K.M. Graham
Canadian artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kathleen Margaret Graham RCA (1913–2008) was a Canadian abstract impressionist artist known for depicting colors and patterns she found in nature.[1] She is known for becoming a painter at the age of 50, after her husband, Dr. Wallace Graham, died in 1962.[2]
Kathleen Margaret Graham | |
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| Born | 1913 Hamilton, Ontario, Canada |
| Died | August 26, 2008 (aged 94–95) Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | Trinity College, Toronto |
| Style | Abstract impressionism |
| Spouse | Dr. Wallace Graham |
Early life and education
Graham was born in Hamilton, Ontario, in 1913.[1] She graduated from Trinity College at the University of Toronto with a degree in home economics in 1936.[2] She never received a formal education or training in art.[2]
Art career
Graham was a museum docent at the Art Gallery of Toronto, where she became familiar with works by Piet Mondrian and American color field painters.[1] During travels with her husband, she visited art galleries and museums, developing her love of art.[2]
Encouraged by Jack Bush to paint, Graham had her first solo art exhibition in Toronto in 1967, at the Carmen Lamanna Gallery.[3][2] In 1971, after visiting Cape Dorset in the Canadian Arctic, she shifted her focus to depicting the region's landscape.[1] In 1976, she became an artist in residence in Cape Dorset, going on to introduce acrylic paints to Inuit artists.[2] One critic described her paintings as "playful, expansive, and unpretentious".[4]
Recognition
Graham's paintings are part of the permanent collections at the National Gallery of Canada, the Art Gallery of Ontario, the McMichael Canadian Art Collection, and the British Museum.[2] Graham's bequest of books has been turned into an art reference browsing collection within the John W. Graham library at Trinity College, University of Toronto.
Graham was a member of the Royal Canadian Academy of Arts and exhibited alongside her peers.[1] She showed her work across North America and Europe.[2] In 1998, Graham was made an honorary fellow of Trinity College.
Personal life
After her marriage to Dr. Wallace Graham, in 1938, Graham spent the next several years raising their two children.[2] Having always been inspired by nature, Graham continued canoeing, swimming, writing, and painting until she was 92.[2] Graham died on August 26, 2008, in Toronto, at the age of 94 and suffering from Alzheimer's disease.[2]