Emily Carr

So I tried to post this last night, but blogger was being weird and refusing to upload pictures the right direction. Anyway. On Sunday Sally and I went to the art gallery. It was the last day of the Emily Carr exhibit, which I hadn't made it to yet, so I was pretty stoked. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint. Standing in that room was just incredible. I adore Carr's landscape paintings so much. The lines and the movement are amazing and yet despite that sense of motion in her paintings they exude stillness - it is as if the world is collectively holding its breath. She captures the duality of nature being both beautiful and threatening so perfectly. Nature is alive in her works. It counter's humankind's creations and thus underscores our powerlessness in the face of nature, but at the same time her works are infused with a sense of spirituality, a connection between people and the land. Yes, Carr's nature could kill us, but it is beautiful and draws us into itself at the same time. She not only advocates for human creations, striving to preserve the totem poles she was so fascinated by in some form, but she also advocates for nature itself with works that reveal the decimation created by unrestrained logging and open pit mining. There is a real sense of the tug-of-war between humans and nature in her work. Neither seems to come out on top in the end. It was fascinating to see the changes in her style, the progression and development of her work over time. If you're unfamiliar with her work you should really check it out (one of my personal favourites is Scorned as Timber, Beloved of the Sky, 1935). So, inspired by Carr (particularly The Red Cedar), I present to you this photo from my last trip out to Victoria.