signed lower right; signed, titled, dated 1952 and inscribed “520806” on the reverse
11.5 × 13.75 in (29.2 × 34.9 cm)
Auction Estimate:$5,000 - $7,000
Sale date:November 22, 2016
Price Realized
$5,290
(including Buyer's Premium)
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist
By descent to the current Private Collection, Calgary
Literature
Doris McCarthy, “A Fool In Paradise: An Artist’s Early Life”, Toronto, 1990, pages 250 - 51
In the autobiography of her early career, Doris McCarthy writes of the time that her and fellow artists enjoyed stays at the Gaspé home of Liza and Willie Jean, “Jersey Island stock like many of the coastal families, English-speaking with a French lilt.” It was a place of artistic expression and socializing, McCarthy recalling that the meals were beautiful and that before leaving on painting excursions for the day, the Jeans would pack lunches for the artists which were “works of art.” The day would traditionally begin with a dip in the ocean (the property faced the sea), followed by breakfast before “the cars were packed and we took off” for a day of sketching. It was the evening to which McCarthy greatly looked forward, as the building on the left side of the composition, Willie Jean’s toolshed, was used as a studio with the day’s work on display for discussion and criticism. The painter remembered breathlessly awaiting the thoughts of Bobs Cogill Haworth as she looked over McCarthy’s output for the day as the young painter “cared more for her opinion than for all the others.” Painted with intimacy and detail, McCarthy’s love for the home and the community is instantly perceived in this work. A gift of Doris McCarthy to the Jeans, the painting has remained in the family until this offering.
