Discovering Emily (7 page)

Emily Carr was born in Victoria, British Columbia in 1871. She grew up at a time when people expected girls and women to behave only in certain ways. Emily didn't always fit people's expectations — when she was a girl or when she was grown up. Instead, she learned to follow her heart and believe in herself (even though it wasn't always easy). She studied art in San Francisco, England and France. Eventually, she began painting the wild places of the British Columbia west coast that she loved so much.

Even Emily's paintings were not what people expected. Instead of painting all the details of a landscape with tiny careful
brush strokes, she used color, movement, light and space to show the feeling of life in the places she visited. She also painted things people had not seen painted before. She traveled all along the British Columbia coast, sketching and painting First Nations villages and wild places.

Emily continued to love animals, but she didn't get a dog of her own until she was grown up. After that, she always had lots of animals around her, including birds, dogs and even a monkey.

When Emily's health began to fail and she could no longer paint as much as she wanted to, she began to write. Even people who didn't understand or like her paintings liked the books she wrote about her life. If she were still alive today, Emily Carr would be pleased and surprised to know she is one of Canada's most famous and well-loved artists.

Emily's father did not live to see her become a real artist and to tell her she'd done well. But years after his death, Emily found the old drawing of Carlow saved in a
drawer in his desk. He really had liked it, and he had been proud of her even then.

Jacqueline Pearce
is the author of several books for children and teens, including
The Reunion
(Orca, 2002). She lives in Burnaby, British Columbia.

Although this story is about a real person, the artist Emily Carr, who lived from 1871 to 1945, it is fiction. My main sources for Emily's experiences are her own descriptions of episodes in her childhood, which are found in her books,
Growing Pains: an Autobiography
(Irwin, 1946) and
The Book of Small
(Irwin, 1942). In some cases I changed the order or timing of events to make them work together as a story (Emily Carr sometimes did this herself in her writing, so I don't think she would mind). I also invented some scenes and details to fill in gaps. I have tried to remain true to the spirit and character of Emily Carr and her life in early Victoria, British Columbia.

I will tell about the next years of Emily's life in
Emily's Dream
, due out in 2005.

Renné Benoit
has been drawing pictures for a living for several years, a dream come true for her. For
Discovering Emily
, she researched the setting and characters with great care. Renée lives and works in Leamington, Ontario.

The illustrations of the house and of the yard are from the actual house where Emily Carr grew up in Victoria, British Columbia, at 44 Carr Street (now 207 Government Street). The illustrations of Emily's family are also drawn from historical photographs.

Max and Ellie series by Becky Citra
:
Ellie's New Home, The Freezing Moon,
Danger at The Landings, Runaway

TJ series by Hazel Hutchins:
TJ and the Cats, TJ and the Haunted House,
TJ and the Rockets

Basketball series by Eric Walters:
Three on Three, Full Court Press, Hoop Crazy!
Long Shot, Road Trip, Off Season, Underdog

Kaylee and Sausage series by Anita Daher
Flight from Big Tangle
and
Flight from Bear Canyon

“Emily Carr, you get in this house this minute!” Dede's order rang across the cow yard. “Or do you expect your brother to take your punishment for you?”

Emily sat up, hay cascading off her. Through a hole between the boards in the side of the loft, she could see Dede standing on the back porch of the house. Richard stood beside her, looking at his feet. Dede had a firm grip on his ear. Hay dust drifted up, and Emily sneezed
.

Well, that was it. She'd have to go in. She couldn't leave Dick to take the punishment on his own. Playing tag had been Emily's idea, after all. Dede was so unfair
.

Emily climbed slowly down the ladder from the loft. The family's old cow lingered by the barn door, waiting for Emily. Emily gave her an affectionate scratch on the head, took a deep breath, squared her shoulders and headed for the house
.