Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

"LETHBRIDGE #3"

Date

2000

Materials

PAPER, PAINT, LEAD

No. Pieces

1

Length

38.2

Width

57.5

Description

WATERCOLOUR PAINTING ON PAPER; PAINTING DEPICTS A WHITE, BLUE, AND PURPLE SKY IN THE BACKGROUND WITH “ATL” TOWER AND SURROUNDING BUILDINGS, STREET LAMPS, STREET SIGNS, AND CARS IN THE MIDGROUND, AND GRASS, A STREET LAMP, AND A CAR ON THE STREET IN THE FOREGROUND. PAINTING HAS GRID/BORDER LINES DRAWN IN PENCIL; PAINTING IS SIGNED IN WHITE PAINT AT THE LOWER RIGHT CORNER, “KAREN BROWNLEE, LETH #30596, MAY, 2000”. PAINTING HAS PENCILED TEXT ALONG THE LOWER EDGE/BORDER, “S96, KAREN BROWNLEE, LETHBRIDGE #3, MAY 2000. W+N A+AA ON 300LB ARCHES. THE VIEW OF THIS LARGE LANDMARK IS FROM THE INDUSTRIAL SECTION OF LETHBRIDGE, ON THE NORTH SIDE. THIS IS A VERY UNIQUE GRAIN TERMINAL ON THE ALBERTA PRAIRIES. FROM THE AIR OR BY LAND, IT IS VISIBLE + DISTINCTIVE”. BACK OF PAINTING HAS ADHESIVE TAPE RESIDUE; LEFT, UPPER, AND RIGHT EDGES OF PAPER WERE TORN AND HAVE MINOR RESIDUAL 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 ‘LETHBRIDGE #3’ PAINTING, BROWNLEE WROTE, “HIGHWAY 3 GOES PAST THIS BIG WHITE GRAIN TERMINAL. MY FAMILY HOME AFTER GRADE THREE WAS ON NEARBY DIEPPE BLVD. I GREW UP ALMOST IN THE SHADOW OF THIS TERMINAL.” “THE VIEW IS FROM THE SE LOOKING NW.” 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

P20190001010

Acquisition Date

2018-01

Collection

Museum

Less detail