Gifts from Auntie M

Readers of the site have already read about Mary Barker and her antique shop on Eglinton Ave. West in Toronto. Mary knew Clara Harris and purchased many of her paintings. Some were sold and some she gave to family members. Recently I received this email from I.K. in Raleigh, N.C.:

"I am Mary Barker’s nephew. I as well as my five siblings grew up with Clara Harris and we all own a painting or two. Aunt Mary was convinced they would one day be valuable." As I.K. lives in Raleigh, N.C. and his siblings in Toronto and Kingston, Ontario, as well as Vancouver Island, B.C. Clara’s legacy is appreciated in many locations. The importance of documenting work is nothing new to this site and in so many instances scenes look the same but can’t be verified. The first painting with the rocks and evergreens could be Northern Ontario but it could also be in the Cordova Bay area of B.C.

The second painting with the sharp rocks and crashing waves could be Marblehead, Mass. In the Curator’s Blog: Clara’s Grandniece Shares Her Paintings, January 29, 2014, the rock formations and roughness of the water are similar.

Also in the Summer Section, Crashing Waves, Marblehead Neck, Mass. and Rocky Coastline of Louisburg, 1929, are possibilities too. And in the Boats Section Schooner Near Rocky Shore. Rocky Shore at Lunenberg, Nova Scotia 1938, Rocky Shore and Sailboat, Lunenberg, Nova Scotia, Sailboat Near Rocky Shoreline, and Ocean Point, Boothbay, Maine, Afternoon, July 16,1930, are also possible locations.

"I had my two framed. Auntie M did not like the result. She thought the mats were too thin. They measure

16 x 20" and unless I rip the paper cover don't have any info about the origin. I've been looking at them

more since I contacted you and they are indeed impressionist. There is a man in a rowboat in one of the paintings and I wonder if he might be Frederick."

I.K. has contacted his siblings who have additional paintings and information and we look forward to their next installment……