Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"OLD MAN RIVER COLORS"

Date

1991

Materials

PAPER, PAINT, LEAD

No. Pieces

1

Length

56.2

Width

75.6

Description

WATERCOLOUR PAINTING ON PAPER; PAINTING DEPICTS BLUE SKY AND GREEN, RED, YELLOW, AND WHITE TREES IN BACKGROUND, WITH TREES DONE IN POINTILISM STYLE, MIDGROUND AND FOREGROUND SHOW A LAKE IN YELLOW, GREEN, BLUE, PINK, ORANGE, AND WHITE POINTILISM STYLE. PAINTING SIGNED IN GREY PAINT AT LOWER RIGHT CORNER, “OLD MAN RIVER COLORS, 1991, © KAREN BROWNLEE”. PAINTING HAS PENCILED TEXT ALONG LOWER EDGE/BORDER, “IS 21” X 28”, OLDMAN RIVER COLORS, 1991-52 © EOW #134”; PAINTING HAS ERASED TEXT ON FRONT, “PERMANENT COLLECTION (FOR LOGAN). BACK HAS MINOR STAINING; FRONT HAS ADHESIVE TAPE RESIDUE AT CORNERS; UPPER AND LOWER EDGES OF PAPER WERE TORN AND HAVE MINOR RESULTING FRAYING; UPPER EDGE OF PAINTING HAS STAMP IN PAPER, “CM FABRIANO 100/100”; 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 ‘OLDMAN RIVER COLOURS’ PAINTING, BROWNLEE WROTE, “I HAVE CONSISTENTLY THROUGHOUT MY CAREER TAKEN NUMEROUS PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE OLD RIVER COULEES, ESPECIALLY IN THE FALL. THIS PAINTING IS DERIVED FROM ONE OF THOSE PHOTOGRAPHS.” 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

P20190001004

Acquisition Date

2018-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail