March 2016
The Guestbook: Lee Ellen Pottie
How to walk
There is a badly-kept-secret club in Charlottetown. It meets two days a week, afternoons and evenings at Ellen’s Creek Gallery. At the appointed times, groups of 12–16 people shuffle into the back room, extend the club greeting, set up equipment, wave their #8 wands, and paint.It’s been going on for years. You’ve probably met some of the club members in your daily walks or visits to Island galleries over the years.
Of course, this isn’t a secret. Henry Purdy, club president, has been offering painting sessions at the Gallery for over 20 years. If you’ve walked into the gallery, you’ve seen our motley selves in various stages of bliss or despair over our canvases.
I’m a member; have been since January 2013. The lessons and equipment were a present. Unfortunately, I couldn’t draw a straight line and had always had problems staying within the lines of my colouring book. But, I had enthusiasm.
I was not the only newbie that first day and, after Henry gave the seasoned painters their assignments, which looked terrifyingly difficult, he set out to teach four of us how to use a #8 brush, recognize shapes, look for the direction of the light, and mix our four colours so that they didn’t look like mud.
Henry, with his wife, Gertie, moved to PEI in 1958 to work for CFCY in graphics and signage. He was a founding staff member of Holland College and created the Commercial Design Program. He was the director of the Centre of Creative Arts program from 1977 to 1982. He was and still is a tireless volunteer for several organizations.
Richard Lemm, UPEI English professor, commented that when he sat on the PEI Council of the Arts, he immediately noticed that Henry was a force with which to be reckoned. When something needed to be done for the arts and arts culture, Henry was there provincially, regionally, and nationally. He had the best interests of Island arts and artists at heart.
Don Glendenning, former president of Holland College, stated, “Henry was creative and tireless in his efforts to provide short courses and night classes in halls, basements, and schools throughout the Island… [His] objective: to help others grow in and through the arts, and to recognize the arts as an integral part of both one’s education and the Island’s economic development.”
Doug Cranford, owner of Ellen’s Creek, said he’s sure that if an Islander is painting or doing visual art, Henry has had a hand in it. His former students include Brian Burke, Susan Christensen, and Maurice Bernard. Others, not professional artists, include Daphne Dumont, Dr. David Stewart, and Brent MacLaine. Students today include government employees, retirees, teachers, more professors, lawyers, medical staff, and bed-and-breakfast owners.
I still cannot draw a straight line but I can fake it. I think I speak for everyone in those classes: Henry give us a sense of purpose and accomplishment, no matter what our end products look like. We hate missing a class because it’s a joy to participate and to work with Henry.
When someone new stops by the studio and says they can’t paint, Henry responds with “Well, you weren’t born knowing how to walk, were you?” So he teaches people to walk, er, paint with patience, enthusiasm, and humour.
A show by Henry’s students will be at Ellen’s Creek on May 8, and the next session of classes starts in April.
—Lee Ellen Pottie is an editor, writer, dog walker, part-time instructor, and student painter.
