The 2-plus hours' drive to Ottawa on a bright, sunny day was a worthwhile effort. The art of Emily Carr was stunning, the National Gallery of Canada building magnificent
A couple of years ago, we made the drive to our nation’s capital for the explicit purpose of visiting the Emily Carr exhibit at the National Gallery of Canada One of Canada’s treasured West-coast artists of the 20th century, the Carr paintings were everything I had hoped and more. The brush strokes, the bold colouring and her sense of artistic perspective – the imaginative way ger brushes flowed trees onto the surface, the expressive faces of Totem poles peering back in paintings – captivated my imagination. The simplicity of her sketches also took me by pleasant surprise. They gave me hope; perhaps my sketching could be like that, too, as a step towards fine art. It was pure joy.
The Art Gallery itself was magnificent. Clean, clear windows reached toward the sky, the sunlight streamed into the foyer around puffy, white clouds as we purchased our tickets. The building was spotlessly tidy, the staff members were uniformed and helpful (though looked a little stern if one leaned too close to the delicate paintings to examine the exact art methods that Miss Carr employed). The gallery was easy to move through and spacious enough for a large number of visitors to wander about at one time.
As if viewing the wondrous art of Emily Carr was not enough, we had the delight of greeting previous Prime Minister Joe Clark and his wife, Maureen, in the restaurant area. The political pair was getting their lunch, just as we and other Gallery visitors were doing, picking up trays and making selections. Who knew, eh?
And yes, the giant spider sculpture is definitely an arachnid-fan’s thrill.
