Exhibit By Penticton Artist Edna Millar

Comical - Imaginative - Clever    These three words characterize the paintings created by Penticton artist Edna Millar. My husband and I recently attended an exhibit of her work and on entering the studio, I was immediately struck by the simplicity and humor that her style combines.  Truly a breath of fresh air was my feeling!! 

Edna confessed to me that many of the inspirations for her paintings come from questions that her friends ask her.  For example one day Sandra asked "Why don't your paintings ever have feet"  Edna's mischievious response was, "Because I don't know how to paint feet".  Nevertheless her mind went to work and she came up with the following painting entitled "My Feet's Too Big"   She says she started this one with the legs and then exaggerated the feet on purpose just for fun.

 Another time she was asked why she never painted birds or animals.  As before her response was that she didn't know how.  By the next morning she had come up with a plan and decided to do a stylized version of the Quail, one of our local residents. Before long she got tired of always having them in an Okanagan setting so she decided to send them on trips to other countries.  Her Quail have been to Hawaii, Barcelona, Italy, France, Ireland, England, Scotland and the Mediterranean to mention a few of the places.  We couldn't resist buying the one of a female Quail on vacation in Hawaii looming in front of the Palm trees and ocean. We divide our time between Penticton and Maui so it was a no-brainer that we just had to have it!! Edna tells me that her Quail have become the best sellers of all her work.

One of my favourite pieces at the exhibit was the larger than life face of a Greek man wearing a beret, and pretending to twist his finger into his nose.  Apparently the Greeks like to talk with their hands and this gesture means "You can put a hole in my nose"  which translated means that you can do what you like but I'll still do what I want.

Edna Millar with her larger than life painting

The title on the next one is "Say Yes to the Dress". and underneath the title it says  "There's a TV program called this and I can't believe what people will pay for a wedding dress". 

"The Paper Bag Princess" is the title on the next one because it was inspired by a sketch on a brown paper bag that was given to Edna in Hawaii.

 

 

The last one that I am featuring is called "I Did it My Way".  I think this is a fitting conclusion to the article because Edna is certainly doing things her way with her very own unique and creative artistic style.

Edna hails from Glascow Scotland and even though she settled in the Okanagan Valley some 45 years ago, she still retains a charming Scottish brogue. Teaching was her career, but she was always interested in trying her hand at painting, so when she retired 9 years ago her dream became a reality.  Acrylics are her medium of choice and she also does some great pen and ink sketches of people. 

Edna is a self-taught artist who describes her work as "Primitive".  She says that she can't paint if she takes herself too seriously. In her words "I would like to be a cross between Beryl Cook (an English artist) and Modigliani (an Italian) but it ain't going to happen"

Thankyou Edna for making our day!!!! We wish you every possible success with your new career as an artist!!!

Send Edna an email if you are interested in her art.  ednamillar at shaw.ca