Annora Brown OCA, CPE, ASA (1899-1987)
Pasque Flower (Crocus), c.1961, watercolour and casein on paper, 10 x 14 inches, Note: pasque flower (anemone patens or pulsatilla ludoviciana), also known as 'prairie crocus' or 'prairie anemone', First Nations name-Ears of the Earth; Provenance: private collection Edmonton, original framing, sold.
Indian Paintbrush, c. 1961, watercolor and casein on paper, 10 x 14 inches, Provenance: private collection Alberta, sold.
Indian Paintbrush, watercolor and casein sketch on paper, 4.75 x 3.25 inches, Provenance: private collection Alberta, sold.
Gaillardia, 1961, watercolor and casein on paper, 10 x 14 inches, Note: artist label verso - Gaillardia (Gaillardia aristata), a common flower of the prairies, 2 March 1961; Provenance: private collection Calgary (1960s to present), sold.
Pasque Flower (Crocus), 1961, watercolor and casein on paper, 10 x 14 inches, Note: artist label verso - Pasque Flower (Anemone patens or Pulsatilla ludoviciana), also known as 'prairie crocus' or 'prairie anemone', Indian name-Ears of the Earth; Provenance: private collection Calgary (1960s to present), sold.
Moss Campion, c. 1960, watercolor and casein on paper, 10 x 14 inches, Provenance: private collection Calgary (1960s to present), sold.
Biography
1899 - 1987
Annora Brown was influenced by the surroundings where she grew up: the country around Fort MacLeod and its people. In her later years, she said that she could still remember hearing the drumming of First Nations groups rolling across the plains. In addition, she remembered the stories told by the First Nations, old-timers, clergymen, and government officials, regarding the exploration and surveying of the land and the relationships between the First Nations and settlers. The flowers and plants of the Fort MacLeod area, which she commonly used as subject matter, influenced Brown. She tried to paint the feel of the flowers, as opposed to their biological structure. She had extensive knowledge of Alberta's flowers, as she traveled throughout the province, taking long hikes to study different flowers in full bloom, at numerous times of the year. Her knowledge and talent led the Glenbow Foundation to commission Brown to paint 200 pictures of different Alberta wildflowers. It took her three years to complete this assignment, since so many admirers bought pieces; in the end, she completed 500 pieces.
Bibliography
Brown, Annora. Annora Brown, Sketches From Life. Edmonton: Hurtig Publishers Ltd., 1981 (1st Edition).
________. Old Man’s Garden, Toronto: J.M. Dent & Sons (Canada) Limited, 1954 (1st Edition).
CV
Annora Brown was born near Red Deer, Alberta in 1899. Her father, a member of the North Western Mounted Police, and her mother, who was one of Fort MacLeod’s first schoolteachers, raised her in Ft. MacLeod. Brown also taught, however after four years, she chose to attend the Ontario College of Art (OCA) in Toronto. Her instructors, among others, were Arthur Lismer and J.E.H. MacDonald. She received many scholarships and graduated with a diploma in art.
In 1929, she taught at Mount Royal College in Calgary, but decided to return to Fort MacLeod in 1931, where she did fieldwork for the Faculty of Extension, University of Alberta, in the area of art and handicrafts. From 1945 to 1950, Brown taught at the Banff School of Fine Arts. In 1954, Old Man's Garden, was published; it is a book in which Brown recorded legends and stories of the flora of the Old Man River, Waterton Lakes National Park, and other areas of Southern Alberta. She also illustrated children's books.