Footnotes to a Conversation, August 8, 2022
Women & Art
Flower Diary by Molly Peacock tells the story of Mary Hiester Reid (1854-1921). There are very few archival records of Mary’s life. What we do know is that she did a remarkable job of combining a career as an artist with that of wife, homemaker, and community member. She studied art, travelled to Europe to immerse herself in the European masterpieces, taught, belonged to many women’s organizations, maintained two homes, and supported her artist husband George. Her art was distinct from her husband’s and one of her last acts, when she was very ill, was to go out to vote in the first election that gave women the right to vote. Colour plates of Mary’s paintings are a colourful collection of still lifes of flowers and landscapes.
Molly Peacock is a poet so the book is well written with every word chosen with care. Because so little is known about Mary Hiester Reid, she extrapolates from her own experience as a wife and poet. I highly recommend reading Flower Diary. Not only was I introduced to the work of an artist who lived most of her adult life in Canada, but it stimulated me to think about women’s roles, how they’ve changed but how they remain the same. Molly Peacock also wrote The Paper Garden about Mary Delany, who began creating botanically correct, cut-paper flowers at 72.
Engaging Intensely
Sara Paretsky’s books are always worth reading. She combines strong female characters with a solid plot and social commentary. Her account of some of the influences in her life, including books, fleshed her out as a person and also provided insight into her own books:
“My parents (and really, everyone who’s ever known me) have always thought my personality was too intense. When I was a child, they gave me Mark Twain’s Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc. They wanted me to see the fate that awaited girls who engaged too intensely with life. Instead, the story of Joan made me long for a vision and the commitment to follow it, even to death.” [The Guardian]
Nature Books for Kids
If you’ve got kids or grandkids in your life, you may be interested in the post I wrote for EcoFriendly West introducing 10 Canadian children’s authors encouraging children to explore and appreciate the natural world around them. [EcoFriendly West]
Catastrophising
Oh, dear! I confess. I always imagine the worst and it rarely happens. In fact, the bad stuff that has happened to me has always been a complete surprise. An article on the topic helped me to understand that I’m not alone and provided some useful tips for breaking the cycle and developing a more balanced view of situations as they arise. [BBC]
Footnotes to a Conversation is a weekly Monday feature covering an assortment of topics that I’ve come across in the preceding week – books, art, travel, food, and whatever else strikes my fancy. I also post occasional articles on other dates, including frequent book reviews and travel tales.
If you share my love of nature, check out EcoFriendly West, an online publication encouraging environmental initiatives in Western Canada, and Nature Companion, a free nature app for Canada’s four western provinces.