Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"WATER TRACTORS HENDERSON LAKE"

Date

1994

Materials

PAPER, PAINT, LEAD

No. Pieces

1

Length

38.3

Width

57.2

Description

WATERCOLOUR PAINTING ON PAPER; PAINTING DEPICTS THREE WATER TRACTORS IN RED, YELLOW BLUE AND GREEN ON A LAKE IN MIDGROUND, WATER WITH REFLECTION OF WATER TRACTORS IN FOREGROUND, AND BROWN DOCK WITH GREEN GRASS AND TREES IN BACKGROUND. PAINTING HAS GRID/BORDER LINES DRAWN IN PENCIL; PAINTING IN SIGNED IN BLACK PAINT AT LOWER LEFT CORNER, “WATER TRACTORS HENDERSON LAKE, © KAREN BROWNLEE, 1994”. PAINTING HAS PENCILED TEXT ALONG LOWER EDGE, “EOW #137, IMAGE 12” X 18”, KAREN BROWNLEE, 1994 © WATER TRACTORS, H2O + GOUACHE, W+N AA+A ON 30016 ARCHES”. BACK HAS ADHESIVE TAPE RESIDUE ALONG EDGES; FRONT HAS YELLOW ADHESIVE RESIDUE FROM STICKY NOTE AT LOWER EDGE; LEFT AND RIGHT EDGES OF PAPER WERE TORN AND HAVE MINOR RESULTING FRAYING; 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 ‘WATER TRACTORS, HENDERSON LAKE’ PAINTING, BROWNLEE WROTE, “FOR A GOOD NUMBER OF YEARS, THESE WATER TRACTORS, WERE AVAILABLE FOR RENT TO GO PADDLING AROUND HENDERSON LAKE, LETHBRIDGE. THEY HELD TWO PEOPLE (MAYBE TWO ADULTS AND A CHILD). THE TRACTORS AND THEIR REFLECTIONS WERE BRIGHTLY COLOURED BLOBS ENTICINGLY WIGGLING ON THE WATER TO CATCH THE EYES OF CHILDREN.” “I FOUND THEM A GOOD CARDIO WORKOUT TO PEDDLE. MY SON, LOGAN AND I PADDLED AROUND A BIT. AND, I COULD NEVER GO FAST ENOUGH.” “I FREQUENTLY TOOK BOTH KIDS TO THE HENDERSON LAKE PLAYGROUND, ALMOST ALWAYS WITH MY CAMERA. THIS PAINTING IS DERIVED FROM ONE OF THESE PHOTOGRAPHS, IN MY STUDIO.” “THIS PAINTING REFLECTS THE HAPPINESS I FELT ON THOSE BEAUTIFUL DAYS WITH CHILDREN, THE SUN, AND NO TIME TABLE.” 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

P20190001006

Acquisition Date

2018-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail