Are you moved by the bold paintings of Emily Carr and the contemporary works of Susan Point, the Coast Salish artist from Musqueam, a First Nation in Vancouver, BC? Now you can discover the history of these celebrated artists and explore your creative side using sketching, painting and printmaking techniques — whether you’re an art enthusiast or just starting out — thanks to these Art At Home videos from the Vancouver Art Gallery.
“We hope seniors will enjoy learning about these important figures in art,” says Melissa Lee, Director of Education and Public Programs at Vancouver Art Gallery. “Creating abstract and contemporary art can express the emotions that one feels about nature and the environment and is a wonderful place to begin art-making.”
The videos were produced in partnership with Amica, as one of the many artistic activities and workshops that we organize to help seniors age with creativity, optimism, purpose and lifelong learning.
The history of Emily Carr
Watch the video to discover fascinating aspects of this British Columbia–born artist’s life story, including:
- Her early days and art lessons as a child in Victoria, B.C.
- The influence that later studies in San Francisco, England and France had on her approach to painting
- How post-impressionism, modernism, abstraction and a focus on Indigenous culture and B.C.’s coastal forests informed her work
- Her connection with the Group of Seven and how she began to play with abstract shapes, colour and movement in her later years.
Express your creativity with sketching and painting exercises
Stock up on paper, markers, paint brushes, canvases and acrylic paints and then watch the video to learn:
- How to draw an abstract sketch inspired by Emily Carr’s art
- The basics of colour theory and how to mix and layer paint colours
- How to create a unique and expressive landscape painting of your own using simple shapes and bold colour combinations like Carr
The achievements of Susan Point
Watch this second video to learn about Point’s life and artistic approach, including:
- How Point expresses the culture and values of the Musqueam people, which she learned from legends and stories shared by her mother
- Her study of ancestral artefacts and how her evolving work — from prints to carvings to sculpture and jewellery — includes elements of Coast Salish art, such as crescents, wedges and v cuts or trigons
- Her use of non-traditional materials and techniques to reflect the circle of life, while referencing traditional symbols such as salmon and eagles.
DIY printmaking activity
- How to draw a circular image that represents a cycle of growth and rebirth
- The steps to create a DIY “printing plate” or stencil using a pencil to imprint your drawing onto Styrofoam
- How to use washable markers to creatively add colour to the Styrofoam stencil
- The process of pressing the coloured stencil onto wet paper to create your print.
Looking for even more artistic encouragement? Follow Amica on social media to find out about other virtual art experiences and see our resident artists’ latest paintings and creations.
Photo credits: Emily Carr, Old and New Forest, 1931-32, oil on canvas, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Emily Carr Trust and Emily Carr, Untitled,1931-32, oil on paper, Collection of the Vancouver Art Gallery, Emily Carr Trust.
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