Long time no write at Sacred Ordinary. Vacations these days tend to wipe me out and this time, because I had to put the house back together after interior painting in my absence, it has taken longer than usual to get back to the computer.
While Mary Lou and I were in Victoria, we were introduced to one of Canada's national treasures, writer/artist Emily Carr. Having never heard of her, we were totally enchanted with her story and with her work.
When our regular SoulCollage® group gathered this past Monday, I made this Emily Carr card to add to my Community suit. I simply call it Emily Carr. Though we we toured the house Emily was born in, saw her work and a special collection honoring her at the Royal British Columbia Museum called "The Other Emily," we actually know little about her. Because I am a perpetual student in life, I get so exited when someone new comes along that piques my interest to research and learn and Emily Carr's story did that for me.
So, I am the one who, 65 years after my death, seems to continue to inspire others and I hope Fran continues to be one of those people. The youngest in a large family, I was born, raised and died in Victoria, BC, and I always marched to a different drummer. All my life I was drawn to writing and painting and I was privileged to often paint the totems and art of the First Nations people. This was surprising because I am a woman and in those times the First Nation peoples were not something most people were interested in. Also unusual, my father made it possible for me to study art at a time when women did not do that. I am the one who wrote several autobiographical books, but Fran has decided the first book she will read about me will be Susan Vreeland's "The Forest Lover." I will reveal myself to Fran slowly.
As for me, I so look forward to getting to know Emily Carr better. Lack of goals in older years has been something I miss and now I have a goal of finding out who Emily Carr was and what she has to tell me about living my own life more richly.
