The Artist in the Family... AE BROWN

Antique oil paintings of prairie fields, mountains, and garden flowers adorned the family homes our entire childhood.  Even now large oils hang in my parents hallway and decorate their bedroom. Many of the oils and ceramics have been given to siblings and rest in their homes.  Some carefully cleaned and reframed,  proudly displayed, others, stacked one on top of the other in basements and attics.
The artist of these paintings is A.E. Brown.   She is my great great aunt on my moms side.

Her birth name is Annie Everal Edmanson after her fathers sister named Annie Elizabeth.  She was born on Dec 17 1886 in the small town of Melita in the southwestern corner of Manitoba.  Her parents Robert William Edmanson and Mary Lavina Osborne both born in England arrived in Canada separately,  Robert in 1856 and Mary in 1860.  They met and married in Ontario.  Their first child William was born in 1877.   The family homesteaded and moved to Manitoba by the time their second child a daughter named Alva was born in 1885 and then Annie in 1886 and Annies little sister Dera was born in 1889.
According to the Swift Current census the family was listed as

• Rev Edmonson age 52,    employed as a real estate agent working for customs Canada.    
• ML Edmonsone age 55 and 
• Dera age 23.  

The three older children are not listed on this census.

Records show Annie Everal remained in Manitoba until 1913.  Then followed her parents out to Saskatchewan.  Residing in the family house.  Her father died shortly after this in 1914 and her mother just 4 years later in 1918.  Her brother also died the same year (in Alberta) .  He was buried in Swift Current Saskatchewan.   Annie would have been just 28 years old at this time.

Annie took up painting along the way and became a prolific artist.  She worked with ceramics and oil paintings.  Many of her art work is on plywood, which has been painted over.  Her focus was on nature.  Probably the local area.  the river, the property, the lake.  Many painting are of flowers, a spectacular large painting of gladiolas hangs in a place of honour at my house.  There are numerous other mid size flower paintings.  She loved autumn colours which are reflected in many of her paintings.

Married in 1920 to Albert Brown of Wood Lake Saskatchewan.  The couple had no children.
She was a member of the Saskatchewan Women's Art Group and for 3 years performed the duties of the Secretary.
She died on January 18th 1962 -  below is a list of the paintings and items painted that I have seen over the years... I believe there are many more pieces out there.  This is her legacy... beautiful paintings that reflect who she was, where she lived and what she saw.

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