Artist Information
Artist
Vivien Edith Willington Tully Cowan (1893-1990)Role
PainterDate made
n.d.Time Period
20th CenturyNotes
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
Born in Saint Paul, Minnesota, U.S.A., Vivien Edith Willington Tully Cowan was a Canadian artist and rancher, considered to one of B.C.’s most important artists and arts advocates. In 1945 she spearheaded the Cariboo Art Society with noted Canadian Group of Seven painter A.Y. Jackson (1882-1974). Cowan, her daughter Sonia Cornwall (1919-2006), and Jackson were the first members in what would become one of the longest running art societies in Western Canada.
Cowan had met A.Y. Jackson earlier that year when studying at the Banff School of Fine Arts, as well as another Canadian artist of note, Joseph Plaskett (1918-2014). Both these painters, along with many others, visited Cowan and her daughters, Sonia and Dru, at their property near 150 Mile House, the Onward Ranch. Vivien became the Grande Dame of the Cariboo, hosting some of Canada's greatest talent, as well as promoting the work of local artists. The visiting artists worked on their painting, printmaking, weaving, pottery and sculpture, and also offered classes to Society and Sugar Cane Reserve members.
Cowan exhibited at the B.C. Artist exhibitions at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1945 and 1947, and with the Federation of Canadian Artists. When her children were grown and her ranching obligations fewer, she was able to devote herself more fully to her painting. Cowan created a rich body of work unparalleled in the region, as well as a lasting legacy that reaches far beyond the Cariboo.
For further information see -
Julie Fowler, "The Grande Dames of the Cariboo: Discovering Vivien Cowan and Sonia Cornwall and their intriguing friendship with A.Y. Jackson and Joe Plaskett" (Halfmoon Bay, B.C., Caitlin Press Inc., 2013), available in the UCBC Library.
