Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"BELLY RIVER AREA S.W."

Date

1996

Materials

PAPER, PAINT, LEAD

No. Pieces

1

Length

38.3

Width

57.7

Description

WATERCOLOUR PAINTING ON PAPER; PAINTING DEPICTS A BLUE, YELLOW, AND PINK SKY IN THE BACKGROUND, WITH RED-BROWN AND GREEN HILLS, GREEN TREES AND HILLS IN THE MIDGROUND, AND YELLOW, ORANGE, RED, AND BROWN TREES ON GREEN GRASS IN THE FOREGROUND. PAINTING HAS GRID/BORDER LINES DRAWN IN PENCIL; PAINTING IS SIGNED IN BLACK PAINT AT THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER, “KAREN BROWNLEE 1996 ©, BELLY RIVER AREA S.W. NO #1”. PAINTING HAS PENCILED TEXT ALONG LOWER EDGE/BORDER, “AUTUMN, BELLY RIVER AREA S.W. AD 41, 1996 © KAREN BROWNLEE IMAGE SIZE 12” X 18”, WINSOR & NEWTON WATERCOLOR A+AA, ON 300LB ARCHES, PAINTED ON LOCATION, EOW #220”. BACK HAS ADHESIVE TAPE RESIDUE AT CORNERS; FRONT HAS MINOR STAINING AT LOWER LEFT CORNER; LEFT, UPPER, AND RIGHT EDGES OF PAPER WERE TORN AND HAVE MINOR RESULTING FRAYING; PAPER HAS STAMP IN UPPER RIGHT CORNER, “ARCHES”; OVERALL VERY GOOD CONDITION.

Subjects

ART

Historical Association

FINE ARTS

History

ON JANUARY 9, 2019, KAREN BROWNLEE SENT THE GALT MUSEUM & ARCHIVES AN ARTIST’S STATEMENT DETAILING THE ARTWORKS DONATED. ON THE ‘BELLY RIVER AREA S.W.’ PAINTING, BROWNLEE WROTE, “THIS PAINTING IS STARTED ON SITE, JUST OFF THE HIGHWAY THAT LEADS TO THE U.S. AUTUMN BELLY RIVER AREA WAS FINISHED IN THE STUDIO. IT WAS THE THIRD WEEK IN SEPTEMBER. THE COLORS WERE GREAT. THE SNOW HAD YET TO FALL. THE WIND HAD NOT BLOWN OFF THE BEAUTIFULLY COLORED LEAVES." “THE FOLLOWING IS A DESCRIPTION OF MY WATERTON EN PLEIN AIR WORK. THIS DESCRIPTION APPLIES TO: AUTUMN, BELLY RIVER AREA SW ALBERTA, 1996 AND CAMERON LAKE IN THE FALL, 1992.” “ONE OF MY CHINESE BRUSH PAINTING STUDENTS, DEE (TURNER) RYRIE) AND I BECAME FRIENDS IN THE EARLY 1980’S. SHE INVITED ME ANNUALLY OR SEMI-ANNUALLY (SPRING AND FALL) TO GO WITH HER TO THE FAMILY CABIN IN WATERTON TO LOCATION PAINT. WE DID THIS FOR MANY YEARS. IT WAS MARVELOUS…DEE AND I SPENT FIVE DAY WEEKS PER TIME.” “WE WOULD GET UP IN THE MORNING, HAVE OUR BREAKFAST AND PACK OUR LUNCH. PENDING THE WEATHER, AND WHERE WE WANTED TO PAINT: WE WOULD HEAD OFF TO THAT SITE, SET UP, AND PAINT FOR 4 - 6 HOURS…THEN, BACK TO HER PLACE FOR A NAP. WE WOULD PACK A SUPPER OR EAT AT THE CABIN; AND GO OFF FOR ANOTHER SESSION TO A DIFFERENT PLACE. THEN BACK TO HER CABIN FOR SHOWERS, CONVERSATION ART CRITIQUING, AND BED.” “WE WERE, AND ARE, VERY COMPATIBLE. ALTHOUGH ONE TIME, AT A DIFFERENT EN PLEIN AIR WEEK AT HINTON, I ALMOST ACCIDENTLY DRANK HER DIET COKE FROM THE COOLER. DEE CAUGHT ME, THE DIET COKE WAS IN MY HAND, AND NOT DRANK, SO ALL WAS WELL. IT WAS HER LAST DIET COKE, TO BOOT. SHE WOULD NEVER DRINK A DIET PEPSI. IT DIDN’T MATTER TO ME WHICH DIET POP I CONSUMED, BUT IT SURE MATTERED TO HER. WE LAUGHED ABOUT THIS AT THE TIME, AND TO THIS DAY.” “ON COOL DAYS, WE WOULD TRY TO FIND A PICNIC SHELTER WITH GLASS WINDOWS AND A DOOR, AND TABLES. THEY WERE FEW AND FAR IN BETWEEN AT THAT TIME…THE MOST MEMORABLE TIME FOR ME: WAS WHEN WE PAINTED IN THE PICNIC SHELTER IN MASKINOGE, SOUTH OF THE HIGHWAY INTO THE PARK.” “IT WAS COOL /COLD, WITH A WIND, AND A FEW SNOWFLAKES—THE THIRD WEEK IN SEPTEMBER. WE STOKED A FIRE IN THE CAMP KITCHEN, AND IT KEPT US AND NICE AND TOASTY. WE WERE STILL ALL BUNDLED UP IN HOODIES AND WINTER CLOTHING…I NOTICED A FEW BUGS ON THE INSIDE OF THE WINDOW. NO WORRIES, WE WERE LOCATION PAINTING. BUGS ARE THE NORM. YOU PICK THEM OUT OF YOUR PAINTING, AND CARRY ON. THE LIGHT ON THE MOUNTAINS HAD TO BE CAPTURED.” “DEE COMES UP TO ME, AND ASKED: ‘KAREN, HAVE YOU NOTICED HOW MANY FLYING ANTS THERE ARE ON THE INSIDE OF THE WINDOWS.’…IT TURNED OUT THAT WE HAD STOKED THAT CAMP KITCHEN FOR FIVE HOURS OR SO. COMPLETELY HEATED UP THE CONCRETE AROUND IT. WAKING UP THE NEST OF FLYING ANTS! EACH WINDOW PANE WAS COVERED WITH HUNDREDS OF ANTS! AND, THEY WERE POURING OUT IN RIVERS FROM THE BASE OF THE COOK STOVE!” “NEEDLESS TO SAY, WE: PUT THE FIRE OUT, AND PACKED UP IN A HURRY. ANOTHER EN PLEIN AIR STORY FOR THE BOOKS…MOSTLY, WE STAYED IN THE WATERTON INTERNATIONAL PEACE PARK. OCCASIONALLY, WE WENT SOUTH OR NORTH OF THE PARK TO PAINT.” BROWNLEE NOTED, ON THE PAINTINGS, “THE WATERCOLOUR PAINT USED IN THE FOLLOWING ARTWORKS: ARE ALL “AA” OR “AAA” COLORS. THE HIGHEST PERMANENCY RATING THAT THE PAINT MANUFACTURES LIST ON THE COLOR TUBES. THE PAINT MANUFACTURERS USED ARE PRIMARILY: WINSOR NEWTON AND GRUMBACHER WATERCOLOURS AND GOUACHE.” “ALL WORKS (WITH THE EXCEPTION OF #8 MASKINOGE #14) WERE CREATED EITHER ON 300 LB. OR 400 LB. ARCHES WATERCOLOUR PAPER.” AN ARTIST BIOGRAPHY TAKEN FROM BROWNLEE’S WEBSITE [“ABOUT ME” HTTPS://KARENBROWNLEE.COM/ABOUT-ME/] NOTES, “KAREN’S TIES TO THE PRAIRIES OF SOUTHERN ALBERTA GO BACK FOUR GENERATIONS, ON HER MOTHER’S SIDE, TO THE 1880’S. ON HER HUSBAND’S SIDE; HIS MOTHER’S AND FATHER’S FAMILY’S FARMING HISTORIES GOES BACK TO A SIMILAR TIME PERIOD. A STRONG INFLUENCE ON KAREN’S INTEREST IN THE HISTORIC, CULTURAL LANDSCAPE WAS ORAL STORYTELLING. BOTH HER MOTHER AND MOTHER-IN-LAW ARE AND WERE FAMILY HISTORIANS. THEY SHARED WITH HER, THEIR FAMILY EXPERIENCE WITH THE LAND, THE HARDSHIPS AND TRIUMPHS, AND THE AMUSING, ENTERTAINING RECOUNTS OF EVERYDAY PEOPLE TRYING TO MAKE A LIVING OFF THE LAND. HER PAINTINGS DEAL WITH THE LOVE OF THE LAND AND THE ENTHUSIASTIC EFFORT OF THE GENERATIONAL TOIL OF MANY FARM PIONEER FAMILIES, INCLUDING HER OWN. HER PAINTINGS SPEAK OF THE RELEVANCE AND SYMBOLISM OF MAN’S HISTORIC RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LAND. KAREN RESIDES IN LETHBRIDGE, ALBERTA. “SHE HAS AN EXTENSIVE AND VARIED ARTS BACKGROUND AS A PAINTER, ART TEACHER, ART JUROR, AND ADMINISTRATOR.” (ALBERTA FOUNDATION FOR THE ARTS TRAVELLING EXHIBITION PROGRAM, 10TH ANNIVERSARY EXHIBITION, 1996, POSTCARD PRODUCED BY THE PRAIRIE ART GALLERY, GRANDE PRAIRIE, ALBERTA) IN 1980 SHE BEGAN HER FULL TIME PROFESSIONAL ARTIST PRACTICE.” FOR MORE INFORMATION INCLUDING THE ARTIST’S CV AND STATEMENT ON THE ARTWORK, PLEASE SEE THE PERMANENT FILE P20190001001-GA.

Catalogue Number

P20190001001

Acquisition Date

2018-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail