The Thomsons stand in front of their finished family mural in Hintonburg. Mom Heather (left), and daughters Miriam and Sylvia (centre and left, respectively) painted their colourful art work on the back of their neighbour’s garage. Photo courtesy of Linda Collette.
By Maureen McEwan
This spring, a Hintonburg family found a creative way to pass time at home during the pandemic. The Thomsons — mom Heather, daughters Miriam and Sylvia — decided to paint a mural in their backyard.
Their canvas? The back of a neighbour’s garage on Carruthers Avenue.
Heather said that her family moved into their house last summer. For a year, the cinder block wall had been the main view from their yard, kitchen and upstairs bedroom.
“It’s just not as nice a view,” Heather said. “And so, with COVID-19, when we were home, we were looking for some activities to do and we thought ‘Hmm, maybe there’s an option to make that nicer.’”
The Thomsons left a note for their neighbour in the mailbox pitching the mural idea. The rental property’s owner, Linda Collette, was supportive of the painting project from the start.
“I said ‘I think it is a great idea!’” Linda said. “And it will just beautify the area, right, instead of looking at a brick, grey wall.”
The Thomsons had painted bird houses before but they had never painted anything on a larger scale. Heather said she and her daughters researched murals online, learning about different types of paints and processes. They developed a few artistic concepts, eventually landing on a tree design.
Together, the three ladies ordered their paint and began the project in late April. Heather said they organized a painting schedule around their work, exercise and other daily activities. They also had to navigate the fickle spring weather.
“We always had to take advantage of nice weather and go out and paint!” Heather said, laughing.
As they worked, they used a “mock up” — a smaller, household-sized canvas — to test the concept as it was developed in stages.
“It was a little bit organic, where we just kind of added little bits here and there every time,” Heather said. “So we had a basic concept that we used for the mock up but it evolved as we painted it.”
First, they began with white primer across the garage wall as the base.
Then, they worked with spray paint to layer in the sky. It was Miriam’s idea to leave some of the background primer exposed to create clouds.
“We thought it might look nicer with little clouds poking through, instead of just blank blue at the back,” Miriam said.
Next, they used painter’s tape to mark the tree placement and painted that larger section. With stenciling, they then began the intricate part of their painting work: The leaves.
“Every few days, we would take a few colours of paint and we’d go outside and then each of us would take a colour or something and we’d see where there [wasn’t] enough of that colour and we’d keep adding and adding,” Miriam said.
This month, once the mural was completed, they invited friends and family for a physically-distant unveiling of their work. Both Miriam and Sylvia said it was their favourite part of the process.
“At the beginning, I was kind of excited because I wasn’t really sure what we would do with it (the project),” Miriam said. “But then at the end, when we had a little unveiling and invited our friends and family over, it was really fun.”
A close up of the Thomson family mural in Hintonburg. Can you count the birds? Photo courtesy of Linda Collette.
On the tree, the Thomson ladies painted in something special.
“We hid some birds in the tree that look a lot like the leaves,” Miriam said. “So there are eight birds hidden in the tree.”
“One of the people who came and saw it sent us back an email saying that it (the unveiling) was fun. But they also said ‘Oh, some birds would be at home in your tree!’ And then we were like ‘Well, if you look closer there actually are birds in our tree!’” Sylvia added, laughing.
Linda attended the unveiling and Heather said she seemed very pleased with the final artwork.
“It was really nice of her to be so enthusiastic about the project from the beginning,” Heather said.
The birds were a big hit with Linda as well.
“I do love landscapes, in terms of art work, and I do love fall and all the colours,” Linda said.
“It was just really inspiring — all the thought that they put into it,” she added.
During the pandemic, the project was an opportunity for a few neighbours — Linda, the Thomsons and others — to meet one another and connect over the creative work.
“It was just a very heartwarming, positive experience in the ‘hood,” Linda said. “And I’m sure they will be future artists!”
“And I guess I’m just happy that I’m their neighbour,” she added.
LONDON (AP) — With a few daubs of a paintbrush, the Brontë sisters have got their dots back.
More than eight decades after it was installed, a memorial to the three 19th-century sibling novelists in London’s Westminster Abbey was amended Thursday to restore the diaereses – the two dots over the e in their surname.
The dots — which indicate that the name is pronounced “brontay” rather than “bront” — were omitted when the stone tablet commemorating Charlotte, Emily and Anne was erected in the abbey’s Poets’ Corner in October 1939, just after the outbreak of World War II.
They were restored after Brontë historian Sharon Wright, editor of the Brontë Society Gazette, raised the issue with Dean of Westminster David Hoyle. The abbey asked its stonemason to tap in the dots and its conservator to paint them.
“There’s no paper record for anyone complaining about this or mentioning this, so I just wanted to put it right, really,” Wright said. “These three Yorkshire women deserve their place here, but they also deserve to have their name spelled correctly.”
It’s believed the writers’ Irish father Patrick changed the spelling of his surname from Brunty or Prunty when he went to university in England.
Raised on the wild Yorkshire moors, all three sisters died before they were 40, leaving enduring novels including Charlotte’s “Jane Eyre,” Emily’s “Wuthering Heights” and Anne’s “The Tenant of Wildfell Hall.”
Rebecca Yorke, director of the Brontë Society, welcomed the restoration.
“As the Brontës and their work are loved and respected all over the world, it’s entirely appropriate that their name is spelled correctly on their memorial,” she said.
In a case that has sent shockwaves through the Vancouver Island art community, a local art dealer has been charged with one count of fraud over $5,000. Calvin Lucyshyn, the former operator of the now-closed Winchester Galleries in Oak Bay, faces the charge after police seized hundreds of artworks, valued in the tens of millions of dollars, from various storage sites in the Greater Victoria area.
Alleged Fraud Scheme
Police allege that Lucyshyn had been taking valuable art from members of the public under the guise of appraising or consigning the pieces for sale, only to cut off all communication with the owners. This investigation began in April 2022, when police received a complaint from an individual who had provided four paintings to Lucyshyn, including three works by renowned British Columbia artist Emily Carr, and had not received any updates on their sale.
Further investigation by the Saanich Police Department revealed that this was not an isolated incident. Detectives found other alleged victims who had similar experiences with Winchester Galleries, leading police to execute search warrants at three separate storage locations across Greater Victoria.
Massive Seizure of Artworks
In what has become one of the largest art fraud investigations in recent Canadian history, authorities seized approximately 1,100 pieces of art, including more than 600 pieces from a storage site in Saanich, over 300 in Langford, and more than 100 in Oak Bay. Some of the more valuable pieces, according to police, were estimated to be worth $85,000 each.
Lucyshyn was arrested on April 21, 2022, but was later released from custody. In May 2024, a fraud charge was formally laid against him.
Artwork Returned, but Some Remain Unclaimed
In a statement released on Monday, the Saanich Police Department confirmed that 1,050 of the seized artworks have been returned to their rightful owners. However, several pieces remain unclaimed, and police continue their efforts to track down the owners of these works.
Court Proceedings Ongoing
The criminal charge against Lucyshyn has not yet been tested in court, and he has publicly stated his intention to defend himself against any pending allegations. His next court appearance is scheduled for September 10, 2024.
Impact on the Local Art Community
The news of Lucyshyn’s alleged fraud has deeply affected Vancouver Island’s art community, particularly collectors, galleries, and artists who may have been impacted by the gallery’s operations. With high-value pieces from artists like Emily Carr involved, the case underscores the vulnerabilities that can exist in art transactions.
For many art collectors, the investigation has raised concerns about the potential for fraud in the art world, particularly when it comes to dealing with private galleries and dealers. The seizure of such a vast collection of artworks has also led to questions about the management and oversight of valuable art pieces, as well as the importance of transparency and trust in the industry.
As the case continues to unfold in court, it will likely serve as a cautionary tale for collectors and galleries alike, highlighting the need for due diligence in the sale and appraisal of high-value artworks.
While much of the seized artwork has been returned, the full scale of the alleged fraud is still being unraveled. Lucyshyn’s upcoming court appearances will be closely watched, not only by the legal community but also by the wider art world, as it navigates the fallout from one of Canada’s most significant art fraud cases in recent memory.
Art collectors and individuals who believe they may have been affected by this case are encouraged to contact the Saanich Police Department to inquire about any unclaimed pieces. Additionally, the case serves as a reminder for anyone involved in high-value art transactions to work with reputable dealers and to keep thorough documentation of all transactions.
As with any investment, whether in art or other ventures, it is crucial to be cautious and informed. Art fraud can devastate personal collections and finances, but by taking steps to verify authenticity, provenance, and the reputation of dealers, collectors can help safeguard their valuable pieces.
