Marilyn Jones | Emily Carr Chronicler

Emily Carr is often portrayed as the lone wanderer of the West Coast—sketchboard in hand, caravan behind her, dogs and her monkey Woo her side. But her later life, and especially her legacy as a writer, was shaped profoundly by one person: Ira Dilworth, the steady, insightful mentor who became her most important literary conduit. Read more: Beyond the Canvas: Ira Dilworth and the Making of Emily Carr the Writer…

When Emily Carr met the young artist Edythe Hembroff in 1930, Carr was nearing the end of her painting years. Her health was fragile and money scarce, yet her artistic vision remained fierce and some of her best artwork was yet to come. In Edythe, she found a kindred spirit: intelligent, observant, and deeply sympathetic to her struggles. Their friendship, part mentorship and part creative partnership, became one of the most meaningful of Emily’s…

The bronze Emily Carr sculpture created by Edmonton sculptor Barbara Patterson installed outside the Empress Hotel in Victoria in 2010 is not the first statue created in her honour. That distinction belongs to Joe Fafard—a celebrated Saskatchewan artist and longtime admirer of Carr’s work. By then, he had created two different versions of Emily Carr sculptures, one of Emily on her horse in 2003 and another in 2005 with her off her horse with…