
Going Back In Time
I’ve decided to include some of my very earliest attempts at art. We all have to start somewhere! As embarrassing as some of these pieces may be, they at least remind me that my love of art dates back to my childhood!
En remontant le temps
J’ai décidé d’inclure quelques-unes de mes toutes premières tentatives en art. Nous devons tous commencer quelque part! Si embarrassantes que certaines de ces œuvres puissent être, elles me rappellent toutefois que mon amour de l’art remonte à mon enfance!
Old Miscellaneous Drawings / Vieux dessins divers
Very few of my first drawings have survived. Among them are several that I did during a class I took with Kelly Clark, a beloved art instructor who died shortly after having taught this class. The portrait in this series is of him.
Très peu de mes premiers dessins ont survécu. Entre eux j’en ai conservé quelques-uns que j’ai faits dans un cours offert par Kelly Clark, un professeur d’art bien-aimé qui est mort peu après avoir enseigné ce cours. Le portrait dans cette série est de lui.

Oak Leaf 2

Shells

Contour Drawing 2

Kelly Clark

Booties

Contour Drawing 1

Kelly Clark Class on Negative Space

Cauliflower

Kelly Clark Class on Perspective

Lunch Bag

Oak Leaf 1

Mannequin

Runner
Old Figure Drawings / Vieux dessins du corps humain
The very first time I drew a nude figure, I was naturally very apprehensive about how I would feel. Much to my surprise, as soon as I put charcoal to paper, I forgot that the model was nude. I got completely engaged in trying to capture the form as best I could. The middle-aged man in this series was modeling to earn extra cash for his kids’ university.
La toute première fois que j’ai dessiné un nu, je me demandais nerveusement comment j’allais me sentir. À ma grande surprise, au moment où j’ai commencé à beurrer le papier, j’ai oublié que le modèle était nu. J’étais complètement absorbée par l’effort de transmettre la forme aussi bien que possible. L’homme d’âge mûr dans cette série travaillait comme mannequin afin de payer les frais d’université de ses jeunes.

Figure Drawing 9

Figure Drawing 11

Figure Drawing 15

Figure Drawing 1

Figure Drawing 2

Figure Drawing 3

Figure Drawing 16

Figure Drawing 14

Figure Drawing 5

Figure Drawing 6

Figure Drawing 7

Figure Drawing 10

Figure Drawing 12

Figure Drawing 13

Figure Drawing 8
Old Gesture Drawings / Vieux dessins gestuels
I particularly loved gesture drawing. My whole body got involved in each stroke, as if the model’s gesture had become my own.
J’aimais surtout le dessin de geste. Tout mon corps participait à chaque coup de fusain, comme si le geste du modèle devenait le mien.

Gesture Drawing 4

Gesture Drawing 12

Gesture Drawing 1

Gesture Drawing 2

Gesture Drawing 3

Gesture Drawing 16

Gesture Drawing 5

Gesture Drawing 8

Gesture Drawing 9

Gesture Drawing 10

Gesture Drawing 11

Gesture Drawing 13

Gesture Drawing 6

Gesture Drawing 7
Old Still Life Drawings / Vieilles natures mortes
It’s amazing how engrossed you can become by sketching something as simple as a chair. You completely forget that it’s a chair. Your focused attention confers it with a presence, and vice versa. Pencil on paper becomes a kind of handwriting. Whether you want to or not, no matter how realistically you think you are drawing, something of you emerges without fail.
Il est surprenant à quel point on peut devenir absorbé quand on dessine quelque chose d’aussi simple qu’une chaise. Votre attention concentrée confère une présence à l’objet, et vice versa. Qu’on le veuille ou non, peu importe le style réaliste qu’on croit utiliser, quelque chose de votre personnalité se manifestera à coup sûr.

Still Life Drawing 9

Still Life Drawing 3

Still Life Drawing 2

Still Life Drawing 11

Still Life Drawing 1

Still Life Drawing 4

Still Life Drawing 10

Still Life Drawing 6

Still Life Drawing 8

Still Life Drawing 5

Still Life Drawing 7
Old Paintings / Vieux Tableaux
The figures in watercolour were done at a week-long course in Cowichan Bay on Vancouver Island. All of our models were plus-size women, but when our instructor painted them to demonstrate watercolour techniques, all of the models ended up looking like Barbie dolls. When I asked him privately about this, he responded that all women are beautiful if you know how to paint them. I asked him, "Don't you think they're beautiful just the way they are?" He didn't answer. I disregarded his technical advice and painted them as I saw them.
Les nues en aquarelle ont été faites lors d’un cours d’une semaine à Cowichan Bay sur l’île de Vancouver. Tous les modèles étaient des femmes corpulentes, mais quand notre instructeur les a peintes pour démontrer les techniques à utiliser, elles finissaient toujours par ressembler à des poupées Barbie. Quand je lui ai demandé discrètement pourquoi, il a répondu que toutes les femmes sont belles si on sait les peindre. J’ai alors demandé : « Ne pensez-vous pas qu’elles sont belles ainsi? » Il s’est tu. Je n’ai pas obéi à ses instructions. Je les ai peintes telles que je les voyais.

Figure in Watercolour 1

Figure in Watercolour 2

Figure in Watercolour 3

Figure in Watercolour 4

Figure in Watercolour 5

Abstract Cabbage

Bag Lady

Beethoven 1970
Ghostly Drapery

Doodling

A Page from the Book of Kells 1970

My First Apartment 1973

Reclining Figure

Two Solitudes

Erika

Peter
Introduction to Art A (1972-3) / Introduction à l’Art A
I took Introduction to Art A (with studio) taught by Gissur Eliasson (1913-1980, a "Memorable Manitoban”) a few years before he retired in 1978. I'll never forget what he said when he walked around the class and commented on my first still life. "You've taken art classes before, haven't you?" This surprised me so much because I had been looking at my neighbour's drawing, which was a meticulously drawn pipe with nothing else on the page. I thought my work was too messy!
J’ai suivi le cours Introduction à l’Art A (avec studio) enseigné par Gissur Eliasson (1913-1980, un « Manitobain Mémorable ») quelques années avant sa retraite en 1978. Je n’oublierai jamais ce qu’il a dit quand il a fait le tour du studio et qu’il a commenté sur ma première nature morte. « Vous avez déjà suivi des cours d’art, n’est-ce pas? » Ceci m’a tellement étonnée parce que j’étais en train de regarder le dessin de mon voisin – une pipe dessinée parfaitement, le reste du papier laissé vide. Je croyais que mon dessin manquait de précision!

Art 120 no. 1

Art 120 no. 7

Art 120 no. 4

Art 120 no. 2

Art 120 no. 5

Art 120 no. 6

Art 120 no. 8

Art 120 no. 3
Earliest Drawings (Age 15-19) / Les plus anciens dessins
When I was about 13, I drew dogs and other subjects from a drawing book. Later, I copied some Old Masters that I found in some art book, then I sketched my youngest brother, my sister and my aunt’s cabin in Lac du Bonnet. When I was 15, I took a class from a local artist and did two portraits. The same year, I took a course from a Saint-Boniface artist. I was shocked when he held up my two messy enamel paintings as an example to follow!
Quand j’avais environ 13 ans, j’ai dessiné des chiens et d’autres sujets à partir d’un livre de dessin. Plus tard, j’ai copié quelques Vieux Maîtres que j’avais trouvés dans un livre quelconque. Puis j’ai fait des esquisses de mon frère cadet, de ma sœur, et du chalet de ma tante au lac du Bonnet. La même année, j’ai suivi un cours offert par un artiste de Saint-Boniface. J’ai été époustouflée quand il a pris mes deux tableaux en émail et les a montrés à la classe comme modèles à suivre!

Earliest Drawings no. 4

Earliest Drawings no. 2

Earliest Drawings no. 1

Earliest Drawings no. 3

Earliest Drawings no. 5

Earliest Drawings no. 6

Drawing Book no. 4

Drawing Book no. 1

Drawing Book no. 2

Drawing Book no. 3

First Enamel Painting, Age 15

Second Enamel Painting, Age 15

Lac du Bonnet no. 1

Lac du Bonnet no. 2

Lac du Bonnet no. 3

Lac du Bonnet no. 4

Old Masters no. 1 (Teenage Years)

Old Masters no.6 (Teenage Years)

Old Masters no. 4 (Teenage Years)

Old Masters no. 8 (Teenage Years)

Old Masters no. 7 (Teenage Years)

Copy of a Short Story Illustration

Old Masters no. 9 (Teenage Years)

Old Masters no. 10 (Teenage Years)

Old Masters no. 11 (Teenage Years)

Old Masters no. 12 (Teenage Years)

Old Masters no. 3 (Teenage Years)

Old Masters no. 5 (Teenage Years)

Old Masters no. 2 (Teenage Years)

Portrait no. 1, Age 15

Portrait no. 2, Age 15

Earliest Drawings no. 10

Earliest Drawings no. 8

Earliest Drawings no. 9

Earliest Drawings no. 11

Earliest Drawings no. 7
Copying Cartoons (Age 12-14)
From the age of about 12, I started copying cartoon characters. It was a lot of fun! My favourites were Peanuts, Disney characters and Tumbleweeds.
Dès l'âge de 12 ans, j'aimais copier des personnages de bandes dessinées. Mes préférés étaient les personnages de Disney, les Peanuts et les Tumbleweeds.

Charlie

Schroeder

Lucy no. 2

Linus

Lucy no. 1

Lucy no. 3

Snoopy no. 1

Snoopy no. 2

Sally

Chip Sketch

Donald Sketch

Dumbo

Hagar

Mice

Tiger in Your Tank

Pluto

Chip

Dale