Missing In Action

 Hey kids, sorry for no posts but I have been busy. I am couchsurfing and painting murals, cleaning friends houses and riding my bike and walking the beach, so living the good life for most part. Easter was nice and the cherry blossoms have been heavenly. Always lovely time of year to be outside a lot. 

We had an election. It was a big deal and a great win for democracy, human rights and praying good things happen for all of us.

I have been painting murals, that's great fun. I met a teacher last week and she wants to help so maybe we can do something with kids. That would be fun

Ok touch base soon. Still working on costume design.

I will post my Adventurez soon. Stay Tuned!

Honoring Anna Banana

 Honoring Anna Banana🍌: A Creative Walk🖌️🎨 & Picnic in Vancouver

Have you ever heard of Anna Banana? She was a legendary artist in Vancouver’s art scene, known for her playful and rebellious approach to art. In 1973, she made her mark by walking to the Vancouver Art Gallery with a banana, fully embracing absurdity and creativity in a way that challenged the seriousness of the art world.

Anna was a pioneer of mail art, performance art, and conceptual art, always finding ways to engage the public in artistic expression. Her work was joyful, unexpected, and deeply inspiring. She reminded us that art is not just for galleries—it’s for the streets, for everyday life, and for everyone.

Inspired by her spirit, I’ve been thinking… Why not do something similar?

A Creative Picnic & Art Walk!

I’d love to invite fellow artists, creatives, and free spirits to gather in the Peace Park for a picnic, then walk together to the Vancouver Art Gallery, just like Anna did. But let’s add our own twist:

• Bring a banana 🍌 (of course!)
• Bring a piece of your art 🎨—whatever you love to create, whether it’s a small painting, a poem, a handmade craft, or a sketchbook.
• Let’s make it fun and spontaneous! Maybe we share art, trade pieces, or even leave a few surprises for strangers to find along the way.

This isn’t about making a statement—it’s about celebrating joy, art, and community. It’s about reclaiming public space for creativity and honoring the artists who paved the way for unconventional expression.

Would you be interested in joining? Let me know in the comments, or message me if you have ideas to make this even better!

Let’s go bananas for art—Anna would approve!

#ArtForEveryone #VancouverCreatives #AnnaBanana #PeaceParkPicnic #BananaArtWalk

Emily Carr’s Family Mystery

 Emily Carr’s Family Mystery: Why Did Her Sisters Never Marry?

Emily Carr is celebrated as one of Canada’s most iconic artists, known for her vivid paintings of British Columbia’s landscapes and Indigenous cultures. But beyond her art, her family history holds some fascinating mysteries—ones that might still be uncovered today.

A Household of Unmarried Women

Emily was one of nine siblings, but only one sister, Clara, ever married—a striking fact for a Victorian-era family. Even more unusual? Clara’s husband abandoned her, and none of the other sisters ever wed. Why?

Victorian society placed huge pressure on women to marry, especially in religious, middle-class families like the Carrs. Had their parents lived longer, they likely would have arranged or strongly encouraged marriages for all their daughters. But after their mother passed in 1886 and their father in 1888, the Carr sisters were left to make their own choices—and they chose each other over marriage.

Perhaps Clara’s failed marriage soured the idea of relationships for her sisters. Or maybe they valued their independence and bond as sisters too much to trade it for the constraints of married life.

Emily’s Rebellion and Lifelong Independence

Emily, always the rebel of the family, didn’t just reject marriage—she rejected Victorian expectations entirely. She was passionate about nature, Indigenous culture, and art, and she spent much of her life pursuing her creative vision, even when it meant financial hardship and social isolation.

Could her independent streak have been influenced by her sisters’ choices? It’s possible. Without marriage as an expectation, Emily was freer to dedicate her life to art, despite the struggles she faced as a female artist in Canada at the time.

A DNA Mystery Waiting to Be Solved?

Another intriguing element of Emily Carr’s story is her ancestry, particularly on her mother’s side. Her mother, Emily Saunders, may have been born out of wedlock in England, raised by adoptive or foster parents. If true, this means Emily Carr’s maternal lineage might be more mysterious than previously thought.

Today’s DNA technology could help unravel these family mysteries. If a descendant of Clara Carr’s children were to take a genealogy DNA test, we could gain insights into Emily’s ethnic heritage, deep ancestry, and even possible unknown relatives.

So far, no known Carr descendant has publicly shared DNA results—but wouldn’t it be fascinating if they did?

What Do You Think?

Emily Carr’s story is filled with unanswered questions. Why did her sisters choose to remain unmarried? What secrets might DNA testing reveal about her ancestry? Could modern genealogy help us understand her family’s past in ways history never could?

If you’re as curious as I am, share your thoughts! And if you know of any Carr family descendants interested in genealogy, maybe they hold the missing piece to this fascinating puzzle.

Finding Hannah Maynard – A Forgotten Pioneer & a Personal Discovery

#FightBackWithArt

#WarriorUpWithArt

📷🚲🤗🎨🖌️✍️📘🔥😎🌟

Happy International Women's Day 

Finding Hannah Maynard – A Forgotten Pioneer & a Personal Discovery

Introduction
Photography has the power to connect us across generations. Sometimes, it even brings unexpected discoveries—like when I recently learned about Hannah Maynard, a trailblazing photographer who ran a studio in Victoria, BC, from 1862 to the early 1900s. Despite studying professional photography at Langara College, I had never heard of her until the Royal BC Museum shared an Instagram story about her.

Her work is now inspiring me to take a deeper look at my own family history. It turns out my great-great-grandfather arrived in BC in 1862, the same year Maynard opened her studio—a strange coincidence that makes me wonder if our paths (or at least our family stories) have crossed before.

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Hannah Maynard: The Woman Who Defied Photography Norms

Hannah Maynard wasn’t just a portrait photographer—she was a creative force ahead of her time.

• She experimented with surreal techniques like multiple exposures and photomontages long before Photoshop existed.
• She took self-portraits that challenged Victorian conventions—including one of her riding a bike in the 1890s.
• She photographed Indigenous communities, though her work must be examined in the context of colonial documentation.

Maynard ran her Victoria studio for over 50 years—a remarkable achievement for a woman in the 19th century. And yet, I never learned about her in photography school.

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A Personal Connection: A Mourning Portrait in My Family Archive?

After discovering Maynard’s story, I started thinking about an old family photo of my great-great-grandfather, great-grandfather, and great-grandmother. My mother once thought it was a wedding portrait, but my great-grandmother is dressed entirely in black—which now makes me wonder if it was actually a mourning photo.

In the early 1900s, mourning photography was a common practice. Families dressed in black, posed formally, and sometimes included symbolic objects to honor lost loved ones. My great-great-grandfather kept a diary listing multiple family losses, which adds another layer of mystery. If the photo was taken in Victoria before 1915, there’s even a chance it could have been taken by Maynard’s studio or a photographer influenced by her style.

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Lost History & The Transition from Film to Digital

This discovery also makes me reflect on my time at Langara College in 1995. I was part of one of the last classes to transition from film to digital, and I remember how difficult it was to leave the darkroom behind. Two of my instructors retired shortly after our program ended, and while they passed on incredible technical skills, I now realize there were huge gaps in what we were taught.

No one mentioned Hannah Maynard—a local, groundbreaking woman photographer—and that’s a shame because I know she would have inspired me deeply.

Photography has always been about change. The switch from film to digital in the ‘90s echoes the way Maynard pushed the boundaries of photography in her time. She didn’t just take portraits—she experimented, innovated, and created images that still feel modern today.

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Are My Ancestors Helping Me Piece This Together?

It feels like my ancestors are nudging me to put the pieces together.

• 1862: Maynard opened her photography studio in Victoria. My great-great-grandfather arrived in BC the same year.
• 1915 or earlier: A mysterious family portrait may actually be a mourning photo.
• 1995: I was in one of the last Langara photography classes to use film, unaware of Maynard’s legacy.
• 2024: The Royal BC Museum’s Instagram story led me to this discovery.

This journey reminds me that history isn’t just something we read about—it’s something we carry with us, sometimes without even realizing it. Maybe my ancestors are freaking out (in a good way!), trying to guide me toward a deeper understanding of my own family’s past.

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Final Thoughts: Let’s Bring Maynard’s Story Back

Hannah Maynard deserves more recognition. She wasn’t just a photographer—she was an artist, innovator, and entrepreneur who defied expectations in a male-dominated field.

If you’re a photographer, history lover, or someone who believes in preserving women’s contributions to art, I encourage you to explore her work. Her photographs are housed at the Royal BC Museum, BC Archives, and Library and Archives Canada. Some may even be in the public domain, available for sharing.

I’m still on a journey to uncover the truth behind my family’s old photos. Maybe one day, I’ll discover a connection to Maynard’s studio. But even if I don’t, I know one thing for sure:
Her story—just like our own family histories—deserves to be remembered.

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Want to Learn More?

• Royal BC Museum: https://www.royalbcmuseum.bc.ca
• BC Archives
• Library and Archives Canada

Emily’s Strength, Our Strength – Warrior Up with Art

 Reading about Emily Carr, I feel an overwhelming connection to her struggles. She faced immense obstacles—what happened between her and her father is shrouded in mystery, but abuse seems likely. Rejected by her mother and sisters, she was cast out, not just for her art but for refusing to conform. Marriage was the expected path, yet she chose another, one that forced her to survive on her own terms—a feat that must have felt impossible then, just as it does now.

Art wasn’t saleable in her time, just as many of us struggle to sell ours today. Oh, hers is now—commodified, celebrated—but in her lifetime, she endured rejection after rejection. And yet, she persisted.

Emily lived in the same town as my great-great-grandparents, buried in the same graveyard. My Songhees great-great-grandmother must have faced unfathomable challenges. My great-grandfather’s diary hints at the hardships he endured—but for her, an Indigenous woman in a colonial world, the struggle must have been heartbreaking. And it’s still happening. The patriarchy still rules, still tries to force us into submission. Yet we are POWERFUL. We give birth, create life, nurture life, and still, so many women face homelessness, poverty, and exile for refusing to bow to male dominance.

Emily survived. My great-great-grandmother, though she only lived to 50, raised and imprinted a strong son. Because of them, I am here. Because of them, I must fight.

We are entering a time of great uncertainty—where men like Trump, Musk, and others are openly discussing the annexation of Canada, the erasure of our autonomy. Emily lived through two world wars and the Great Depression. My mother survived the Great Depression and WWII. Now, we must draw on that same strength. We will be called eccentric, crazy, hysterical—but so was Emily. And still, she painted.

Now more than ever, we must fight back with art. We must warrior up with art. This is the battle of our lives, and we must spread the message in every way we can. Smash the patriarchy. Restore balance. Like the Iroquois Confederacy once did, like Helen Reddy sang—

I am Woman. Hear me ROAR.

Exploring Emily Carr’s Books: The Book of Small and Klee Wyck—A Personal Connection

 

As I continue to research Emily Carr and dive into her books, The Book of Small and Klee Wyck, I can’t help but feel a deeper connection to her work. I haven’t read these books yet, but I’m very curious about them—especially as I learn more about my own family’s history and their connection to the land and people Carr described.

My great-great-grandfather, John Enos (João Ignacio d’Almada), arrived from the Azores in 1862 and settled in Nanoose Bay with his Songhees wife, Eliza Theresa. They had a son, Joseph, who grew up there. Tragically, Eliza passed away when Joseph was only 14. He kept a diary, which I’ve been exploring, and it’s making me wonder if there could be a connection between my family and Emily Carr’s work. Joseph later married Mary Ann Poirier, and they had six children, one of whom, my grandfather, moved to Vancouver. My grandmother, who came from Sweden when she was two, would marry him.

Emily Carr was born in 1871, and she would have been around 60 years old when my mother was born in 1930. It's incredible to think about how her experiences, and the events she lived through, may have overlapped with those of my family.

Another interesting part of this connection is that Emily Carr is buried in the same cemetery as my great-grandparents, Ross Bay Cemetery in Victoria. As I read The Book of Small and Klee Wyck, I can’t help but wonder whether Emily Carr and my family members ever crossed paths or knew each other, given their shared location and time period.

In The Book of Small, Emily reflects on her childhood in Victoria, BC, and on the connections she had with the world around her. I’m intrigued by the idea that my ancestors could have been part of that same community, experiencing life in the same town. Meanwhile, in Klee Wyck, her observations of the Indigenous peoples along the West Coast make me wonder whether she might have crossed paths with the Songhees people, with whom my great-great-grandfather’s family had ties.

I’m eager to dive into these books and see if any of Emily Carr’s experiences overlap with my family’s history, and I can’t help but wonder how these two worlds—Carr’s art and my ancestors’ stories—intertwined.

Have you read The Book of Small or Klee Wyck? I’d love to hear your thoughts and any personal connections you might have with Emily Carr’s work!

Discovering Emily Carr’s Growing Pains

 

I haven’t read Growing Pains: The Autobiography of Emily Carr yet, but as I research her life and work, I’m learning just how fascinating and resilient she was. Emily Carr was more than just a painter—she was a writer, a traveler, and a woman who defied expectations at a time when female artists were often overlooked.

Published posthumously in 1946, Growing Pains tells the story of Carr’s life from her childhood in Victoria, BC, to her struggles as an artist and her deep connection with the Indigenous cultures of the West Coast. She traveled extensively, studying art in San Francisco, England, and France, each experience shaping her unique style. Her love for nature and her appreciation of Indigenous art set her apart from many of her contemporaries.

As I research more about Carr, I’ve come across some of her quotes that really resonate with me:

"There is something bigger than fact: the underlying spirit, all it stands for, the mood, the vastness, the wildness."

"It is wonderful to feel the grandness of Canada in the raw, not because she is Canada but because she’s something sublime that you were born into, some great rugged power that you are part of."

"Art is art, nature is nature, you cannot improve upon it... Pictures should be inspired by nature, but made in the soul of the artist; it is the soul of the individual that counts."

These words reveal not just her artistic philosophy but her deep reverence for the land and the Indigenous cultures she painted. Her work was ahead of its time, and it wasn’t until later in life that she gained recognition for her contributions to Canadian art.

I’m looking forward to reading Growing Pains and exploring more of Carr’s writing. Have you read it? What do you think of her story and perspective?