Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"SHAUGHNESSY HOTEL #3, BUNNIES + BIKES"

Date

2007

Materials

PAPER, PAINT, LEAD

No. Pieces

1

Length

57.8

Width

76.7

Description

WATERCOLOUR PAINTING ON PAPER; PAINTING DEPICTS A BLUE SKY WITH CLOUDS AND GREEN TREES IN BACKGROUND, GREEN AND WHITE BUILDING IN MIDGROUND WITH RED AND WHITE SIGN “SHAUGHNESSY HOTEL” AND BLACK AND WHITE SIGN “ROOMS FOR RENT $250/MO JAM SESSIONS $3 COVER” AND MEN GATHERED OUTSIDE BESIDE PARKED MOTORCYCLES, AND FOREGROUND SHOWING A MAN KNEELING BESIDE A MOTORCYCLE ON A DIRT STREET, WITH TWO BROWN-BLACK RABBITS IN LOWER RIGHT CORNER. PAINTING IS SIGNED IN BLACK PAINT AT LOWER RIGHT EDGE, “© KAREN BROWNLEE 2007, SHAUGHNESSY HOTEL #3, BUNNIES + BIKES”. PAINTING HAS GRID/BORDER LINES DRAWN IN PENCIL; PAINTING HAS INVERTED STAMP IN UPPER LEFT CORNER, “AQUARELLE ARCHES”. BACK OF PAINTING HAS MINOR STAINING; EDGES OF PAPER WERE TORN AND HAVE MINOR RESULTING FRAYING; FRONT HAS MINOR PAINT LOSS AT LOWER EDGE; 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 ‘SHAUGHNESSY HOTEL #3, BIKERS AND BUNNIES’ PAINTING, BROWNLEE WROTE, “MY MOTHER’S SISTER AND HER HUSBAND (DOT “DOC” AND HELEN PETERSON) OPERATED THE GARAGE NORTH OF THE SHAUGHNESSY HOTEL. IT WAS A VERY FAMILIAR PLACE TO ME BECAUSE MY AUNTY HELEN FREQUENTLY BABYSAT ME. I REMEMBER GETTING GAS AT THE STATION, AND ASKING MY PARENTS/AUNTY HELEN FOR CHOCOLATE BARS AND OTHER TREATS.” “THE SHAUGHNESSY HOTEL AND GARAGE SHARED THE SAME GRAVEL PARKING AREA. THE SHAUGHNESSY HOTEL WAS A LANDMARK, IT ANSWERED THE CHILDHOOD QUESTION OF ‘WHEN ARE WE GOING TO GET THERE.’ THE PLACE WAS FULL OF CARS, MOTORCYCLES, AND PEOPLE COMING AND GOING. SOMETIMES THEY’D COME TO MY UNCLE’S GARAGE FOR GAS.” “I HAD ALWAYS MEANT TO STOP AND PHOTOGRAPH THE SHAUGHNESSY HOTEL. ONE SUNDAY, WHILE DRIVING OUR SON, LOGAN, TO A HOCKEY GAME IN PICTURE BUTTE: WE WERE EARLY ENOUGH FOR ME TO STOP, AMIDST THE BOYS COMPLAINTS. HOW DOES A PARENT COMPARE TO A FUN HOCKEY DRESSING ROOM FULL OF BOYS?” “THERE WAS NO ONE AROUND THE HOTEL. IT WAS STILL EARLY AUTUMN, OCTOBER 2006 AND THE TREES HAD FOLIAGE. I COMPOSED A FEW POINT AND SHOOT SHOTS, AND OFF TO THE RINK WE WENT.” “JAN. 9, 2007 THE SEVENTY YEAR OLD SHAUGHNESSY HOTEL BURNED TO THE GROUND. I FELT COMPELLED TO PAINT THE HOTEL, AND MADE A TRIP OUT TO THE GENERAL STORE ACROSS THE STREET—WHICH HAD COFFEE AND TABLES FOR PEOPLE TO SIT DOWN AND CHEW THE FAT. THAT’S WHAT I DID. AND LEARNED HOW THE TOWN WAS OVERRUN WITH RABBITS—FROM A FEW DOMESTICATED ONES THAT FOUND FREEDOM SEVERAL YEARS AGO.” “THAT IS HOW I CAME TO PAINT MOTORCYCLES, PEOPLE, AND RABBITS IN THE FOREGROUND OF THE SHAUGHNESSY HOTEL. THE FOREGROUND OF THE PAINTING DID NOT EXIST IN MY PHOTOGRAPHS. I ADDED PEOPLE, MOTORCYCLES AND RABBIT.” 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

P20190001002

Acquisition Date

2018-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail