Both of these works were shown in the Qu’Appelle: Tales of Two Valleys exhibition organized by the Mendel Art Gallery in 2002. The smaller work was formerly Untitled (autumn valley vista), a name given to it by its owner but when seen side by side in the exhibition with the larger work, it was apparent that they were both paintings of the same location but from a slightly different perspective. When Troy Mamer and I were researching the sites Henderson painted in the Qu’Appelle Valley, we visited Peter and Jean Flett, who live in a turn-of-the-century brick and fieldstone farmhouse where their family has lived for three generations. The Flett farm is reached by the Mackie Road, named after the local RCMP constable, a place that Henderson also painted in a number of works. The farm is near to one of the most majestic coulees in the Qu’Appelle, with grazing cattle and a meandering creek that drains into both Echo and Mission Lakes. This coulee was most likely the location for many of Henderson paintings as it is easily accessible from Fort Qu’Appelle. However, the view near the Flett farm that overlooked the CNR line was not the view Henderson painted in the above works, one that looks to the line and not above it. Mr. Flett indicated that the old highway from Fort Qu’Appelle ran up the hill on the other side of the coulee. The old road that is now blocked off goes through the Fletts’ property and they gave us permission to explore the other side of the coulee. The next day, Troy and I crossed Highway 35 and drove past the Cemetery Hill Road and reached the old highway. We then walked past the barricade and up the hill and around a bend in the road when we came to the exact spot where Henderson had painted these particular works. Henderson never owned a car and would hire a local man to drive him to his favourite painting spots near his home, prearranging a pickup time. He would then sketch the main compositions and colour harmonies of the scene. In this case, he would have set up on a small shoulder off the road to paint while cars passed by with some frequency. It was then that we realized how faithful his landscape paintings were to the outlines of the topography, contours and landforms of the Qu’Appelle Valley.
-Dan Ring
James Henderson
Untitled (CNR Coulee in autumn), formerly Untitled (autumn valley vista), c. 1932
oil on canvas
35.6 x 40.6
Collection of James Lanigan, Calgary, AB.
James Henderson
Winter Morning, CNR Coulee, Qu’Appelle Valley, Sask. c. 1932
oil on canvas
61.0 x 76.2
Collection of James Lanigan, Calgary, AB.
