Seeing Daddy Off to Work
But in the case of this piece "Neville Park Loop" I know not only the story behind it, but also the two young girls pictured. That's because it was commissioned by my sister-in-law (Kelly) for her mom (Suzanne) on the event of her 75th birthday. The painting would include Suzanne, her sister Joanne, and their parents, Ann and Charles (Charlie) Matthews...taking part in a daily ritual that was an important part of Suzanne's childhood.
In the late 1940's, the Matthews family lived on Neville Park Boulevard in the east end of Toronto. Neville park is well known for a couple of reasons. It's the end of the Queen streetcar run, where the cars would loop and head back west towards the downtown. The tracks also terminate right by the iconic RC Harris filtration plant, a master work of Art Deco architecture that dominates the eastern Beach.
Every weekday morning, Charlie would ride the Queen streetcar to his job in the tax department at Old City Hall. The family would walk to the corner, and Charlie would board the streetcar with a cheery wave to Ann and the two girls. He was never without the Toronto Telegram paper, and he would occupy himself on the commute by catching up on the latest news. It was entrusted to me to bring this fond memory back to life on the canvas.
Kelly provided me with some great reference pictures of the four family members.
Charles and Ann Matthews
Joanne and Suzanne 1946. Ann, Suzanne and Joanne 1947.
The pictures were great, and I especially liked the winter attire on all involved. So I had my cast of characters, now I needed their stage.
The location was a lock. I just needed to see it as it looked back in the late forties. I found the above image, which based on the car, is probably mid-fifties. But I knew that corner had changed little over the years, so as long as I back-dated the car a bit, the reference should work. In fact, to this day, that corner is very much the same.
Enamored as I was by my subjects' winter garb, I felt a cold weather scene was on order. But I also liked the colour and foliage in my reference pic. And so I settled on a fall scene, which would make sense of the clothing and also allow for some bright fall colours in the leaves. Plus, I don't know why, but going off to work just seems to fit with fall from a mood standpoint. Pathetic fallacy, and all that rot!
The requested format size was 12" x 24"...which meant the small brushes would be getting a workout. I sketched out the painting, got approval, and proceeded from there.
While the smaller format wasn't ideal in terms of rendering detail, details would be the name of the game with this piece, and it would be important to get them right. The early morning light would be coming from the east, and if it was fall, would be relatively angled. Since the view was looking east, the subjects would therefore be back-lit. This includes the Peter Witt streetcar, the model in use up to that point (indeed it was in the 1940s that the Peter Witts were beginning to be replaced by the more modern PCC cars, which themselves were still running in 1985 when I arrived in Toronto).
There was also the vintage Canada Dry sign over the corner store.
I had Charlie use the paper to wave, as a means of making sure that particular detail wasn't missed.
And of course, Ann and the girls on the corner waving goodbye as would do every day.
Many minute mixes of paint hues and several tiny brushes later, "Neville Park Loop" was completed.
To say it was well received by Suzanne is an understatement. And for me, I had the pleasure of bringing back to life a story both authentic and cherished.
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