My stepfather – Arnold Alfred Burrell 1924 – 1991 Canadian Artist

I remember my stepfather, Arnold Burrell, loved making these little drawings for my mother. Any card or letter he gave her would be accompanied by these delightful sketches. We lived with him throughout the 1960s in Duncan, British Columbia on Vancouver Island.

He came by his talent naturally through his father, Herbert Heckford Burrell, (1870-1956) who at the age of 21 completed a Bachelor of Music degree at Cambridge University in the UK, remaining there as a tuor for 2 more years. Apart from his music, cmposing and playing piano he also was a very talented sketch artist. He served in WW1 where he was asked to be a 'war artist' because of his sketch work, however, he decided he would be more useful serving as a stretcher bearer though he continued to do sketch work on the front lines. He also kept very detailed war diaries which can be found in the Canadian War Museum. He was also a very talented chess player winning many tournaments both in the UK and in Canada.

Arnold was a charming character but when his passion and demons overtook him he had only one purpose and that was to create art. He was driven by his art and his creativity consumed him. I remember we had an old barn that was falling apart which he took over for his studio and when he was out there no one dare disturb him. His art really left him no time for family life and he was happiest in front of his canvas. I remember his eye for color when it came to painting walls in the house; he could make a room come to life just by the paint colors he choose. He and my mother parted ways around 1970. We moved back to the Vancouver area and he remained on the Island. His work is still greatly admired and respected many years after his death in 1991.