This month at the Station House Gallery, the show Legacy offers Cariboo residents one of the last chances to view and purchase the collected works of Vivien Cowan and her daughter Sonia Cornwall.
Consisting of works lent by the Cornwall family, courtesy of Mary Cornwall, and a collection of close to 20, many never before seen, pieces from a private collection of Edith Mieras of Edinburgh, Scotland. Willed to Williams Lake native Philippa Mahon, these pieces of art in some cases have returned to the Cariboo after 20, even 30 years.
Read More: Station House Gallery celebrates upcoming new artist while honouring memory of old
Mahon herself is looking to downsize her art collection and chose to sell the inheritance and when offered the chance to do so through the Station House, she quickly collaborated with Mary Cornwall to put the show together.
“So it’d be nice to share the art and hopefully find them all new homes in the Cariboo. I think that would make Edith happy,” Mahon said.
Cowan and Cornwall, to this day, are still widely regarded as some of B.C.’s most influential visual artists, years after their passing. Their dedication to improving their craft of painting brought members from across the art world to the Onward Ranch, including people like the late Mieras.
Onward Ranch often served as an artist residency for mother and daughter, as well as for travelling artists such as A.Y. Jackson, a founding member of the Group of Seven, who came to witness a working ranch and the natural beauty of the Cariboo. These artists would stay for days and often weeks at a time and in addition to landscape painting would engage in printmaking, weaving, pottery and sculpture, often going into town to teach classes to the Cariboo Art Society and interested members of the Sugarcane Reserve.
As time progressed into the 60s Sonia Cornwall devoted herself even more to her craft, seeking to authentically capture the landscapes she knew and loved. This dedication led to a vast library of work being created, capturing both Cornwall’s passion and the majesty of the Cariboo.
Much of the art on display this month is from those years, of Mieras getting to know Cowan and Cornwall in the late 60s. Staying for days at a time at the ranch she’d always take home at least one piece of artwork, seen by no one in the Cariboo but Cornwall and her family.
Many of the pieces on display are miniatures of landscapes and life on the ranch, made using exquisite colours and are priced at $1,000 each, with a large abstract painting of the Anahim Stampede serving as the centerpiece. All original and brought to life with loving passion, the show may well be the last chance for a long time to purchase your own Cowan or Cornwall, or to even see so many of their works side by side in a gallery here in Williams Lake.
Despite their long-lasting impact on the development of the arts here in B.C., Cowan and Cornwall remain relatively obscure. Despite the artistic shadow they cast, in life, the two were modest preferring to paint rather than promote themselves.
While their names in the wider community may not be as well know, in the Cariboo their art remains recognized and sought after for its quality. Legacy will be in the Station House until Oct. 27, free admission as always.
Read More: Local artist invites people to ask ‘What compels me?’
patrick.davies@wltribune.com
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
