Perhaps this is because I’m a writer, but sometimes I like to think about the stories we tell ourselves. The stories we tell about our own lives, our families or even big, public events often hinge on our memories (which are subjective). Even our interpretation of other people’s stories may be coloured by our own experiences.
For example, what do you see when you look at the painting shown above and on the cover of our December 2022 issue? Do you see an idyllic scene that reminds you of the “good ol’ days” or a cold day of doing chores? Maybe both things are true for you — people working together and pushing through tough conditions to get the job done.
The painting is called Memories, and is acrylic on canvas. The artist, Maxine Abraham, lives in Calgary but spent her early childhood on an Alberta farm. She was born Maxine de Kat and grew up working with horses and cattle, and riding her favourite horse, Tiny, to a one-room schoolhouse. If you’re wondering why Tiny was so named, Maxine told me the little mare’s growth had been stunted. When Maxine was five or six, she was matched up with Tiny, and the mare carried her to school for several years.
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Maxine’s interest in sketching began at an early age, and in a phone call, she told me she was basically self-taught. This isn’t surprising when you realize she had many artists in her family, including her father. Her family also had an oil painting of an unknown young woman, done by her great-uncle in 1894.
As an adult, Maxine attended the Alberta College of Art in Calgary (now known as the Alberta University of the Arts), as well as the Scottsdale Artists School in Arizona, plus various painting workshops. She’s also a lifetime member of the Calgary Sketch Club. Asked whether she had any advice for young artists, she said not to let instructors change your style. Instead, focus on improving the style you have. I personally found this interesting, because I think the same advice holds for new writers, at least with fiction. We call it “voice,” but like an artist’s particular style, it’s a way of expressing yourself that’s unique to you. I think it has to do with how you see the world, and who you are as a person, so it probably applies in a way to everyone. Strive to improve, but remember who you are, and keep your own voice, your own style.
Maxine’s childhood continues to inspire much of her work. She says her favourite subjects are cowboys and life on Western Canadian ranches. But she’s also drawn from her experiences trail riding, gardening, hiking, cross-country skiing and golfing for her work. She’s shown her paintings at the Calgary Stampede, Spruce Meadows, Bar-U Ranch, Toronto’s Royal Winter Fair and the American Academy of Women Artists. She also told me that the Ponoka Stampede Auction has been a great place for her to sell her work, as her paintings tends to resonate the most with rural and farming folks.
We decided to run this painting on our cover for December partly because we felt everyone could use a pick-me-up going into Christmas after years of tough sledding through the pandemic, droughts, cattle prices and then inflation. I like Maxine’s style, and I like how she captured the feeling of being outside on a cold day (for example, the blue tones of the snow, the shadows, and even the bluish-white fur of the cattle and dog). I’ve often noticed the same blue tinge in the snow, as I’m sure readers have. I also love the snow spraying up from the sled runners as the horses plunge forward.
But what I like best about this painting is that it tells a story. I see a little girl learning to drive a team of powerful horses. Maybe that experience empowered her to choose her own path in life as a professional artist. I see a man who makes sure his livestock have feed on winter days and cares enough to instill those values in his daughter. I see a love for animals, from the border collie to the Herefords to the team of horses. A love for the natural world, too, in how she’s captured the grass and shrubs peeking through the snow, and the trees lining the hill’s slope in the background. This painting tells me that there’s enjoyment and satisfaction in working hard through adverse conditions, especially if you have loved ones helping you. And although it’s not on the page, you can imagine a warm stove and hot meal was waiting for this pair once they were done chores.
Often we have little or no control over the things that happen to us or to the people we love. But if you are reading this column now, you can acknowledge that you’ve gotten through another tough pandemic year, which, depending on your geography, may also have been marked by drought, flooding, a hurricane or any number of other disasters. And you can choose how you frame that experience, how you tell that story in the future. Whether it was a year of joy, hardship or some mix of both, you can bet that things will change. After all, next year country is right around the corner.
From all of us at Canadian Cattlemen, happy holidays, merry Christmas and happy New Year.
