Name/Title
Calla LiliesEntry/Object ID
2025.09.04Description
In process
Study of Calla lilies unfurling set against a dramatic green/gray/blue background
Depiction of Calla Lilies (Zantedeschia aethiopica), a species of flowering plant native to southern Africa that has naturalized to other countries around the world. It shows the white spathe (protective petals) surrounding the central, yellow spadix (flowering stem).
Watercolour? Reflection of joy, beauty and peaceContext
Calla lillies are simple and elegant with chalice-shaped flowers. They symbolize purity, resurrection, and rebirth, traditionally used in wedding bouquets, Easter arrangements and funeral services. They are considered tender perennials because they don't tolerate freezing weather.Made/Created
Artist
Sister Debra Freeman (1957-2013)Date made
n.d.Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Cold Lake Alberta, Sister Debra Freeman spent her childhood years in Europe, Ontario and Quebec due to her father's service with the RCAF. The family then settled in B.C. and Freeman later graduated from St. Joseph's School of Nursing, Victoria in 1979. She then ministered as a registered nurse at Prince George Regional Hospital and Cowichan District Hospital, and after entering The Sisters of St. Ann, she nursed at Victoria Hospice.
Following clinical pastoral training, Sister Freeman served as Chaplain and Coordinator of Volunteers at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver on the palliative care unit, awarded a Certificate of Recognition from the nursing program at New Caledonia College. In 1997, she changed ministry paths and obtained a Master's Degree in Ministry and Spirituality from Regis College, Toronto and a Diploma in Spiritual Direction from Mercy Centre in California.
After these studies, Sister Freeman returned to minister at Queenswood Spirituality Centre in Victoria as Program Coordinator, Spiritual Director and Retreat Director. She also served her Community as a member of the Provincial Council. She then worked briefly with the Franciscan Poor Clares Community in Duncan, later returning to The Sisters of St. Ann in Victoria.
From her early years, Sister Freeman's creativity reportedly flourished through her art and while at St. Ann's Residence she gave herself increasingly to the ministry of art. The full extent of her artistic work is not currently known.Dimensions
Dimension Description
OverallHeight
48.5 cmWidth
43 cmDimension Description
Printed imageHeight
38 cmWidth
28 cmAcquisition
Acquisition Method
GiftDate
Sep 10, 2025Relationships
Related Entries
Notes
2016.03.01 Calla Lilly (Zantedeschia aethiopica)
2025.09.04 Calla Lilies
Four-Part Gift from The Sisters of Saint Ann, Sept. 10, 2025
2025.09.03 Dallas Road
2025.09.04 White Calla Lilies
2025.09.05 Stone Church, Cowichan
2025.09.06 St. Ann's AcademyProvenance
Notes
From the Sisters of Saint Ann collection.Copyright
Notes
Images are provided for research and reference use only. Permission to publish, copy, or otherwise use these images must be obtained from the copyright holder. It is the sole responsibility of the applicant to determine the copyright holder and to obtain permission(s) as needed.
