Biography
MILNE, Rose Eleanor
Born
Saint John, New Brunswick, May 14th, 1925
Died
Ottawa, Ontario, May 17th, 2014
Eleanor Milne was born in 1925 in Saint John, New Brunswick, to Mr. & Mrs. W. Harold Milne. Her father was a marine architect and general superintendent of Saint John Dry Dock. Eleanor showed a great interest in art at a young age, experimenting with drawing, painting, woodcuts, and bas-relief wood carvings. Following her passion for the arts, Eleanor attended the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts where she studied with Gordon Webber, Jacques de Tonnancour and Arthur Lismer, receiving her diploma in 1945. Following this, in 1946, she enrolled at McGill University’s Medical School to study anatomy. Eleanor continued her education in art at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, London, where she studied engraving and book illustration under John Farliegh. Returning to Montreal in 1946 Milne enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts, where she worked with renowned sculptor Sylvia Daoust until 1948. Eleanor continued to develop her skills as a sculptor by working as an apprentice with Ivan Mestrovic. It was during her apprenticeship that she developed her interest in traditional styles of sculpture, particularly Medieval Gothic. Between 1959 and 1960 she worked on a mural commission at the Mews Cottage in London. Shortly following, in 1962, Eleanor was appointed the National Stone Carver of Canada, the 5th person appointed to this position and the first woman. She held the position of Dominion Stone Carver on Parliament Hill until 1993. During this time she completed carvings on the ceiling of the House of Commons, twelve stained-glass windows in the Chambers of the House of Commons depicting the ten provinces and two territories, and a 120 ft. long bas-relief sculpture depicting the history of Canada.
Media used
Painting
Sculpture
Watercolour
Education
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, School of Art and Design, 1944-45 (under Gordon Webber, Jacques de Tonnancour and Arthur Lismer)
Central School of Arts and Crafts, London (under John Farleigh), 1945 - 46
Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Montreal (under Sylvia Daoust)
McGill University, 1946 - 48
Syracuse University 1950-52
1988, Eleanor Milne was presented with the Order of Canada
Canada's Dominion Sculptor 1961-93
Born
Saint John, New Brunswick, May 14th, 1925
Died
Ottawa, Ontario, May 17th, 2014
Eleanor Milne was born in 1925 in Saint John, New Brunswick, to Mr. & Mrs. W. Harold Milne. Her father was a marine architect and general superintendent of Saint John Dry Dock. Eleanor showed a great interest in art at a young age, experimenting with drawing, painting, woodcuts, and bas-relief wood carvings. Following her passion for the arts, Eleanor attended the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts where she studied with Gordon Webber, Jacques de Tonnancour and Arthur Lismer, receiving her diploma in 1945. Following this, in 1946, she enrolled at McGill University’s Medical School to study anatomy. Eleanor continued her education in art at the Central School of Arts and Crafts, London, where she studied engraving and book illustration under John Farliegh. Returning to Montreal in 1946 Milne enrolled at the École des Beaux-Arts, where she worked with renowned sculptor Sylvia Daoust until 1948. Eleanor continued to develop her skills as a sculptor by working as an apprentice with Ivan Mestrovic. It was during her apprenticeship that she developed her interest in traditional styles of sculpture, particularly Medieval Gothic. Between 1959 and 1960 she worked on a mural commission at the Mews Cottage in London. Shortly following, in 1962, Eleanor was appointed the National Stone Carver of Canada, the 5th person appointed to this position and the first woman. She held the position of Dominion Stone Carver on Parliament Hill until 1993. During this time she completed carvings on the ceiling of the House of Commons, twelve stained-glass windows in the Chambers of the House of Commons depicting the ten provinces and two territories, and a 120 ft. long bas-relief sculpture depicting the history of Canada.
Media used
Painting
Sculpture
Watercolour
Education
Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, School of Art and Design, 1944-45 (under Gordon Webber, Jacques de Tonnancour and Arthur Lismer)
Central School of Arts and Crafts, London (under John Farleigh), 1945 - 46
Ecole des Beaux-Arts, Montreal (under Sylvia Daoust)
McGill University, 1946 - 48
Syracuse University 1950-52
1988, Eleanor Milne was presented with the Order of Canada
Canada's Dominion Sculptor 1961-93