Nine Dozen Mason Jars: Paintings and Drawings by Joanne Thomson
Thank you to the Terrace Art Association members and Board of Directors for the opportunity to display these paintings.
This series has been a joy to create. Beginning as an exploration of family history it became a discovery of a shared Canadian heritage. These paintings are the most personal I have every displayed and reflect my coming to understand my family heritage and the recognition that this heritage is shared by others. The paintings speak of hardship and joy, simple pleasures and shared pain. This exhibition includes 108 paintings from a series of 171. The theme came from my Grandmother’s stories of having 300 mason jars on the go at all times and I hope to eventually complete 300 paintings.
Werner and Eva Preetzman and their children Jean and Gloria, lived “Up Kerr Creek” on a 160-acre procurement purchased by Werner in 1924. They lived there throughout the depression, leaving the land in 1944. I first visited the property in 2010. However, it was familiar to me. I recognized the wildflowers and the trees. My Mother, Jean Thomson and my Father, Don Thomson had taught me the names on our foraging and camping trips around Terrace and on family holidays. I have included a few line drawings of the flowers in this exhibition.
Thank you to the Terrace Art Association members and Board of Directors for the opportunity to display these paintings.
This series has been a joy to create. Beginning as an exploration of family history it became a discovery of a shared Canadian heritage. These paintings are the most personal I have every displayed and reflect my coming to understand my family heritage and the recognition that this heritage is shared by others. The paintings speak of hardship and joy, simple pleasures and shared pain. This exhibition includes 108 paintings from a series of 171. The theme came from my Grandmother’s stories of having 300 mason jars on the go at all times and I hope to eventually complete 300 paintings.
Werner and Eva Preetzman and their children Jean and Gloria, lived “Up Kerr Creek” on a 160-acre procurement purchased by Werner in 1924. They lived there throughout the depression, leaving the land in 1944. I first visited the property in 2010. However, it was familiar to me. I recognized the wildflowers and the trees. My Mother, Jean Thomson and my Father, Don Thomson had taught me the names on our foraging and camping trips around Terrace and on family holidays. I have included a few line drawings of the flowers in this exhibition.