Cheney, Nan (Anna Getrude Lawson )
Item
Maker Name
Cheney, Nan (Anna Getrude Lawson )
Marks
Biography
Anna Getrude Lawson Cheney, known as Nan, was born in Windsor, Nova Scotia in 1897. Her father (Alexander Lawson) was involved in the laying of the Trans-Atlantic Cable.
Nan Cheney was a highly trained painter who turned to making /carving pottery at the end of her career. She had trained with many painters, and her eclectic practice included portraiture, landscape, medical illustration (watercolour) and finally pottery. Her striking and animated 1937 portrait of Emily Carr hangs in the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
From 1917-18 she studied at the Newcombe College Art School, Tulane University, New Orleans. From 1920-21 with Max Broedel, - ‘Art as Applied to Medicine’ at the School of Medical Illustration, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
She was employed as a medical illustrator at McGill University from 1921 till her marriage to Dr. Hill Cheney in 1924.
During the 1920s and 30s, she continued to study painting with J.W. Beatty at the Ontario College of Art Summer School, with Franklin Brownell, Art Assoc. of Ottawa, with Aldro T. Hibbard, Summer School of Drawing & Painting, Rockport, with Lilias Torrance Newton, Art Assoc. of Montreal, and finally with Alexandre Iacovleff, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1936.
Nan had traveled to BC for landscape painting during the 1930s and taught painting at the Banff School of Fine Arts in 1936. By 1937 Nan and Dr. Cheney had moved to BC.
In the 1930s to the mid-1940s Nan became a close friend of Emily Carr, and together they would go off to paint landscape. For the remainder of Emily Carr’s life they exchanged letters which are published in “Dear Nan”, complied by Doreen Walker. In 1938 Nan had a solo show at the Vancouver Art Gallery that included the Carr portrait, and had another solo show in 1942.
During the 1940s and 50s Nan also traveled around BC to paint with Lawren Harris and Jock Macdonald. Some of Nan’s oil paintings are the only records of old mining and industrial sites. These paintings were featured in a retrospective put on by Beau-Xi Gallery in the late 1970s. The sold-out exhibition brought her some much needed income.
Post WWII Nan became well acquainted with the Modernist art community of Vancouver, including architects Arthur Erickson and Ian Davidson. She was included in "Leading Vancouver Artists," by the Labour Arts Guild and assisted in the second annual 'B.C. At Work' exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1946. Her work was frequently included in VAG exhibitions from the late 1930s to the 1950s and she exhibited with the B.C. Society of Fine Arts in their Annual Exhibitions.
When Dr. Cheney died in 1951 Nan took up medical illustration at UBC as their first medical artist. She held that position until 1962. Upon her retirement Victor Doray became the first Head of the Department of Medical Illustration at UBC. New technologies enabled him to start using multimedia, film and computers. In the mid 1970s Victor curated an exhibition celebrating Nan’s exquisitely rendered medical watercolours.
By the 1960s Nan could no longer go on painting excursions and her painting companions had passed away. She took up pottery in the mid-60s, attending classes at the Ross Huyghe School of Pottery. The last of her artistic production was made from 1973 to 1979 at Peg’s Place Pottery School. As Nan was suffering from angina she was assisted with wedging and lifting. Her pots were simply thrown and left with thick walls so that they could be carved, which she did, slowly, at her home. She almost always used a matt textured white glaze to highlight the carving. The best of her highly collectable pots were elaborately carved with scrupulous attention to detail, interestingly reminiscent of her medical art skills. Her carving was Modenist with clean almost form-line designs.
Nan Cheney was a highly trained painter who turned to making /carving pottery at the end of her career. She had trained with many painters, and her eclectic practice included portraiture, landscape, medical illustration (watercolour) and finally pottery. Her striking and animated 1937 portrait of Emily Carr hangs in the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa.
From 1917-18 she studied at the Newcombe College Art School, Tulane University, New Orleans. From 1920-21 with Max Broedel, - ‘Art as Applied to Medicine’ at the School of Medical Illustration, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore.
She was employed as a medical illustrator at McGill University from 1921 till her marriage to Dr. Hill Cheney in 1924.
During the 1920s and 30s, she continued to study painting with J.W. Beatty at the Ontario College of Art Summer School, with Franklin Brownell, Art Assoc. of Ottawa, with Aldro T. Hibbard, Summer School of Drawing & Painting, Rockport, with Lilias Torrance Newton, Art Assoc. of Montreal, and finally with Alexandre Iacovleff, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston in 1936.
Nan had traveled to BC for landscape painting during the 1930s and taught painting at the Banff School of Fine Arts in 1936. By 1937 Nan and Dr. Cheney had moved to BC.
In the 1930s to the mid-1940s Nan became a close friend of Emily Carr, and together they would go off to paint landscape. For the remainder of Emily Carr’s life they exchanged letters which are published in “Dear Nan”, complied by Doreen Walker. In 1938 Nan had a solo show at the Vancouver Art Gallery that included the Carr portrait, and had another solo show in 1942.
During the 1940s and 50s Nan also traveled around BC to paint with Lawren Harris and Jock Macdonald. Some of Nan’s oil paintings are the only records of old mining and industrial sites. These paintings were featured in a retrospective put on by Beau-Xi Gallery in the late 1970s. The sold-out exhibition brought her some much needed income.
Post WWII Nan became well acquainted with the Modernist art community of Vancouver, including architects Arthur Erickson and Ian Davidson. She was included in "Leading Vancouver Artists," by the Labour Arts Guild and assisted in the second annual 'B.C. At Work' exhibition at the Vancouver Art Gallery in 1946. Her work was frequently included in VAG exhibitions from the late 1930s to the 1950s and she exhibited with the B.C. Society of Fine Arts in their Annual Exhibitions.
When Dr. Cheney died in 1951 Nan took up medical illustration at UBC as their first medical artist. She held that position until 1962. Upon her retirement Victor Doray became the first Head of the Department of Medical Illustration at UBC. New technologies enabled him to start using multimedia, film and computers. In the mid 1970s Victor curated an exhibition celebrating Nan’s exquisitely rendered medical watercolours.
By the 1960s Nan could no longer go on painting excursions and her painting companions had passed away. She took up pottery in the mid-60s, attending classes at the Ross Huyghe School of Pottery. The last of her artistic production was made from 1973 to 1979 at Peg’s Place Pottery School. As Nan was suffering from angina she was assisted with wedging and lifting. Her pots were simply thrown and left with thick walls so that they could be carved, which she did, slowly, at her home. She almost always used a matt textured white glaze to highlight the carving. The best of her highly collectable pots were elaborately carved with scrupulous attention to detail, interestingly reminiscent of her medical art skills. Her carving was Modenist with clean almost form-line designs.
First name
Nan (Anna Getrude)
Last name
Cheney (nee Lawson)
Career dates (start and end)
1921
1979
Date of Birth
1898
Date of Death
1985
Place of Birth
Windsor, Nova Scotia
Place of Death
Studio location
Formal Education
Major Exhibitions
Around 1979, Beau-Xi Gallery, Retrospective of 1930s/40s landscapes and mining sites.
Mid 1970s, Retrospective of medical illustrations, curated by Victor Doray, Department of Medical Illustration, UBC
Collections
National Gallery of Canada (1937 Portrait of Emily Carr)
Art Gallery of Greater Victoria
Affiliated organizations
Links to Further Resources
1990 Dear Nan: Letters of Emily Carr, Nan Cheney, and Humphrey Toms (edited by Doreen Walker)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nan_Lawson_Cheney
Nan Cheney fonds at Rare Books and Special Collections, UBC
GREATER VANCOUVER ART GALLERIES 1954-2020 (refer to GVAG20)
2 references to Cheney.
2 references to Cheney.
http://sim-publishing.com/bca/cheneynl.htm
Source
Debra E. Sloan
Item sets
Linked resources
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