Alma Duncan facts for kids

Alma Mary Duncan (born October 2, 1917 – died December 15, 2004) was a talented Canadian artist. She was a painter, graphic artist, and filmmaker from Paris, Ontario. Alma worked with many different materials, like charcoal, paint, and even puppets! Her art style changed a lot over her career. She created portraits, detailed drawings, and even abstract art.

Alma Duncan's Early Life

Alma Duncan was born in Paris, Ontario. She went to high school in Hamilton, Ontario and Montreal, Quebec. Her father, John Duncan, was an engineer who worked with fabrics. This gave Alma ideas for her art, especially how she mixed real-life images with abstract shapes.

Even though she mostly taught herself, Alma did study art as a teenager. She learned from Canadian painter Adam Sheriff Scott. From 1936 to 1943, Alma used her drawing skills at a commercial art studio. She drew products for mail-order catalogs. This work taught her to be very precise. She also took classes to draw people and portraits. These classes were with Ernst Neumann and Goodridge Roberts at the Art Association of Montreal. During this time, Alma often showed her artwork at exhibitions. In 1941, she joined a group called the Federation of Canadian Artists (FCA) in Montreal.

Art During Wartime

In 1943, Alma Duncan got permission to draw people working during World War II. She sketched war workers and members of the Canadian Women's Army Corps. Many of these drawings are now kept at the Canadian War Museum. These drawings of machines made Alma interested in industrial subjects. She even took time off in 1947 to draw industrial scenes around Ontario. This was while she was working at the National Film Board.

Alma Duncan's Film Work

In 1943, the National Film Board of Canada asked Alma to join their Graphics Division. She first designed posters and displays for their projects. Later, she moved to the Animation Department. There, she made her first film, Folksong Fantasy. This film was shown at the 1951 Edinburgh International Film Festival.

In 1951, Alma Duncan and her partner, Audrey McLaren, started their own film company called Dunclaren Productions. Their first film was Kumak the Sleepy Hunter (1953). It told an Inuit story using puppets and stop-motion animation. This film was even nominated for a BAFTA award in 1954! They made two more films: Hearts and Soles (1955) and Friendly Interchange (1959). The last one was made with chalk drawings. After 1960, Alma stopped making animated films. She wanted to focus more on her drawings and paintings.

Mid-Career Art

In the 1960s, Alma started trying out abstract art. This means art that doesn't try to show things exactly as they are. Her Woman Series broke down the female shape into circles. These works were shown in major exhibitions across Canada and in other countries. Her art during this time connected with ideas of women's rights, even though she didn't call herself a feminist.

Alma also made a "dot" series of drawings using simple circles to show planets and stars. In 1966, she joined the Canadian Society of Graphic Arts. Alma was very interested in other abstract artists, which influenced her own work.

Stamps for Canada Post

'Autumn' stamp from Alma Duncan's 1971 "The Maple in Four Seasons" series

In 1970, Canada Post asked Alma Duncan to design stamps. She created a series called Maple Leaf in Four Seasons, which came out in 1971. She also designed Floral Aerogrammes in 1973. Her "Autumn" stamp from the maple leaf series was even chosen as the "stamp of the month" by a magazine that reviewed stamps worldwide.

Later Life and Legacy

From 1960 until she passed away, Alma Duncan spent most of her time painting and drawing. She often worked outdoors near her home in Cumberland, Ontario. She continued to be interested in industrial subjects. This led to an exhibition of her industrial drawings in 1987. She also loved the Canadian North. In 1975, she spent two months sketching on Baffin and Ellesmere Islands.

Alma also taught art at different times in her career. She taught courses at Laval University and the Ottawa School of Art. She also gave lectures about animation and collage. One of her students was the printmaker Betty Davison.

Alma Duncan passed away on December 15, 2004. She had been living with Alzheimer's disease for almost ten years.

In 2014, an exhibition called Alma: The Life and Art of Alma Duncan (1917-2004) was put together. It was shown at the Ottawa Art Gallery. This helped people learn more about her amazing life and art.