Painting picture brides


The Sakura Tree

is a gently eloquent tale which follows the progress of three so-called picture brides who immigrated to Canada in the early twentieth century.

The story is focus of a new exhibition of paintings by artist Karen Brownlee at the Japanese Canadian National Museum. The pieces are the illustrations for the children’s book of the same name, written by Carolyn McTighe.


Brownlee created the illustrations after doing extensive research using oral histories and digging into family photo albums. She used thirty four models and four cultural consultants in the process.


Brownlee’s watercolours explore and present elements of Japanese Canadian life between 1880 and 1920 (the so called picture bride era, which continued in the Lower Mainland until 1940.)


Brownlee is an Alberta artist with long standing friendships in the Southern Alberta Japanese Canadian community, an interest in exploring history, and a background in Loatian and Chinese brush painting.


The public is invited to join Brownlee on May 23 at 7 p.m. for a round table discussion about The Sakura Tree paintings. There will also be a slide show of the modelling sessions, which included models who are descendents of picture brides, and a talk about the Japanese Canadian social, cultural, and historical elements that are woven into the paintings. RSVP to nogiwara@nikkeiplace.org.


On May 24 at 2 p.m. there will be a gallery tour and book presentation and signing by Brownlee and the author.


The exhibit is on display at the National Nikkei Heritage Centre, 6688 Southoaks Crescent, Burnaby until May 30.

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