Emily Carr, War Canoes, Alert Bay,c. 1908, watercolour on paper, Audain Art Museum collection, acquired with funds from Michael Audain and Yoshiko Karasawa.Courtesy the Audain Art Museum, Whistler, BC.
ACQUISITION: Carr Watercolour Joins Iconic Oil Painting
Audain Art Museum, Whistler, BC - Unveiled Oct 16 in Vancouver
The Audain Art Museum’s most recent acquisition, Emily Carr’s War Canoes, Alert Bay, c. 1908, reunites this watercolour study with its 1912 oil-on-canvas progeny. Those familiar with the oil painting know it for its vivid colours, especially when compared to the more autumnal watercolour. “My parents said she [Carr] didn’t know how to use colour,” said Michael Audain, who, like Carr, grew up in Victoria. Only later, during a visit to the Vancouver Art Gallery, did Audain see the light. “She is the most superb painter of the West Coast forest.
