Local artist donates painting to Veterans Affairs

A local artist has donated a large painting of two poppies to Veteran’s Affairs, and it will be hung at their head Office in Charlottetown, PEI. Carole Malcolm served nine years in the military, from 1978-87, stationed in Cold Lake, Alberta, as a supply technician for the then new CF-18 Hornet. After she retired from the military, she spent some time working for National Defense in Ottawa before turning her attention full time to her art.

As an impressionist painter, Carole is inspired by Canadian wilderness and seascapes. Her art is hanging in galleries all over the country, from Vancouver Island, to Saint John, NB. After 18 years of being a professional artist, it wasn’t until recently that she added painting poppies to her repertoire. She says she was inspired to do something to pay tribute to those who served in Afghanistan and Iraq. It was also a heartfelt Remembrance Day ceremony in 2017 that prompted her to want to do her part in remembering those lost serving our country.

The process of painting the poppies has been somewhat cathartic for Carole, in that it has fused her military background with her current career as an artist. “It’s another way of me connecting to my military people,” she says. Of her approximately 20 paintings of poppies, the 40×40 inch painting called “In Flanders Fields” is Carole’s favourite. “I never let it go out of the studio,” she says. “I wanted it to be somewhere special.”

Carole contacted Veteran’s Affairs to see if they would be interested in the painting and was very happy when they said they would accept it to display in their atrium at their headquarters. “I was thrilled when they said yes,” she says.

Carole is an active member of the North Grenville Artists Guild, which has been reinvigorated in the past year. “A lot has been done in the last year to grow the guild,” she says. “We have gone from six to over 50 members.” The guild is open to all types of artists at any experience level, from beginner hobbyists to seasoned professionals. Anyone interested is welcome to come to their monthly meetings at the Masonic Lodge in Kemptville. For more information about the North Grenville Artists Guild, visit www.ngartsguild.ca. To find out more about Carole and her work, visit her website at www.carolemalcolm.ca.