Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

WATERCOLOUR, "LETHBRIDGE COULEE"

Date Range From

1936

Date Range To

1945

Materials

GLASS, PAPER, WOOD

No. Pieces

1

Height

1.1

Length

41.2

Width

32.2

Description

FRAMED WATERCOLOR PAINTING ON WHITE PAPER. PAINTING DEPICTS LETHBRIDGE COULEE WITH CITY OF LETHBRIDGE IN BACKGROUND INCL: RED BARN , STRUCTURE WITH WHITE TOWER. PREDOMINANTLY BLUE AND BROWN/YELLOW COLOUR OF COULEE IN FOREGROUND. SIGNED AT LOWER RIGHT "ANNA MACKENZIE". TITLE OF PAINTING INSCRIBED ON LOWER LEFT MATTING "A LETHBRIDGE COULEE".

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

WATERCOLOUR ACQUIRED AT AUCTION IN WINNIPEG BY REVEREND MONTGOMERY WHO PASSED IT ONTO HIS DAUGHTER, IRENE COX. COX GAVE IT TO DONORS MOTHER JEAN ROWLAND WHO USED PAINTING TO DECORATE BEDROOM OF DONOR DR. GORDON ROWLAND WHEN HE WAS GROWING UP. PAINTING WAS THEN ACQUIRED BY DR. G. ROWLAND AFTER HIS MOTHERS DEATH. ANNABELLE MEIKLE MACKENZIE CAME TO LETHBRIDGE IN EARLY 1900S FROM HALIFAX WITH HER FATHER, ALEXANDER MACKENZIE, A BOOKKEEPER AT THE ROYAL VIEW MINE NORTH OF LETHBRIDGE. SHE LIVED IN LETHBRIDGE WITH HER SISTER, WHO WAS A SCHOOL NURSE. IN 1936 MACKENZIE WON A DISTRICT SCHOLARSHIP FOR ART FROM THE CALGARY TECHNICAL SCHOOL, THROUGH WHICH SHE WAS ABLE TO ATTEND THE BANFF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS. LETHBRIDGE ARTIST P.J. COLLINS HAD ALSO ATTENDED THE SCHOOL IN BANFF. IT WAS THROUGH THIS SHARED EXPERIENCE THE TWO DECIDED TO START THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB. FIRST MEETING TOOK PLACE AT MACKENZIE’S HOME OCTOBER OF 1936, WITH ANNA INSTALLED AS ITS FIRST PRESIDENT. SHE WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE SKETCH CLUB, EXHIBITING WITH THEM AND OCCASIONALLY LEADING CLASSES. SHE ACTED AS CLUB’S PRESIDENT AGAIN IN 1938, WAS SECRETARY FROM 1939 TO 1942, ALSO A MEMBER OF HISTORICAL COMMITTEE IN 1944. MACKENZIE WAS INSTRUMENTAL IN ORGANIZING FIRST SUMMER SCHOOL COURSE OFFERED IN LETHBRIDGE THROUGH THE UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA’S DEPARTMENT OF EXTENSION. TAUGHT FOR TWO WEEKS IN JUNE, THE COURSE WAS INSTRUCTED BY ARTISTS H.G. GLYDE AND WALTER J. PHILLIPS. MACKENZIE SAT ON THE SKETCH CLUB’S PROGRAM COMMITTEE IN 1948 AND ALONG WITH OTHER MEMBERS TAUGHT A SELF-EXPRESSION CLASS FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL CHILDREN AT THE YMCA. IN 1949 SHE HEADED THE JUNIOR SKETCH CLUB COMMITTEE, ORGANIZED IN COOPERATION WITH THE WOMEN’S ORGANIZATION FOR CIVIC IMPROVEMENT, AND INSTRUCTED CLASSES HELD AT THE YMCA AND IN THE RED CROSS ROOMS. A SKILLED WATERCOLOURIST, MACKENZIE ALSO PAINTED IN OILS. HER AFFINITY FOR THE LANDSCAPE AND SKILL IN CAPTURING IT ARE EVIDENCED IN HER PAINTINGS, IN WHICH SHE REVISITED IMAGES FROM SOUTHERN ALBERTA AND THE MARITIMES. ANNABELLE MACKENZIE PASSED AWAY IN 1975, AT THE AGE OF 94. THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB HELD THEIR FIRST MEETING AT THE HOME OF MISS ANNA MACKENZIE ON OCTOBER 7, 1936. EDITH FANNY KIRK WAS THE FIRST ART TEACHER IN LETHBRIDGE. SHE CAME FROM BRITAIN WITH CLASSICAL TRAINING AND IT WAS KIRK WHO SET THE STAGE FOR THE SKETCH CLUB TO COME INTO BEING. THE BANFF SCHOOL OF FINE ARTS ALSO PLAYED A ROLE IN THE FORMATION BY PROVIDING RECOGNITION OF ARTISTIC MERIT THROUGH DISTRICT SCHOLARSHIPS. ANNA MACKENZIE AND P.J. COLLINS CONCEIVED OF THE CLUB AFTER THEIR EXPERIENCE IN BANFF. THE GROUP WAS FORMED OUT OF AN ENTHUSIASTIC INTEREST IN ART AND SOON AFTER THE GROUP BEGAN MEETING, THERE WERE REGULAR EXHIBITIONS. THE GROUP WAS PRIVY TO THE ATTENTION OF GROUP OF SEVEN ARTIST A.Y.JACKSON WHEN HE MADE HIS FREQUENT SKETCHING TRIPS TO SOUTHERN ALBERTA. HE REGULARLY ACCOMPANIED THE SKETCH CLUB AND HIS INFLUENCE CAN BE SEEN IN MUCH OF THEIR WORK. ANOTHER GUEST OF THE GROUP WAS ANNORA BROWN WHO WAS AN ARTIST WHO HAD TRAINED IN TORONTO, BUT RESIDED IN FORT MACLEOD AND BEGAN SPENDING TIME WITH THE GROUP IN 1939. HER INTEREST IN FLOWER STUDIES IS SUSPECTED TO HAVE INSPIRED MANY OF THE WORKS BY CLUB MEMBERS. DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, THE GROUP ORGANIZED SUMMER CLASSES TAUGHT BY OUT OF TOWN ARTISTS SUCH AS: H.G.GLYDE, WALTER J. PHILIPS AND A.C. LEIGHTON. ACCORDING TO A HISTORY OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB WRITTEN BY JOAN STEBBINS IN JUNE, 1985, “THE PAINTINGS OF THE LETHBRIDGE SKETCH CLUB PORTRAY FAVOURITE SKETCHING AREAS IN THE REGION – THE COULEES PROVIDED ENDLESS MATERIAL, THE RIVERBOTTOM, THE OLD R.C.M.P. BARRACKS, THE WHITNEY FARM, HENDERSON LAKE, THE FELGER HUTTERITE COLONY, THE FOOTHILLS AND WATERTON LAKE WERE OFTEN REPEATED SUBJECTS.”

Catalogue Number

P20020056000

Acquisition Date

2003-07

Collection

Museum

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