Wednesday Inspiration::Emily Carr

When the Emily Carr exhibit was at the Glenbow Museum I went several times, with my daughters, with friends, on my own.  Throughout my life I had seen so many of her watercolours and paintings of totem poles but this was the first time I got to sit in a room full of her tree paintings and I was enthralled. 

I loved that she was an honorary member of the Group of Seven as her focus was also the Canadian landscape and that she employed similar methods to Lawren Harris in her use of colour and organic form.  She was quirky and imaginative and as inspired by the creativity of the aboriginal people around her as I am and wanted to honour that, too. 

I'm enjoying seeing how each of these artists' work has influenced my own over time, and how I took what inspired me about each one of them and translated it to my own paintings.  I am definitely inspired by my surroundings but it has been the exposure to the work of these artists that pushed me to take the leap and try new things.  I can never replicate what has come before (not even my own work) but can learn and grow from it.