Alice Lacey| 1990| 63 of 75
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Alice Lacey| 1990| 63 of 75
Edmonton
10337 124 Street
Edmonton AB T5N 1R1
Canada
About the Artwork
Alice Lacey (1990) is an etching and aquatint with hand-colouring by David Blackwood (1941–2022), created as a portrait not of a face but of a world. The print image divides into two panels joined as a diptych: on the left, pink roses in full bloom rest in a round glass vase against a darkened interior; on the right, a Wesleyville saltbox house stands beneath dramatic storm clouds, with a picket fence marking the boundary between cultivated ground and wild sky. The hand-colouring creates a warm-cool contrast—pink and green against blue-grey—linking the domestic sphere with the forces beyond it.
Miss Alice Lacey was a former teacher of David Blackwood's in Wesleyville, a keeper of community memory who witnessed the harbour in its prime. In William Gough's 2001 monograph, she recalled: "There was a time here, if you sat down and looked out at the motorboats going, and up here along what we call 'the reach,' there were as many as sixty-four schooners. And in the spring when they were getting ready and all had their sails up, you could go right up the reach, jumping from one deck to another. People were proud of it."1 This print stands as a portrait of her spirit—cultivated beauty preserved inside while witnessing the world transform outside.
The diptych format itself becomes symbolic: the roses represent care, cultivation, and domestic grace; the house and storm sky embody permanence tested by time and nature. The fence divides cultivated from wild, inside from outside, memory from change. In Blackwood's hands, ordinary objects become a language for honouring those who shaped him—teachers, elders, witnesses to a vanished world.
Dimensions and Details
- Title: Alice Lacey
- Artist: David Blackwood (1941–2022)
- Year: 1990
- Size: 11" × 14" (27.9 × 35.6 cm)
- Medium: Etching and aquatint with hand-colouring on paper
- Edition: 63/75
- Condition: Pristine. These specific impressions have been stored flat in archival conditions since 1990, never displayed or exposed to ambient light.
Acquisition Enquiries
Alice Lacey 63/75 is offered exclusively through West End Gallery. Enquiries are welcome. We invite you to contact us directly to arrange a private viewing. Layaway options are available upon request. Shipping is quoted based on location; local delivery within Edmonton and surrounding communities is complimentary.
Citations
- Alice Lacey quoted in William Gough, David Blackwood: Master Printmaker (Toronto: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2001).
Accessibility Description
This diptych print consists of two joined panels. The left panel shows an interior still life: approximately fifteen to twenty pink roses in full bloom arranged in a round glass vase with a decorative diamond or crosshatch pattern. The flowers include several fully opened roses in varying shades of coral pink and salmon, with green leaves interspersed throughout. The background is a dark fabric or curtain with dramatic folds rendered in deep greys and blacks. The roses are hand-coloured, contrasting with the monochromatic etched background.
The right panel depicts an exterior landscape scene featuring a two-storey Wesleyville saltbox house with dark grey shingles and a covered porch. In the foreground stands a prominent picket fence rendered in blue-grey aquatint tones, with vertical slats creating strong linear rhythms. The sky above shows sweeping storm clouds with diagonal rays of light breaking through, suggesting either dawn or dusk. A bare winter tree stands to the left of the house. The foreground ground plane is hand-coloured in warm ochre and salmon tones. A distant ocean horizon is visible beyond the house.
The central vertical division between the two panels creates a threshold effect, linking the cultivated interior world of the roses with the wild exterior landscape. The work is an etching and aquatint with selective hand-colouring, signed "David Blackwood 1990" in the lower right and titled "Alice Lacey" in the lower left.
Full Provenance
- 1990: Created by David Blackwood
- 1990: Edition of 75 published
- 1990–Present: Private collection; never displayed; stored in archival conditions; offered through West End Gallery, Edmonton
Disclaimer
This description has been prepared by West End Gallery using original documentation and current scholarship. Whilst every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, minor variations or additional information may emerge through ongoing research. Prospective purchasers are encouraged to contact us to confirm any details critical to their acquisition decision.
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