Sold for: $133,250

PROVENANCE
Theresa Svenciski, Victoria
By descent to a Private Collection, Vancouver
Fine Canadian Art, Heffel Fine Art Auction House, May 15, 2003, lot 154
Private Collection, California
Fine Canadian Art, Heffel Fine Art Auction House, November 24, 2011, lot 165
Acquired from the above by the present Private Collection, British Columbia

Emily Carr frequently painted the shoreline near her home in Victoria, including views from the southern tip of Vancouver Island looking towards the Olympic Mountains. Water is often present in her oil on paper paintings and in some canvases, but it is rare for water to be the main subject. This strong work seems to situate the viewer on the water and looking back towards land. Carr is clearly interested in the movement and variety of colour on the surface and the reflections of the forest. Indeed, the treatment of the land is almost summary, with a few telling strokes to suggest foliage and the quickly drawn details of the logs on the beach. Westcoast Seashore shows Carr's free use of diluted oil paint on paper and her willingness to approach difficult and unusual compositional problems: the shimmering reflections in the water and sweeping brush-strokes of the foliage are offset by the stillness of the logs. The painting as a whole reflects Carr's belief in a vital life force animating all of nature.

The first owner of this painting, Theresa Svenciski, was Carr's typist during the 1930s.

All prices are in Canadian Dollars