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'A penetrating study based on unique archival material and a deep analysis into hundreds of wartime works of art.'—Tim Cook, author of The Fight for History: 75 Years of Forgetting, Remembering, and Remaking of Canada's Second World WarThe third volume of this award-winning series showcases paintings and drawings E. J. Hughes created during the artist's war service in Ottawa, England, Wales, and Alaska.In this, the third volume of an award-winning series on artist E. J. Hughes (1913–2007), Robert Amos turns his focus to Hughes's service in the Second World War.The narrative begins with Hughes's cadet days with the Seaforth Highlanders in Vancouver, followed by his enlistment at the Work Point Barracks in Esquimalt in 1939. Named the first “service artist” in 1941, he spent two winters in Ottawa before being posted to London where he was attached to different regiments in England and Wales. His paintings of camp life and convoys reflect his keen attention to the details of vehicles, artillery, and uniforms. In 1943 on the Alaskan island of Kiska, he transformed sub-zero weather and howling gales into a powerful document of this remote theatre of war. He returned to Ottawa where he worked until 1946—Canada's first, last, and longest-serving War Artist of the Second World War. He was also the most prolific.The book features seventy artworks from the Canadian War Museum's holdings, expanded with many personal photos and sketches from the artist's papers. The narrative situates Hughes's wartime work within the broader context of his life and his development as an artist. With the care and knowledge of a fellow artist, Amos draws the reader into this important chapter in the life of E. J. Hughes and Canadian art. more...

A vividly wrought memoir, Last Dance in Shediac is a collection of the author's personal memories of her mother—celebrated Canadian artist Molly Lamb Bobak—and a tender meditation on life and death. Molly Lamb Bobak (1922–2014) was the first woman to travel overseas as an official Canadian war artist. She was also the daughter of famous Canadian artist Harold Mortimer-Lamb, whose contemporaries included Emily Carr, A.Y. Jackson, and Jack Shadbolt. In this homage to her artist mother, Anny Scoones rounds out her mother's public profile by revealing personal stories. Anny's memories reveal the funny and touching details of her relationship with Molly, from the road trips they took together to the visits Molly would make to Victoria to visit Anny on Glamorgan Farm, and the lovely chaos that ensued when Anny's five dogs would greet Molly in the car. Anny shares their little inside jokes and the memories they made together in a way that brings their connection—beyond mother–daughter bond to close friendship—to life for the reader. As her mother ages and becomes increasingly frail, Anny spends more and more time in Fredericton. Their road trips grow shorter, and Anny's reflections on how it feels to finally watch her mother go are tender, heartbreaking, and memorable. more...