A Personal Calligraphy

Patricia Morley is professor emerita of English and Canadian Studies at
Concordia University and an avid outdoor recreationist. She is the
author of several books, including The Mountain Is Moving: Japanese
Women’s Lives, Kurlek and Margaret Laurence: T

East Coast artist Mary Pratt is one of Canada’s most popular painters.
This memoir includes more than a score of full-page color illustrations
of her work. Many of these are still-life paintings of edible delights.
Cherries in the Garden, Balancing Oranges, Late Supper, and Bananas by
the Sea, 1996 reflect the eye of a woman and a housewife who is also a
fine painter. Less typical is the seascape Big Spray at Lamsden, 1996
and Study for Fire with Blue Smoke, 1996. Pratt’s work goes beyond
realism to catch the mysterious essence of her subjects.

The volume includes published articles and 10 speeches and reflections.
Some are topical, others very personal. There are stories of growing up
in Fredericton, the difficulties of juggling painting and mothering, and
the rhythms and joys of home and garden in St. John’s.

Pratt’s quiet text, like many of her paintings, is “redolent of
mystery,” a phrase she uses to describe the oranges that inspired her
Reflections of Oranges, 1996. A Personal Calligraphy is a slim book that
bears rereadings. It could grace fireside or bedside.