Marilyn Jones | Emily Carr Chronicler

Emily Carr, Group of Seven, & the Search for a Canadian Art Identity

Published: 28 April, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

Emily Carr’s relationship with Lawren Harris and the Group of Seven is one of the most compelling artistic connections in Canadian cultural history—marked by admiration, encouragement, distance, and ultimately, a shared vision of a distinctly Canadian art. When Emily Carr returned to painting after meeting the Group of Seven in 1927 after years of financial struggle and creative uncertainty, she could not have anticipated the profound impact that a group of Toronto-based painters…

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How Bishop Edward and Mary Cridge Shaped the Young Emily Carr

Published: 23 April, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

The life of Emily Carr is often told through her artistic journeys into the forests and villages of the Pacific Northwest, yet some of her most formative influences were rooted much closer to home—in the intimate, everyday world of childhood neighbours. Among the most significant of these were Edward Cridge and his wife Mary, whose property they called, Marifield, abutted the Carr family’s property. This proximity fostered not only acquaintance but companionship, weaving…

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Emily Carr and Myfanwy Pavelic: A Lifelong Artistic Friendship

Published: 11 April, 2026
Written by Marilyn Jones

Born in Victoria in 1916, Myfanwy Pavelic — born Myfanwy Spencer, daughter of Spencer’s Department Store owner David Spencer — formed one of the most significant artistic relationships of her life with Emily Carr. The two met when Myfanwy was just six years old, and Carr was 45, beginning a friendship and mentorship that would shape the young artist’s creative future. Carr immediately recognized Myfanwy’s talent and encouraged her artistic ambitions at a…

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