Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"THE FIELDS ARE HIGH"

Date

1992

Materials

PAPER, PAINT, LEAD

No. Pieces

1

Length

56.3

Width

75

Description

WATERCOLOUR PAINTING ON PAPER; PAINTING DONE IN POINTILLISM STYLE DEPICTING A BLUE SKY IN THE BACKGROUND ABOVE A BLACK BRIDGE AND BLUE RIVER, WITH GREEN AND YELLOW FARM FIELDS IN THE MIDGROUND AND FOREGROUND. PAINTING HAS GRID/BORDER LINES DRAWN IN PENCIL; PAINTING IS SIGNED IN BLACK PAINT AT THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER, “THE FIELDS ARE HIGH, 1992, © KAREN BROWNLEE”. PAINTING HAS PENCILED TEXT ALONG THE LOWER EDGE/BORDER, “THE FIELDS ARE HIGH, MONARCH BRIDGE, W/C + GOUACHE ON 300LB ARCHES, IS 21” X 28”, K. BROWNLEE 1992 ©, EOW #166”. BACK OF PAINTING HAS ADHESIVE TAPE RESIDUE AT CORNERS AND ALONG EDGES; BACK HAS MINOR BLACK STAINING; LEFT, UPPER, AND RIGHT EDGES OF PAPER WERE TORN AND HAVE MINOR RESULTING FRAYING; PAINTING HAS MINOR WARPING OF PAPER IN UPPER RIGHT CORNER; 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 ‘THE FIELDS ARE HIGH, MONARCH BRIDGE’ PAINTING, BROWNLEE WROTE, “THE VIEW IS FROM THE SOUTH LOOKING NORTH. I HAD OFTEN SEEN THIS BRIDGE, WHICH SEEMED TO BE FORGOTTEN IN THE LANDSCAPE—COMPARED TO THE HIGH LEVEL BRIDGE IN LETHBRIDGE. ONE DAY, I WAS ABLE TO STOP ALONG THE HIGHWAY AND TAKE SEVERAL SHOTS OF IT.” “IT IS DERIVED FROM ONE OF MY PHOTOGRAPHS. I AM A POINT AND SHOOT PHOTOGRAPHER, EVEN THOUGH A FEW OF MY PHOTOGRAPHS HAVE BEEN PUBLISHED.” “I ADD THE DOTS OF COLOR TO ENLIVEN LARGE SHAPES OF FIELDS. THE CAMERA, FOR ME, DOES NOT CAPTURE THE VARIETY OF COLOR AND EMOTIONS THAT I FEEL WHEN I LOOK UPON THE LANDSCAPE.” 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

P20190001005

Acquisition Date

2018-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail