Colville House
76 York Street Sackville, NB, Canada

As a Fine Arts student, Alex Colville completed the mural decoration course taught by Stanley Royle. Students were required to compose a large, nine- or ten-f...oot mural that included several figures. Many of Colville’s preliminary figure drawings included friends and classmates, such as Max Roulston, who may be seen leaning down to a suitcase on the right. Colville included the train engine’s steam as a unifying feature of the composition. Later, in a similar way, whirlpool-shaped movement unified the composition of his mural The History of Mount Allison, located in Tweedie Hall. Another similarity between the murals is the depiction of a coupleAlex and Rhoda Colvilleseen in the foreground. Fortunately, Colville retained both a photograph of his student mural and this preliminary drawing, as the mural itself was later destroyed. Discover other works by Colville, and virtually visit other locations around Sackville from the Owens Collection at www.youareheresackvillenb.ca. -- Alex Colville, Untitled (Sackville train station, sketch for student mural), c. 1941-42, mixed media on grey textured paper, 26 x 48.3 cm. Collection of the Owens Art Gallery. Gift of the Artist. A.C. Fine Art Inc.

#OnThisDay One-hundred and seventy-eight years ago the Mount Allison Wesleyan Academy, a school for boys, first opened on 19 January 1843, followed by the Ladie...s College in 1854. Much later, in 1948 the university commissioned Alex Colville to undertake a mural painting on the theme of Mount Allison’s history. During the process of planning The History of Mount Allison, Alex Colville produced over 150 preparatory drawings, ranging from freehand sketches to schematics for the final composition. In Colville’s words, the mural depicts the history of the University unfolding in chronological order with the starting-point at the horseback rider in the centre; from here the movement is clockwise in a roughly circular or ‘whirlpool shape.’ Standing in front of the rider with an outstretched arm is the founder of Mount Allison University, Charles Frederick Allison. These drawings, donated by the artist to the Owens Art Gallery in 2002, reveal the evolution of the work. We can see, for example, that Colville changed his mind at one point in the process, replacing the image of an artist at his easel in the lower left of the composition with that of a graduating student receiving his degree. This week on the Owens' social media channels we will take a closer look at this mural, and its ongoing connections to Mount Allison and Sackville, NB. --- Alex Colville, The History of Mount Allison, 1948, in situ Mount Allison University, Sackville, NB. A.C. Fine Art Inc. Alex Colville, Sketches for mural The History of Mount Allison, 1948, graphite, ink and gouache on paper. Collection of the Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University. Gift of the Artist. A.C. Fine Art Inc

Among the the supplies and tools in Alex Colville's studio were several refillable Koh-I-Noor rapidograph technical pens. Colville labeled some 'EMPTY' ready to be refilled and reused again.

One of Canada’s most renowned artists, Alex Colville was a member of the Sackville Art Association - SAA for many years. Colville received a Bachelor of Fine Ar...ts degree at Mount Allison University in 1942. In 1946 he became Assistant Professor of Fine Arts there, teaching History and Appreciation of Art, Design, Mural Decoration, Graphic Design, Still Life Painting and Figure Drawing. In 1963, he retired from teaching to devote himself to his art practice. Colville’s most frequent subjects were his family, the places around his homes in New Brunswick and Nova Scotia, and animals, which were often his own family pets. -- Alex Colville, Dog with Bone, 1961, serigraph, edition 20, 75.9 x 53.3 cm. Collection of the Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University. Gift of the Artist, in memory of Rhoda Colville. A.C. Fine Art Inc.

Geoffrey James was Associate Editor for the Canadian edition of Time magazine when he travelled to Sackville to interview Alex Colville in 1970. Before the inte...rview, James drove around Sackville to find a distinctive landmark or location in which to photograph Colville for the magazine article. He chose the High Marsh Road just beyond the covered bridge, describing it as a road that goes off to infinity with barns. Although the hay barns no longer exist, the row of hydro lines to the left, the distant horizon line, and the long, straight, gravel road, remain to identify the location. As the photograph was taken, Colville walked backwards into the wind. This unique image of the renowned artist, who died in 2013, was featured on a Canadian postage stamp in 2015. Visit www.youareheresackvillenb.ca to discover more works on the marsh and visit other locations around Sackville through the Owens' collection. -- Geoffrey James, Alex Colville, 1970, photograph on paper, 20.1 x 25.4 cm. Collection of the Owens Art Gallery The Town of Sackville, New Brunswick

Exploring Sackville through works from the Owens' collection in YOU ARE HERE (www.youareheresackvillenb.ca), we can discover and rediscover familiar places through different perspectives. In Alex Colville's Running Dog, a Wire Fox Terrier races across a sports field marked with painted white lines. The dog is caught in time, with all four paws off the ground. The yard lines offer a convenient structure and a nod to measurement and geometric organization, which is central to t...he way Colville constructs his images. The football field, known today as Alumni Field, is a short walk from Colville House, located at 76 York Street, where Alex Colville and his family lived from 1949 to 1973. Once natural grass, the sports field is now artificial turf and pets are prohibited. Read more about this work and discover other works by Colville with connections to Sackville at www.youareheresackvillenb.ca. -- Alex Colville, Running Dog, 1968, serigraph on paper, edition of 43, 35.2 x 61 cm. Collection of the Owens Art Gallery. Gift of the Artist, in memory of Rhoda Colville. A.C. Fine Art Inc.

www.youareheresackvillenb.ca allows you to explore Sackville through the Owens Art Gallery's collection, including works by Alex Colville. Alex Colville (1920-2013) lived for several decades in Sackville, and he often said that his time here allowed him to know this place. Many of his most important works are set in recognizable locations in and around the town. Colville chose to live in the relative isolation of Sackville. Beyond his desire for solitude, he was drawn to th...e particular landscape here, one that he described as horizontal, open, and rather bleak. A number of works by Colville are included in You Are Here. Explore, investigate, and share your own views. Each new perspective broadens our view, offering new ways of seeing Sackville.

#OnThisDay August 24, 1920, David Alexander Colville was born. Alex Colville (19202013) is one of Canada’s most celebrated artists and one of Mount Allison Un...iversity’s best known graduates. Colville attended Mount Allison, graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1942. On graduation, he enlisted in the Canadian Army, serving as an official Canadian War Artist. The same year he married classmate Rhoda Wright. Colville returned to Sackville in 1946 and began teaching in the Mount Allison Fine Arts department until 1963 when he left teaching to work as an artist full-time. Alex and Rhoda had four children: Graham, John, Charles and Ann. In 1973 Alex and Rhoda moved to Wolfville where they remained for the rest of their lives. Alex Colville’s achievements as one of Canada’s major artists are significant and is represented in public and private collections around the world. Colville was named Officer and then Companion of the Order of Canada. In 1975 he won the Canada Council Molson prize, and in 2003 he received the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. -- Alex Colville, Self-Portrait, 1942, oil on canvas, 76.5 x 74.0 cm. Collection of the Owens Art Gallery, Mount Allison University. Gift of the Artist. A.C. Fine Art Inc

It’s #CatDay and we had to dig deep to find a Canadian coin with one on it. Not your cuddly housecat, it’s a bobcat. Bobcats range over much of North America ...and, though they eat many things, their favourite food is rabbits. This fellow was produced by renowned Canadian artist #AlexColville. Royal Canadian Mint / Monnaie royale canadienne 25 cents, Canada, 1967 See more

It’s #DrawAPictureOfABirdDay, the day to sharpen your pencil and draw a bird. Alex Colville drew the picture of a Canadian goose for our 1967 centennial silv...er dollar. For the series, he also drew a wolf, a wildcat (bobcat), a mackerel, a hare and a dove. Royal Canadian Mint / Monnaie royale canadienne See our blog on Colville. https://www.bankofcanadamuseum.ca//remembering-alex-colv/ 1 dollar, Canada, 1967 See more

In 1948, Alex Colville received a commission from Mount Allison University to paint a mural entitled The History of Mount Allison, located in Tweedie Hall. The complex problematics of time-space relationships in two dimentional form are brilliantly handled, utilizing the central image of a horse and rider (taken from a painting by Velasquez) around which all other scenes revolve. According to historian Helen Dow, it is this central image of the man and the horse representing the itinerant evangelist converting University founder Charles F. Allison that forms the underpinning for the entire composition. The other scenes in the mural depict the unfolding of Mount Allison’s history, including the various academic disciplines, the record of the War, and student life.

In 1946 after working as a war artist Colville was offered a teaching position at Mount Allison University. He taught courses in History and Appreciation of Art, Design, Mural Decoration, Graphic Design, Still Life Painting and Figure Drawing while maintaining a strong relationship with his students and maintaining his own studio practice. For Colville, teaching art history became very important to him as a painter and while teaching the studio arts. : Mount Allison University Archives. Picture Collection. 2007.07/1130

A special item from Colville's studio, this war-issue porcelain palette was used for many, many years, despite the fact that it was broken into pieces.

#FromTheArchives In 1942 Colville graduated from Mount Allison University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Following graduation, Colville enlists in the 1st Canadian Army with aspirations of becoming a war artist.

In 1944 Colville was sent to the Canadian Military Headquarters in London, England in order to begin his work as an Official War Artist. He was one of the 31 war artists chosen by the Canadian Government. Over the two years following the war, Colville executed numerous works, the majority now in the collection of the Canadian War Museum. : Official news photo of Lieutenant D.A. Colville painting in western Germany near the borders of Belgium and Holland, January 1945. Cana...dian War Museum. #ColvilleTimeline

For the 1942 Junior Prom, Alex Colville painted four murals featuring planes in flight. This photo shows Alex standing at left with the paintbrush in action. : Mount Allison University Archives. John Bigelow fonds, 8001/44

#ColvilleTimeline As a student, Colville was a member of the The Argosy's Editorial Board. Colville is seated far left. The Argosy was established in 1872, making it one of the oldest official student publications in the country, and continues to be written and edited by students. : Mount Allison University Archives. Allisonian 1941. 2003.8/2/5

My wife and I were students together. When we were about twenty to twenty-one, we fell deeply in love and this was a very intense business. Alex Colville In 1938 Colville and Rhoda Wright meet in the Fine Arts program at Mount Allison University. Their first year class was composed of just ten students. : Mount Allison University Archives. #ColvilleTimeline

Through the extension classes with Sarah Hart, Stanley Royle, Head of the Fine Arts Department became aware of Colville’s artistic potential and encouraged Colville to continue his artistic studies at the university level. In 1938 Colville was awarded a scholarship to study law and politics at Dalhousie University, but Stanley Royle, head of the Fine Arts department at Mount Allison arranged for an equivalent scholarship for Colville to study Fine Arts at Mount Allison. In th...is first year portrait class (taught by Stanley Royle) Alex Colville is standing at an easel, far right. : Mount Allison University Archives. 2007.07/501 #ColvilleTimeline

In 1934, Alex Colville began attending weekly art classes in Amherst instructed by Sarah Hart, a member of the Fine Arts faculty at Mount Allison. Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, Sarah Hart studied woodcarving, clay modelling and drawing from the cast in New York City at The Cooper Union from 1902 to 1906 and achieved many awards for her work. In 1907, she began to teach part-time in the Art department at the Ladies’ College in Sackville. She taught wood carving until 1961... and in the 1930s she began teaching extension courses for the Art department in local communities such as Amherst, Nova Scotia. : Sarah Hart (1880-1981), pictured with John Hammond's daughter. Mount Allison University Archives. John Hammond fonds - 8800/3/11 #ColvilleTimeline

#OnThisDay August 24, 1920, David Alexander Colville was born. : Alex Colville in his Sackville, NB studio.

This catalogue documents the exhibition, Alex Colville: Student Years, held at the Owens 2012. This exhibition marked seventy years since Canadian artist Alex Colville graduated in Fine Arts from Mount Allison University in 1942. During his student years, Colville established working methods and practices that carried him forward gradually to become one of Canada’s leading artists. The exhibition brought together paintings borrowed from the artist, several drawings borrowed f...rom the National Gallery of Canada, photographs and material from the Mount Allison University Archives and work from the Owens Art Gallery collection. Exhibition curator Jane Tisdale paired artworks with archival photographs which offer a unique glimpse into Colville's student years at Mount Allison. These include three self portraits done when Colville was in second, third year and fourth year, and sketches for the decorations he painted for the junior prom on the theme "Above the Clouds" in 1941. This is a wonderful opportunity to view never before seen works by the young artist during one of the most formative periods of his career. You can read the catalogue for yourself, or buy it, at the catalogue stand in the lobby.

Colville created over 80 sketches when preparing to execute the mural Athletes, including detailed installation sketches which included notes about what type and size of screw to use to mount the triptych, and even how the stone slabs of the planter below should be considered. : Alex Colville, preparatory drawing for Athletes, 1960. Collection of the Owens Art Gallery. A. C. Fine Arts Inc.