Starting at the top left hand corner of the Country Wife, the area is dark but, not empty. It would seem to show women working in the garden. It is unusual in my mind to have a dark area at the top of a piece of work but it works well here in that it does not detract from the central and well lit areas. To the right of the garden is the village with the church, gravestones, and a barn in weathered wood. The houses look large and grand. The large tent would appear to feature a flower show.
The top right area is equally dark. The church spire is included again for continuity. There are more houses in the village plus farm animals and a horse jumping. Maybe it is an orchard and the fruit is being gathered. Although these areas contain a lot of detail they are still background for the main areas below. I do not know what activity is happening in the second tent. I look forward to a reply telling what is happening in this tent.
Included is another picture of the total mural so that you can place these sections in context.
The rest of the detail of the mural is much easier to see.
These photos are all screen shots, of screen shots, which affects the quality and the clarity of the pictures. My apologies for this but it is the best option available to me.
There is a lot more to see in this huge mural.
Postscript: What I am always hoping for, has actually happened. A reader has sent me extra information to share with you. Constance Howard visited with Peggy and Bernard Kimble at their home on Vancouver Island in 1989. This is a photo taken during that visit. Peggy is on the right and Constance, on the left. (You are not imagining it, Constance really did have green hair. It was that colour long before hair colouring became popular.)
Those of you who read the Inspirations weekly Newsletter, will be familiar with the wonderful embroidery that Peggy has stitched. Visiting her home in Thornbury, Ontario, is a visit to a sumptuous textile gallery. Peggy has also visited Constance in England and remembers The Country Wife well.
“It was impressive.” Peggy says.
Constance Howard visited Canada many times. She taught at Embroiderer’s Association of Canada Seminar and at the Canadian Embroiderer’s Guild, London, Ontario. I hope that further details/anecdotes will be sent to me so that they can be included here. These six segments about The Country Wife Mural are really a tribute to her. Researching for information about her career, pictures of the textiles she designed, and her life brought up very little information. This would be a good research project for a thesis.