Secret patron buys historic P.E.I. paintings to preserve for posterity

Preserving the work of Point Prim, P.E.I., artist Elinor Gillis is a passion project of several years for Audrey Shillabeer of the Belfast Historical Society she located a patron to purchase Gillis's paintings for the group.

The 89-year-old self-taught artist, whose work has slowed to a trickle due to severe arthritis, has lived in Point Prim all her life, painting people and places now long gone.

"There's a big story there with Elinor Gillis," said Audrey Shillabeer, who's on the volunteer board of directors of the not-for-profit Belfast Historical Society a group that preserves and promotes the heritage and culture of the Belfast Area of P.E.I.

Once you have the historical ones, you think wow, it would be nice to have all of them. And that's what happened. Audrey Shillabeer

Gillis had two collections 32 historical paintings that she'd done over about 40 years showing the life and culture of the area, and a second collection of 22 folk art pieces like ones she'd sold regularly from her backyard barn in Point Prim.

The historical collection includes a painting of the one-room Point Prim School that Gillis attended, as well as other local barns, homes and businesses. She painted her husband Chester plowing the fields, and depicted boat races on the Pinette River.

"Lots of really interesting things about the culture and about the people," Shillabeer said. "And she can name the people in the paintings, so that was really exciting too."

Gillis also painted The Polly, the ship that brought the Selkirk settlers to Belfast more than 200 years ago, using a photograph of The Polly's sister ship as a guide.

'As good as I can'

And her style? "I like to be natural, try and do as good as I can, as it is," Gillis said, sharing she admires the photo-realistic work of nature painter Robert Bateman.

Gillis also enjoyed painting in a folk art style, especially on old pieces of wood including doors. "Just not so particular," she said of the style.

She's not sure how many paintings she has sold over the years, Gillis said, but guesses the number is between 300 to 400. "I used to do 13 or 14 in a winter, I'm not poky at it," she said.

She's sold her work to buyers from all over the world, she added, but doesn't consider herself famous.

"A lot of artists get famous after they're dead," she laughed. "I wouldn't have too much hopes."

'Important collection'

Gillis, interested in selling the historical paintings as a group, got in touch with the society about four years ago.

"I recognized right away the importance of the primary source," said Shillabeer, who then sought funding to buy "what we felt was a fairly important collection of historical paintings."

Unable to secure a grantfor the purchase, Shillabeer asked Gillis if she could at least photograph the collection but Gillis said no, insisting she wanted to sell them.

Last November, afraid the paintings were about to leave the community, Shillabeer told Gillis, "give me two weeks and I'll see if there's any more appetite now."

'Preserved for the future'

In that two weeks, Shillabeer was able to find a patron with deep pockets to buy both collections of paintings.

She won't say who that donor is only that they are from the community, and wished to remain anonymous so the focus would be on Gillis and the paintings.

"The patron has promised that the paintings will stay in the community, to the best of their ability," Shillabeer said. The Belfast Historical Society is in possession of and is managing the artwork.

Shillabeer wouldn't divulge the value of the donation but Gillis did reveal her paintings typically sell for $400 to $500. Multiplied by 54, a value of about $21,000-$27,000 or more can be estimated.

Gillis is pleased with the transaction. "I'm satisfied with what I got," she shared.

"I think it's great," she said. "I was happy to see where they were going, so they'd be preserved for the future generations."

'Nice to have all of them'

Once they had possession of the historical collection, the society decided to pursue purchasing Gillis's collection of folk art important in telling the artist's own story, said Shillabeer.

"Once you have the historical ones, you think wow, it would be nice to have all of them. And that's what happened." The patron agreed to buy both collections.

The society is thrilled it will own the copyrights and be able to reproduce the images to sell as products like cards, posters, T-shirts and books, Shillabeer said.

'Big Belfast' plan

The Belfast Historical Society is now hoping to build an art gallery in Elinor Gillis' name to display and store the paintings.

They'd like it to be part of a larger arts and culture centre including a Scottish clan house, geneaology centre, museum and gift shop, storytelling recording studio, and art studio space.

It's part of a huge community redevelopment plan called Big Belfast on which Shillabeer and others are working.

They want to interpret the story of the 800 settlers Lord Selkirk brought to the area in 1803. He then created similar settlements in Ontario and Manitoba.

'Missed opportunity'

"It's a missed opportunity for the whole Island to not be talking about the Selkirk story, and we think we have a grand way to do it," Shillabeersaid.

Organizers plan to elaborate publicly on the Big Belfast project this fall, Shillabeer said.

Interestingly, Gillis (who was born a Murchison) married into the Gillis family, whose ancestors wereSelkirksettlers, and she still lives on a farm the Gillis family settled 200 years ago. Elinor and Chester Gillis had seven children.

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