Beacon Hill Park

Famous local artist and author Emily Carr wrote about her love for Fawn Lilies and whenever I see these in Beacon Hill Park, I imagine that she must have been thinking of this particular meadow. Indeed, her house is only a few minutes walk from where I took this photo on Tuesday.

Emily Carr's Lilies

When one thinks of the paintings of Emily Carr it's usually our coastal forest on a grand scale that comes to mind, towering trees or totems spiraling into the sky. But Emily Carr loved the small things too and some of her favorites were these lovely spring flowers, the Giant White Fawn Lilies. She painted them too, and there's a story attached to the painting, one of her early works.

Emily Carr’s sisters had some issues with her art. Too modern. But there was one painting of hers that big sister Elizabeth Carr loved. Wild Lilies, likely painted in the early 1890s when Emily was at art school in San Francisco, was a great favourite of hers.

“Elizabeth absolutely loved this painting and Emily felt like it was the only time she ever got praise from one of her sisters over her paintings,” says Mary Jo Hughes, chief curator of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria (AGGV).

Elizabeth – or Lizzie – became ill with breast cancer and in her dying days, was cared for by the Sisters of St. Ann at St. Joseph’s Hospital. After her death in 1936, Emily gave the sisters the painting in gratitude for the care her sister had received.

From "The Globe and Mail" (Marsha Lederman)

The Sisters of St. Ann recently donated the painting to the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.

Ross Bay Cemetery - Emily Carr

I was touched to see the perfect mementos devotees have used to decorate the grave of one of Victoria's best known and best loved artists and authors, Emily Carr. The pens and paintbrushes are just one expression of how much she is remembered and revered even today 70 years after her death. At times her grave is adorned with children's drawings. Like many great artists her paintings and books are probably more popular now than when she produced them.

Carr House

It's been several years since I visited the house in James Bay where Emily Carr grew up and spent much of her adult life. When I stopped there last Sunday, however, I discovered it is only open during the tourist season from May until September. A National Historic Site, it's well worth a visit. It's a lovely old house still looking as good, I'm sure, as when our most famous artist lived there.

Emily Carr Statue

Local artist Emily Carr was honoured in 2010 with this statue on the corner of Government Street by the Empress Hotel. Emily Carr was born in Victoria in 1871, lived here most of her life and died here in 1945. She was an accomplished writer as well as a painter. Wikipedia has a good article about her work and life.

Church Of Our Lord - Living History

No church here embodies the history of Victoria like the Church Of Our Lord. Yesterday's post of the Eliza Harris window only weakly suggests the associations of this church with so many of Victoria's early citizens. Two of the windows at the far end in this photo were donated in memory of Sir James Douglas, Victoria's founder, and his son. There are two prayer desks in front of the altar, one dedicated to a sister of artist Emily Carr who mentions the church in her memoir, "The Book of Small."Opposite is another prayer desk donated in memory of a daughter of Dr. John Helmcken, another prominent early Victorian. It is not difficult when sitting beneath the wonderful ceiling of this church to imagine a Sunday in the 19th century when the Douglas family (who occupied the first pew) would be sitting here along with the Helmckens and the Carrs and many other citizens whose names are enshrined in the streets and buildings of this city.

Emily Carr House

Emily Carr, one of Canada's most famous artists and authors, was born and spent most of her life in Victoria. Pictured above is the house where she was born in 1871, when Victoria was a very young settlement. I have blogged about this house before but last time I visited there it was closed and I was unable to see inside. To the right is one of several rooms downstairs that have been restored and refurnished as much like the original as possible. The curators and their family live in the upstairs portion of the house. They are very helpful and pleasant and make a visit to the house a pleasure. There is a wealth of information about Emily Carr at the house and on the Emily Carr House website and both are well worth a visit.

Today is BC Day and I take this opportunity to wish my fellow British Columbians a good day.

James Bay - Emily Carr House

Emily Carr is one of Victoria's more famous personages both as an artist and as a writer. The house where she was born in 1871 and where she spent much of her life is in James Bay and is open to the public. Many of her paintings, including the two below, are in the collection of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria.