada where she painted landscapes, portraits, and animals.

I love the feathers on this duck- so gracefully swept back, also it's little limp beak and feet, very evocative. I also really love the pose on the portrait of Mary Harris- I've spoken before about the potential awkwardness of painting portraits- people always want to be seen a certain way- and invariably say- "that doesn't look like me!" or "Do I look like that?!" in a horrified way if you actually capture their likeness honestly (though if you make them more attractive than they think they are- they're usually pretty quiet about it). I wonder what the reaction to this portrait was- where Mrs. Mary Harris looks so distracted, and not quite happily distracted either... it makes you wonder.


Monday Inspiration 2014 is all about Canadian artists. Each Monday I'll pick a new one to profile- If you can think of any that you think I ought to look up- please let me know in the comments- I'd love to hear from you. You can find a list of the artists I've done so far here. 

Monday Inspiration: William Brymner

William Brymner, In the Orchard- Spring, 1892 (source)

William Brymner, The Picture Book, 1898, (source)

William Brymner, The Vaughan Sisters, 1910, (source)

William Brymner, Lady with a Parasol, 1918, (source)

William Brymner (1855-1925), came to Canada in 1857, he studied in Paris, and then came back to Montreal, where he mentored and taught other Artists. He taught several of the members of the Beaver Hall Group. There was a wealth of info about him online- perhaps that speaks to a difference between Male and Female Artists (I've been sort off scraping up whatever images I can find for most of the females I've been writing about). They are wonderful paintings, detailed but still loose, and the later works are much more painterly in style.

It's interesting to see the style change in Lady with a Parasol and The Vaughan Sisters- two things likely make these two images so different in style- Parasol was painted 8 years later, but also The Vaughan Sisters was a portrait, and likely commissioned- which just goes to show that some artists (most even?) can change their style to suit the situation. Often when I'm teaching art to kids the subject of Picasso comes up- and they are mostly shocked to see his earlier works-in particular how realist they are- apparently they think that Picasso painted cubist works because that was as close as he could get to 'realism'???? Odd. But I digress...I really love the way you can see his style shift subtly between paintings, the beginnings of soft impressionist brushwork in the early works, and the bold brushwork of the later images.


Monday Inspiration 2014 is all about Canadian artists. Each Monday I'll pick a new one to profile- If you can think of any that you think I ought to look up- please let me know in the comments- I'd love to hear from you. You can find a list of the artists I've done so far here.