Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"FOREMOST #1"

Date

1996

Materials

PAPER, PAINT, LEAD

No. Pieces

1

Length

38.1

Width

57.2

Description

WATERCOLOUR PAINTING ON PAPER; PAINTING DEPICTS A DIRT ROAD IN FOREGROUND, STREET SCENE WITH GREEN GRAIN ELEVATOR IN MIDGROUND, AND A TOWN SET AGAINST BLUE AND PURPLE SKY IN BACKGROUND. PAINTING HAS GRID/BORDER LINES DRAWN IN PENCIL; PAINTING SIGNED AT LOWER RIGHT EDGE, “FOREMOST #1, KAREN BROWNLEE 1996 ©”. PAINTING HAS PENCILED TEXT ALONG LOWER EDGE/BORDER, “S#14, FOREMOST #1, 1996 © KAREN BROWNLEE, W+N A+AA ON 300LB ARCHES. THE CO-OP GAS STATION BY THE ELEVATOR CONTAINED SEVERAL LOCAL FARMERS AND HUTTERITES—THEY HAD BROUGHT [ILLEGIBLE] OR SOME FOR GAS, OR TO TOWN ON ERRANDS. THEY SAT DISCUSSING CROPS AND MACHINERY INSIDE”. PAINTING HAS PENCILED TEXT VERTICALLY ALONG RIGHT EDGE/BORDER, “PUBLISHED AB REMEMBERS, PG 121”. LOWER RIGHT CORNER HAS INVERTED STAMP IN PAPER, “AQUARELLE ARCHES”. BACK HAS TWO ROUND MARKS BELOW UPPER EDGE AND CORNERS; BACK HAS ADHESIVE TAPE RESIDUE ALONG LOWER EDGE; FRONT HAS MINOR TEAR IN PAPER ON LEFT EDGE/BORDER; LEFT AND RIGHT EDGES 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 ‘FOREMOST #1’ PAINTING, BROWNLEE WROTE, “THE UGG ELEVATOR (WHITE ONE IN THE FOREGROUND) IS THE ELEVATOR THAT MY HUSBAND, RAY BROWNLEE, USED TO HAUL GRAIN TO WHEN HE WAS YOUNG. THE VIEW IS FROM THE EAST LOOKING WEST.” 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

P20190001009

Acquisition Date

2018-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail