Emily Carr

One very aspiring women with a well-built attachment to Vancouver is Emily Carr. Emily was born in Victoria on December 13th 1871. Emily’s parents were English and had decided to move to Vancouver Island on the basis that it is a colony of Britain therefore the family could continue living with English traditions instilled. As a child drawing fascinated Emily and at age 18 she left to San Francisco to attend Design school. Aboriginal people of Vancouver inspired many of Emily’s early work. In 1899 Emily went to school in London, where she discovered that she needed to stray from the traditional form of art so she began to learn about modernist art. Learning about modernist art led her to go to France where she discovered her own style and brought this back to her hometown in Victoria. Between these phases she also taught art classes to young children.

As a young Vancouver artist Emily had the potential of being a great role model with her passion for Aboriginal culture, numerous works of art and respectable education however, her success had fallen short. In her time Emily was one of the first female artists therefore creating a stepping-stone for other female painters. Being recognized as an artist had become a difficult task for Emily. Her career after coming back from France was not so successful due to the lack of encouragement and support.

Emily’s career began to pick up once she started to exhibit her work at the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa. Her work became recognized throughout the world. She soon shifted her focus from aboriginal theme to works of nature.

When Emily began to experience health issues she started to spend her time writing instead of painting. In total she wrote 5 books, her first one won a Governor General’s Award.

It can be proudly said that Emily is a representation of Vancouver with her determination to break new grounds such as bringing the native culture to life and opening doors to emerging artists. Her shift in artwork to nature also aided in focusing societies attention to environmental concerns. In tribute to her talent there have been many education establishments named after her such as Emily Carr elementary school and Emily Carr University of Art and Design.