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Empty Chairs
When Barb was a young lass, she had the good fortune to meet Pierre and Elizabeth. These people became surrogate parents for her. Pierre got sick and was dying when Barb got a notice that Elizabeth had died. She was so expecting that it would be Pierre that it took a while for it to sink in that it was her beloved Elizabeth whom had passed on first.
By this time, Pierre was going down fast and needed increasing amounts of help. Barb spent quite a bit of time there just being with Pierre and helping him with his needs.
With free time on her hands and the prospect of Pierre’s impending death, she decided she would paint the chairs in the living room.
She painted “Empty Chairs” over the next four months and showed the finished painting just two days before Pierre died. She then went home and painted “Pierre on his Death Bed”. The next day she went back and stayed with him while he died.
Person College of the Pacific.
Acrylic on Canvas
40” by 32”
2005
When Barb was a young lass, she had the good fortune to meet Pierre and Elizabeth. These people became surrogate parents for her. Over the years Barb kept in touch with them and in the fullness of time developed an inspirational relationship with them. For many years, Barb would go with them to a Quaker meeting with them and then go over to their house for lunch every Sunday. In this way, Barb eventually became a Quaker herself. Pierre got sick and was dying when Barb got a notice that Elizabeth had died. She was so expecting that it would be Pierre that it took a while for it to sink in that it was her beloved Elizabeth whom had passed on first. By this time, Pierre was going down fast and needed increasing amounts of help. Barb spent quite a bit of time there just being with Pierre and helping him with his needs. With free time on her hands and the prospect of Pierre’s impending death, Barb asked Pierre if she could paint a picture of the two of them in their chairs. Pierre said “No”. So she asked if she could just paint the chairs in the living room and Pierre agreed. Barb set to with a will. The first thing she had to do was buy new paint! Barb paints in bright, vivid colours and their living room was definitely not that! There is a print of an abstract painting over the fireplace. Pierre was an abstract painter and he and Elizabeth really enjoyed the art form. Pierre was always after Barb to paint an abstract and, over the years had given her advice on how to paint one. Now she was to do a reproduction of a reproduction of an abstract. So why not do it as an abstract as well. Pierre was delighted.
She painted “Empty Chairs” over the next four months and finished it just two days before Pierre died. She held it up for him to see. He nodded and said “It works”. At that point, this was about all he was up to saying. She then went home and painted Pierre on his Death Bed .
The next day she went back and stayed with him while he died.
Pierre and Elizabeth were patrons of a number of organizations and were particularly supportive of education.
One of their beneficiaries is the “Pearson College of the Pacific” located just out of Victoria. They gave money and other kinds of support. One way they helped was by hosting children from the school whom could not return to their own homes for holidays.
Barb decided to donate the canvas to the school in honour of Pierre and Elizabeth and so that students and others from the school could have the opportunity to see the inside of their living room and their empty chairs again.
20% of sales of reproductions will be donated to support girl’s education in Afghanastan, as that was a particular interest for Elizabeth.
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