I am taking a little break from my blog for the next few weeks; I am excited to announce that I am heading to the east coast of Canada at the end of this month! I am looking forward to taking in the sun and the sea, as well as checking out the local art scene in Nova Scotia and PEI. Enjoy these last lazy days of summer and look for new posts of Atelier Natura in September!

Best,
Lisa Tornack

Canadina Icon: Emily Carr

My favorite all time painting title comes from Emily Carr's piece shown above

"Scorn as Timbre Beloved of the Sky"

This summer I was fortunate to instruct a painting class based on the work of Emily Carr. When preparing for the course, I did a little research on the artist's life and work. Emily Carr is the most revered female artist in Canada. Carr led an unconventional lifestyle and created numerous iconic works, which hang in the galleries of Canada today.

Emily Carr was born in Victoria, British Columbia in 1871. She started painting at an early age, but really began taking her paintings seriously after her parent’s death as a teen. Orphaned at sixteen, she petitioned her guardian to allow her to study art at the San Francisco Art Institute. Carr pursued her education in the United States then returned to Victoria painting and teaching art classes to children. Years later she furthered her studies working overseas in both England and France. Although she experienced emotional problems while abroad, it was in France where her signature style blossomed. Influenced by Post-Impressionism and the Fauves, Carr's work took a more painterly, abstracted quality. Once again she returned to Victoria and received little interest in her new style of painting, in the conservative "British “city by the sea. In fact, Carr didn’t experience success as an artist until much later in life, in her late fifties. To make ends meet she taught art classes and she purchased a boarding house and took on the role as landlady. She chronicled her adventures in the book" The House of all Sorts". Carr is most noted for her exploration of the Canadian landscape and her documentation of aboriginal settlements and totems on Canada's west coast. Carr traveled extensively on the coast of Vancouver Island living and painting in her caravan. Lauren Harris once said she was "one of them" referring to Carr's place with the Group of Seven. Carr's life and work can serve as inspiration to all aspiring artist's; through her continued development and dedication to her craft to adventurous lifestyle and financial hardship, Emily Carr's work has become icons for Canada. Emily Carr died in 1945.

Carr pictured above, Carr was an animal lover and had many pets in her lifetime, including a pet monkey named "Woo"