Looking Towards Murray Bay from Cap à l’Aigle Hill Top (Chickens), 1964

Private Collection, Calgary

Evelyn Walters, “The Women of Beaver Hall: Canadian Modernist Painters”, Toronto, 2005, pages 21 and 23

Nora Collyer was based in Montreal, but also spent time in Europe, Bermuda, Nova Scotia, and the Lower St. Lawrence. This painting features Cap à l'Aigle, Quebec, a quiet retreat located approximately four hours northeast of Montreal. In this farm scene, half a dozen spirited chickens roam freely around the base of an empty hay cart. The sun's warmth washes over the scene and, typical of the artist's style, “...is remarkable for its shapes, rich colour, and soft rhythms.” The mountains in the background complete the idyllic rural scene. In the same year that “Looking Towards Murray Bay” was painted, Collyer had a solo exhibition at the Walter Klinkhoff Gallery in Montreal. She was a member of the Beaver Hall Group and received an excellent education at Trafalgar School and the Art Association of Montreal, from which she won several scholarships.