In 1970, when Alan and I were living in London, England and before we returned to Canada, got married and serious about jobs we used to enjoy exploring the city. At the Aller Gallery which was I believe on Cork Street off Piccadilly we came upon some wonderfully evocative paintings of Alan’s home province, Saskatchewan. The artist was Cree painter Allen Sapp. What a surprise to find them there!
Ever since we’ve watched his work, sometimes offered for sale at galleries in Vancouver or published in Canadian art magazines but we never found one that was just right for us or that we could afford. The summer scenes depict reserve life of the 1930s colourfully but the monochromatic winter images always appealed to Alan.
Some years ago we were driving home from Regina, Saskatoon, Prince Albert and Waskesiu (all places where Al has lived or stayed) and we stopped in North Battleford. Actually Al was already studying Archaeology at U of S when he worked for Parks Canada at Fort Battleford one summer. We found a public art gallery devoted entirely to the work of local artist Allen Sapp, a resident of Red Pheasant reserve nearby. On some days he still paints in a studio space specially for him right in the gallery, but he wasn’t there that day.
Just recently Alan spotted the perfect Allen Sapp painting in the online auction of Canadian Art being held by Heffel Gallery and he left a bid. Oh my, he ‘won’! So, along with the vast Australian painting we had shipped home from Kakadu Park we now have to rearrange the art on our walls to accommodate these two paintings.
As he usually does, Sapp has titled this painting with a charming description of what is happening. In this case it is ‘Bringing Lady Home from a Meeting’. He was born in 1928 or 29 and he paints reserve life as remembered from his childhood. Wikipedia will tell you more about how he was encouraged to paint by a local doctor when convalescing from an extended illness while still a boy. We find his impressionistic style and unfussed depiction of local scenes to be satisfying and honest and we’ll enjoy living with this painting for years to come.
