Following are twelve Halifax, Nova Scotia heritage homes painted (watercolor) by myself with the intent of making a 2015 calendar.
While discussing the framing of the originals with a framing firm, the owner asked if I was willing to sell the entire collection.....wow!..... Doing so was something I had not considered and was completely taken back to think that these were of a quality someone would be interested in.
The calendar idea was limited to the thought of presenting friends with a unique Christmas gift. I hesitated to respond to his offer as I was still feeling an attachment to these works of art. Now, I will proceed a little further and have the collection appraised.
The positive feedback from friends has been incredible and a few have compared my work with that of my late twin....eerie!
I now sense that this project is one of my best achievements in life......a daunting successful task and with a gift of excellence and passion.
In the process of painting these, each image has been researched and I have so, so many persons to thank for the sharing of information. In particular, the Nova Scotia Archives has been a tremendous resource and second to the Heritage Trust of Nova Scotia.
The 9th image in this collection does not physically exist however I have included it in this collection of existing residences in honor of my Mother who spoke so fondly of this Goorsebrook home. This home of Enos Collins was demolished in 1959. It is this home in which she stayed as she awaited news that a troop ship was prepared for departure for the UK where Mother served in Churchill's war rooms.
I was delighted to find success in the first image as it was a residence of my mentor, Mary Bourgeois. This structure was one of the first apartment buildings to be constructed in the city. It now is the property of Dalhousie University.
The last home carries with it a history of being an icon of residence design by those who came to Nova Scotia in 1751 (German Protestant Loyalists) -- this is the era in which my family arrived in Canada and could well have been a duplicate of what the Falkenhayn family built as their home.
I remain proud to display these works of art....enjoy
Melanie Elliott (AKA Nightingale)
