Art Deco in Canada

This semester, for my Julia Caprara School of Textile Arts degree studies, I am investigating the Art Deco Movement. While on holiday touring the Maritimes I was on the look out for evidence of the movement wherever I went.

I was rewarded with examples, often in the most unlikely places.

While touring the Briggs and Little woollen yarn factory in New Brunswick, we spied what looked like a car under covers behind bales of fleece. One of the workers threw back the covers to show a 1930s car the owner of the factory had restored. It was a perfectly preserved example of an Art Deco object with its aerodynamic shape that only recently has been reused in car design for fuel efficiency.

Hood/bonnet ornaments were works of art.

The 3 or 4 straight lines, called Streamline, were a distinctive motif that suggested speed, new technology and acceptance of the benefits of the machine age.

I am now developing my thesis for a 2,000 word paper I have to write on a specific subject in the Art Deco Movement. I am doing lots of reading of library books and articles from web searches.

Brennan's B 'n' B

The B 'n' B I was raving about in the previous post is called Brennan's.

Another interesting feature it has is the curved windows in the front. During a walk into town we noticed this is not uncommon in old houses in Fredericton. There must have been a very skilled glass maker in town at that time.

This house was built by the Chestnut family (of the Chestnut canoe fame) who were hardware merchants. As soon as I had heard a bit of the house's history I started more closely at the details. I found even the hinges on the doors are engraved.

The radiators have abstract floral designs on them.

I wished I had more time to explore the house but we had to hit the road and move on. There were still lots of leaves to look at.

B and B in Fredericton

While in Fredericton, New Brunswick, we stayed in a beautiful Bed and Breakfast.

These 3-way wooden shutters in our room cleverly controlled the light and themselves made lovely changing patterns on the wall and changing patterns of morning light on the other walls.

The house was full of most impressive examples of master craftsman woodworking.

I have no idea how these turned wood patterns would have been made.

They were amazing.

Kissing Bridges, St Martins, New Brunswick

Another special thing about New Brunswick is the large number of covered bridges in good repair and still in use, like this very picturesque one in St Martins.

In the days of the horse and carriage, owners would train their horses to stop whenever on the bridge so in darkness they could kiss the person sitting beside them and not be seen.

It seems this courting ritual on the covered bridges continues.

I was interested in recording the graffiti as part of my ongoing study of the thoughts and views of the 'Y' generation.

I have come up with several different scenarios about Jeff's love life and they are all complicated.

Hopewell Rocks, New Brunswick

While visiting the Hopewell Rocks in New Brunswick at low tide, we came across some community/spontaneous/environmental art -don't really know what label to put on it, if it needs one.
Each day, after the tide has gone out enough to reveal the beach, the park ranger collects up stones into a form. Throughout the day, visitors to the beach contribute to the installation.

Some like the challenge of balance, building on the Inukshuk idea.

Others add decoration.

Some are challenged to go higher than those before them.
The tide rushed in, levelled it all and made its own arrangement. The park ranger returned in the morning to rearrange the elements again.
It reminded me of the rise and fall of civilisations throughout the history of man.

Leaf Peeping in New Brunswick

More leaf peeping, this time in New Brunswick.

Anne of Green Gables

Like many generations of girls, my mother fell in love with L.M. Montgomery's 'Anne of Green Gables' series of books. When she met and married a handsome man with the ancient Anglo-Saxon family name of 'Shirley', the obvious choice of name for her first born was 'Anne'. 'Lesley' got tacked on in front, which is another story. And so I was named.

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It was a thrill to arrive on Prince Edward Island and to see so much of 'Anne' everywhere. The islanders still love her and she is a big draw card for the tourists.

According to research by one of my uncles, the surname 'Shirley' was first recorded in the Doomsday Book in 1086 and it is the only name written that has an unbroken paternal link to the present day.

The name has various meanings but the general idea is it describes the people who live in the bright wood clearing.

We found some bright wood clearings while Leaf Peeping on PEI so I had returned to my roots (ha ha).

Lobster Season in the Maritimes

Everywhere we went around the shoreline in the Maritimes we saw people working with lobster 'pots'. We assumed they were getting them ready for the new season which begins sometime over October, depending on the location.

It was interesting to compare those made from wood and woven net with the ones made from high tech materials.

There were different shapes so some of these could be crab pots.

The pots are ready. Let the season begin.

Cape Breton Vernacular Architecture

The first Europeans settling the island brought with them their own culture, which included familiar architecture from their homelands. They built houses of wood because it was plentiful.

The early homes were often functional in that doors and windows were placed where they were needed rather than being decorative. The eaves and trim were minimal.

The central doorway and high gable over the door is a familiar architectural style on the island.

Leaf Peepers and Inverness

Another activity we have been occupied with during our tour of the Maritimes has a name - Leaf Peeping. Each evening we check the internet for the Fall Foliage Report before we plan our next day's route.

We had a memorable stay in Inverness Harbour on Cape Breton Island. The fishermen traditionally name their boats after their daughters because they will always have their daughters but their wives may change.

The coastline has a wild beauty. The days were cloudy, rainy and foggy so I focused on gathering interesting close-up shots with my camera.

Highest Tides in the World

We have spent many hours this week driving around the Bay of Fundy in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick to find front row seats from which to view the rising and falling of the largest tides in the world.

The flowing water sculpts grasses growing in the mud flats.

This shot was taken from the same place as the first one just 6 hours later.