Grace Wilson Melvin facts for kids
Grace Wilson Melvin (born 1892 or 1896, died 1977) was a talented artist, teacher, and professor from Glasgow, Scotland. She later became a Canadian citizen. Grace is known as one of two women who helped bring modern calligraphy to Canada. Calligraphy is the art of beautiful handwriting. The other woman was Esme Davis.
Grace Melvin's Art Education
Grace Melvin started studying art at the Glasgow School of Art in 1907. She took many classes, including drawing, painting, and design. She also attended life classes, where artists draw from live models.
Her art was shaped by the popular style of her time, called Art Nouveau. This style often featured flowing lines and natural shapes. It also had influences from the Pre-Raphaelite movement, which focused on detailed and colorful art.
Grace learned from famous teachers like Robert Anning Bell and Charles Rennie Mackintosh. She graduated with high honors in 1916. Then, she earned a special post-graduate diploma in 1918.
While studying in London at the British Museum, Grace found her true passion: illumination. Illumination is the art of decorating texts, especially old manuscripts, with beautiful designs and pictures. She even got special permission to copy some of the museum's amazing illuminated works.
Grace Melvin's Career
After finishing her studies in 1918, Grace Melvin became a teacher at the Glasgow School of Art in 1920. Between 1920 and 1927, she taught several courses, including:
- Lettering and Illumination
- History of Lettering and Illumination
Grace also worked as a scribe for the city of Glasgow. A scribe is someone who writes or copies documents. She created special "illuminated addresses" for important people. These were fancy, decorated documents given to honor someone.
In 1927, Grace traveled to Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada. She took a two-year break from the Glasgow School of Art to help set up the Design Department at the Vancouver Art School.
She accepted a full-time job there in 1929 as the Head of the Design Department. Grace was very interested in First Nations art. She encouraged her students to find inspiration from this art in their own work.
Grace retired from the Vancouver Art School in 1952. After retiring, she became a full-time painter. She also wrote and illustrated many books. While her main love was lettering and illumination, she also painted many landscapes, garden scenes, and coastal views. She used different art materials like watercolor, oil paints, and ink.
Publications and Art Work
One of Grace Melvin's most famous works is the Books of Remembrance. She created these books for Canadian engineers who fought in World War I. These special books are now on display in St Paul's Cathedral in London, England.
She also drew pictures for many books by Marius Barbeau. These included "The Indian Speaks" (1943) and "Le Rêve de Kamalmouk" (1948). Her own book, Basic Lettering for Art Students (1930), is still used for teaching today.
Grace also created many books for the Department of Education of British Columbia. These included the Student Manual and Workbook (1949) and the Teacher's Manual.
Final Years
Grace Wilson Melvin passed away in Vancouver, British Columbia, on March 8, 1977.
