November 24, 2008

Many of the works painted by Renfrew Artist Betty Flower hang in the homes of her family and friends. This year, her art will be delivered to hundreds of homes in the area, because she has the special honour of having one of her paintings featured on the Christmas card sent out by the Renfrew Victoria Hospital Foundation.

RVH CEO Randy Penney, who has known the artist for a number of years, says the organization is pleased to showcase her work.

“Betty is a great artist, and it is a privilege for us to be able to share her work on behalf of our Foundation,“ says Penney. ”The quality local artwork on our Tree of Lights cards has become a hallmark for this campaign.”

Coincidentally, Flower’s scene of an elegant couple driving through the snow in a horse-drawn wagon was inspired by an image on a Christmas card that had come across her desk in the artist’s days as an office worker and bookkeeper.

“For some reason it stood out and when it was time for us to take down the cards after the holidays, I made sure to keep that one for future reference,” she recalls.

Flower named her rendition “Early Snow” and she describes a “classy” couple riding along together surrounded by a dusting of snow, typical of the weather at this time of year.

“It would have to be one of the first snowfalls because the wagon wheels are still on,” she says, noting that otherwise it would have been a horse-drawn sleigh in the painting.

As far back as she can remember Flower has had a passion for art and has been actively painting.

As a child, she would ask her father to draw her a horse, and she could barely wait for him to be finished so she could paint what he had drawn. “He was so precise,” she says of the WWI veteran. She also speaks fondly about her mother’s support of her artistic interests. While not as talented an illustrator as her husband, Flower’s mother would still draw her “big fat bunnies.”

Born and raised near Tweed, Ontario in the small village of Thomasburg, Flower had a number of interests. “I was a bit of a tomboy since I was raised with a bunch of boys and always have been sports inclined,” she says.

After high school, she attended business college in Belleville and after marrying her husband, Haley, the pair settled in Renfrew where they raised three children. The family has grown over the years to include three grandchildren.

While they are now back in town, the Flowers lived for some time at Hurd’s Lake—a place that has inspired many a painting in Flower’s catalog.

The spry silver-haired lady, who has enjoyed writing as another favourite hobby, recently published a book of stories about the early settlers of Hurd’s Lake.

However, she says art has always been at the centre of everything in her life. While she was working, she would take the opportunity to learn new techniques by enrolling in night classes or attending week-long workshops when she had the chance—and even took university correspondence courses on the history of art.

“I just love to learn,” she comments.

Whether it be with watercolour or oils, an empty canvas would soon be filled with rich scenes of the Valley hills or an abstract interpretation of simple fruit. As for her inspiration, Flower quips that it’s mostly “all in my head.”

The artist also loves to help where she can and was involved over the years with RVH charity balls, helping to arrange the themes and preparing artwork for the occasion.

Flower says she’s always wanted to give something back to help the RVH Foundation and now has her chance by contributing her work for the card.

She created “Early Snow” about 30 years ago and notes that it’s one of the smallest in her collection of paintings.

She is proud to have had it chosen for the 2008 RVH Tree of Lights campaign cards.

“These (auxiliary) girls work so hard—all of the hospital’s many volunteers do—and this seems a fitting way for me to help out this year,” she says with clear pleasure.

“I’m very impressed at what I see going on there at the hospital,” the artist concludes, “just by walking around its halls, you see the work these wonderful people do.”

The Tree of Lights is the hospital foundation’s largest annual fund-raising endeavour. Donations received this year will add to the RVH CT fund, bringing this important diagnostic capability to Renfrew.

“Adding the CT service is a very ambitious undertaking,” comments RVH CEO Randy Penney, noting that a $3 million investment will be required and all of the funds have to be raised locally.

“We are confident that our community will support us,” he adds, “and we are delighted to have people like Betty Flower and our Tree of Lights volunteers involved in this year’s campaign.”

The Tree of Lights ceremony will take place at Low Square in downtown Renfrew on Friday, December 5 beginning at 6:00 p.m.

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(For more information contact Barb Desilets, RVH Foundation Office, 613-432-4851, ext. 263.)