A Passion for Art: The Art and Dynamics of the Limners

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian studies at
Concordia University, and the author of Kurlek, Margaret Laurence: The
Long Journey Home, and As Though Life Mattered: Leo Kennedy’s Story.

The Limners are described by the author as a unique group of artists,
“soulmates, friends and colleagues” who with commitment and
“frivolity” have shared exhibitions and their passion for art for 25
years. The Victoria-based group includes painters, sculptors,
collagists, printmakers, ceramicists, calligraphers, and photographers.

Patricia Bovey, currently director of the Art Gallery of Greater
Victoria, obviously knows them well. A look at the many black-and-white
photographs helps to explain “frivolity.” In subject matter as in
media, the work varies widely, sharing the best of classical and modern
traditions. Bovey describes the common element in the Limners’ work as
“the human figure, or the human condition,” a focus determined when
they joined forces as an artists’ group in 1971.

The artists were drawn to Vancouver Island by its landscape, a sense of
freedom, and the Island’s history with its aboriginal roots. Their
friendships and artistic passions, along with a record of their growth
and exhibitions, make a fascinating story. A Passion for Art is an
attractive book, well told, well organized, and well documented.