Art would not have been recovered without the Eklands

Followers of the story of the discovery of long-lost paintings will want to meet the people responsible for bringing them to light.
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Left: Danica with Pat and Dennis Ekland in Sidney, BC, in August. Dennis gives full credit to Pat for her persistence locating Helen’s family. Right: Pat with the Helen Andersen painting she liked best, newly framed as our gift of appreciation.
Pat’s choice was an astute one, and topical, too. The tragic history of the residential schools is very much in the news these days. Helen’s painting shows a mother bidding farewell to her distressed young daughter as she is sent away from her family. The motif appears in other works by Helen. She was obviously deeply moved by the terrible events and related as a mother to the emotional pain caused as children were separated from their parents.